(chapter one for Disclaimers)
Alice and Shane Go Large
chapter two
Shane was agitated.
Alice had said nine, she had definitely said nine right? She glanced at the clock and saw that it was quarter to ten.
Shane McCutcheon sat alone at a table in The Planet, her table was empty and the seats around it to, it seemed no one was around for her anymore, not even Alice.
" Oh my god Shane, I am so sorry."
The unmistakable sound of Alice Pieszecki's voice rang in Shane's ears, she swivelled slightly in her seat to see her best friend expertly dodging chairs and people, carrying a pile of what looked like brochures. She "flumphed" into the seat next to Shane and dumped the brochures on the table.
Shane just stared, her eyes wide, her brow furrowing.
"What the fuck is that Al?"
Alice gave Shane a disparaging look then shrugged.
"Nice to see you to Yoda. Listen, I figured, you know…" Alice lowered her voice and leaned forward over the table. "I figured if you wanted to get out of here quickly then we better start making some decisions."
"I guess you are coming with me then, wherever we are going." Shane asked and Alice shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I thought that's what you need, someone like me to laugh at I thought we should go somewhere with good night life…"
Shane blinked and looked down at the first brochure, she picked it up and stared at her best friend.
"So you figured we should go to New Zealand?" Shane made a clicking noise with her tongue and set the brochure down on the pile again. "Come on Alice, lets just go to New York or something…"
Alice shook her head and interrupted her, the thing was, when Alice interrupted someone you couldn't get a word in edgeways less you shouted, but Shane had no energy.
"Al…"
"I had loads of ideas, I mean…"
And she was off, for hours. When the other customers looked over to the table in the corner of The Planet and saw a blonde haired woman chattering away they saw the resignation in the dark haired skinny-ones' eyes.
"And they're doing this deal on a place in Ibiza for two weeks…" Alice brandished the magazine, nearly taking Shane's head off.
"Whoa, Al, okay I think I've had enough for today." Shane went to stand up but a hand appeared on her shoulder and Shane looked up to see Kit smiling.
"Well, I thought I wasn't going to see you around for ages, you cant leave now." Kit Porter leaned around Shane and saw the brochures. "But it looks like you are going somewhere, planning a holiday?"
Shane had no time for this, she wanted to be alone, she didn't want to go anywhere fancy if it meant Alice was going to make a big deal out of it, and she definitely didn't need the others knowing that she wasn't planning on sticking around, in case they tried to stop her.
She sank back into her seat as Alice slurped the straw of her smoothie.
"Hey Kit, yeah, Shane wants to get away for a while."
Shane shot Alice a look
"Alice…"
Alice just shrugged with an innocent look as she sucked the straw, pulling at air at the bottom of the now empty cup.
"Look, im just trying to help Shane, your just being picky, even though you said you wouldn't!"
Kit looked from Shane to Alice to the brochures, she reached out and picked one up."ooh, New Zealand, You know that's kind of far away…"
Shane was reaching the end of her fuse, she looked from Kit to Alice, from Alice to Kit to the brochure then growled.
"Wow, Shane, you're still alive." Tina Kennard walked over to the table, Angelica in her arms and glanced at the stranger who looked furious.
Without warning Shane pulled at her hair, hiding her face in her hands then jumped up."Al, you said Ibiza, right?"
Alice frowned up at Shane's outburst then nodded, holding out the brochure.
"Right, ill go book the tickets." Shane tried to make it sound forceful and irritated but her voice just came out hysterical as she stared down at the brochure, a woman on the front who looked too much (though only a little) like Carmen smiled at her as she walked away.
"Thank fuck for that." Alice's voice could still be heard as Shane walked out, and she could hear her friend rolling her eyes as Tina sat down and bounced Angelica on her knee. Shane still couldn't stop staring at the woman on the front of the brochure.