"Hello?" I grumbled, seeing the lights of the store turn on as soon as I heard the door slam open.
I sat up, no longer fast asleep, and equally nervous and curious as to who was walking in. When I looked up, my heart surged.
"Holy shit!" I screamed, jumping up off of my chair.
I ran full speed ahead, jumped up into his arms, and wrapped him in the tightest hug I'd ever given anyone.
"Now that's not the usual hate-filled glare I get from you." He laughed, gently setting me back down on the floor.
"I've actually been dying to see you since you left. Not only because I was left in this floral hellhole for a full week, but I honestly was getting worried about you. While you can be an absolute dick, I still worried about you." I admitted.
"Don't be, Bea. If that's even your real name." He chuckled.
"What the fuck do you mean by that?" I demanded to know, that question practically taking the breath right out of my lungs.
"It was a joke, cupcake. It feels like it's been so long that I don't even remember your name anymore." He explained, calming my nerves right back down.
"Does this mean I can finally leave?" I asked him.
"Indeed. Actually, take two full days off. I know you've been working like a dog when I was gone, you always do. You deserve 48 hours off to go and do whatever you do when you're not trimming roses." Zak stated.
It took me about 2 minutes tops to collect all of my things, and I was all but jumping up and down knowing I would be getting home so soon.
"Hey, I don't want to get too nosey or ask too many questions because I know that Josh Ben was somehow involved in this...but where were you? Are you alright?" I wondered.
"I'm fine." He said with a smirk.
"Where were you though?" I repeated my question.
"I got recruited for a little bit of a side hustle. It was just a stupid quick job to get some extra cash. It's over now. I'm back here with you for good." Zak answered.
"It's nothing that can get you in trouble with them, right?" I asked.
"Why are you suddenly so concerned about me, little Bea?" He replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Because I work with you, Zak. If you're in trouble, then that means I could be in trouble, or at least suspected of doing whatever you did. I want to stay as far away from them as I can. I don't need that added stress in my life, alright?" I explained.
"You are safe." He simply stated.
"Only call me if there's an emergency," I grumbled, grabbing my things and heading out to my car.
I hurried out of the door, wanting to dash to my car. However, I didn't want to look suspicious. Reaching my car, I quickly slipped in and was looking up and down the streets, slowly turning into a completely paranoid person. As I started up my car, I saw Josh walking out of his store from down the block. That was the perfect cue for me to get my ass out of there. I slammed on the gas and went flying down the street, trying to get to my house as quickly as humanly possible.
To my relief, there weren't any cops anymore to pull me over for speeding, and there was also a general lack of cars on the street. My normal 15-20 minute drive took me about 8 minutes. I pulled straight into my garage, double and triple checking that everything was locked up.
As I got into my house, I was both pleased and slightly disturbed by the silence. Not that I had expected to walk into anything crazy, but I did have a wild imagination. Everything was still exactly where I had left it. The only thing that was noticeably different was my betta fish named Edamame for its striking green color. Poor thing was floating upside down, no longer with us.
"I'm sorry, buddy," I whispered, putting my bag down on my kitchen counter.
Grabbing the net from under my sink, I fished him out and held an incredibly quick little funeral for him, saying goodbye with the not-so-peaceful flush of the toilet. As he was swept away into the big fishbowl in the sky, I ran to my bedroom and fished out my safe that was hidden under my bed.
Once it opened up, I was digging through it like a madwoman in an attempt to find Allie's phone number on it. It was buried under my old ID, the one that had my real name on it, and I wasted no time in calling that number.
The line rang and rang, at every break between rings my hopes would skyrocket and I would be prepared to greet her, but I, unfortunately, was met with a programmed answering machine. I groaned. Of course, with my luck, she wasn't going to answer her phone. In all honesty, though, I had no idea if this was even still her number. I didn't know if she was in Scranton still, or anything about her whereabouts. I had to stay positive and just pray that somehow I'd be able to stay in contact with her and maybe one day find a way out of Scranton with, or without her.
Since that clearly wasn't getting me anywhere today, I sauntered back over to my kitchen and went straight toward the booze cabinet. Pulling down a brand spanking new bottle of vodka I hemmed and hawed about what I could mix it with. Finally, I decided to just crack it open and down it without a mixer.
That sweet burn reminded me that my worries would soon slip away, at least for a short while. That was fine. I knew it was only a temporary reprieve.
The rest would have to come from some inner strength or some bullshit like that.