Chapter 2:
"Jesus Paige, do you think you have enough stuff?" Sam said as she finally closed the back hatch of her black Jeep Grand Cherokee. She and Paige had been running up and down the stairs for the past half hour. Finally, they had loaded all of Paige's things into the Jeep.
"I don't want to hear it. You have the entire back seat full." Paige opened the passenger side door and climbed in. Sam walked around. She then took her place in the driver's seat and started the ignition.
"My iPod is in the glove box. Pull it out, and pick out something to listen to." They listened to cheesy pop complete with singing along and epic rock ballads with complimentary air guitar in true road trip fashion. Nearly three hours later, they pulled into the Michalchuk driveway.
"Home sweet home..." Paige said as she pulled on the door handle and hopped down out of the Jeep. Nearly the second her feet hit the ground, a tall, blond curly-haired boy opened the front door.
"Well, look who it is..." Dylan, Paige's older brother said as he walked down the sidewalk. He was followed by a smaller, dark-haired boy. "If it isn't my big University girl sister..."
"Dylan! Marco! Oh my gosh. I've missed you guys!" Paige leaned in to hug her brother and Marco. Sam shut the door and walked around to where everyone else was standing. "Guys, this is my best friend from Banting, Sam. Sam, my brother, Dylan, and Marco."
"It's awesome to finally meet the infamous Sam" Marco said as he gave Sam a friendly hug.
Sam returned the genuine hug and patted Marco on the back. "I feel the same about you guys. Paige never shuts up about you" she said with a smirk.
"I see University hasn't changed you much, Paige. You still have a big mouth, huh?" Dylan said with the amount of teasing in his voice that is only shared between siblings.
"Gee, thanks guys. Maybe Marco and I will just have to leave you two here to 'make fun of Paige hour' yourselves."
"Now why would you go and do a thing like that? Then we wouldn't be able to see the prize look on your face" Dylan said as he laughed.
Paige swatted at her brother's arm. "Marco, can't you do anything with your boyfriend?"
"I'm afraid he's beyond help in the making fun of Paige department, butmoving on topressing matters...what do you guys say about maaaybe heading over to The Dot?"
Dylan said "Wherever you go babe, I go. Ladies?"
Paige and Sam both agreed that they were famished and that a trip to The Dot was in order. Dylan and Marco helped them bring their plethora of bags up to Paige's room before heading out.
Alex decided that she needed a caffeine fix and a break from the bleak atmosphere of her apartment so she headed over to The Dot. When she pulled up, her eyes instantly went to one of the booths inside. Oh shit...she thought. It's Paige. Upon further studying of the table, she noticed a girl she didn't recognize sitting next to Paige. Everyone at the table was laughing and they looked as if they were having a good time. "Who the hell is that?" Alex wondered out loud with jealousy beginning to rear it's ugly head. Dylan and Marco got up and headed in the direction of the washrooms.
She shrugged and said to no one really but herself "What the hell...never been scared to face anyone before, so why would she be any different?" She opened the door and entered The Dot. A fleeting thought that included the word 'love' passed through her mind briefly, but the thought was gone as soon as it surfaced.
She sauntered over to the bar in only a way she could and ordered herself a coffee. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Paige and the girl sitting at their table with their backs to her. They seemed friendly enough with one another. Paige scooted out of the booth, and headed to the washroom.
Seeing that the girl was by herself now, and feeling confrontational, Alex got down from her stool and headed towards the girl. She sat down across the table from Sam. Sam recognized the trademark hoop earrings as she had seen snapshots of Alex in Paige's scrapbooks. Her palms began to sweat. Her worst fear about coming to Toronto was sitting directly in front of her and was currently staring her down with eyes that cut like knives.
Alex kept her eyes on Sam, and finally spoke "So, who the hell are you?"