Peanut2lb: Thanks matey, your words are highly appreaciated. Hope you like this chapter. T.F.R
Princess Pinky: Dude, your reviews are always great. You sure know how to prop a girl to keep her writing. Thanks a lot. and T.F.R.
AlyssaAs: Hey girl, thanks a lot for your kind words. Glad you like my work. Hope you enjoy this new chappie. T.F.R.
Faith Kingsley: Hey there friend, nice to have you back. Dude, come on, you should know Lexie by now; she's just as stubborn as her big sister. Read on, you'll find it interesting. T.F.R.
C.C. McKenna
Earthquake
Chapter Three
Tuesday 11:38 A.M.
Piper woke up with a huge headache, a very dry mouth, and a hell of a lot more wounded pride. She had somehow managed to retain a small amount of breakfast in her stomach after throwing up for the third time that morning, and to top all that, she still had to put up with her younger sister's mockery and silly jokes about what Phoebe called 'Piper's wildest behavior ever'. Piper was so embarrassed with herself; not even in her wildest dreams, she would have thought about flirting so openly with a guy. "I have to be out of my mind…I have to be delusional" That's what she kept telling herself all morning. She knew Phoebe might have thought of it as a very cute side of her, but Piper seriously considered it an inexcusable and unforgivable behavior; and to tell the truth, she really had enjoyed her boldness only that she was too proud to admit it.
The morning had been running dreadfully slow and awfully tiring for Piper but not for Phoebe. Phoebe was enjoying herself like crazy, and best of all; she was enjoying her sister's company. They had visited the Museum of Modern Art, the Statue of Liberty, and The Empire State Building; and finally they ended up in Central Park. Of course Phoebe already knew all those places, but the sole fact of being her sister's guide made her heart jump with joy. She wanted to show her sister everything; all the things she used to love, all the people she met and still cared for; She wanted Piper to know everything about her past…about her previous life…. the life she spent alone… the life without her sisters. She was thrilled.
Phoebe got up from the dark green-ironed bench immediately after she finished a double scoop chocolate ice cream cone and anxiously stood by the curb. "Come on Piper, I'm starving" She whined and eagerly called for a cab; they were now heading for a lunch date at a nice French Restaurant, Adrienne, on Fifth Avenue.
"Phoebe, this is so embarrassing, I absolutely do no want to go there; in fact, I'm not even hungry" Piper whispered into her sister's ear, trying to avoid the nosey and staring cab driver.
"Piper… Brad is eagerly waiting for you, he's dying to see you; I mean, how lucky a girl can be?"
"Ha! Don't give me the 'lucky girl speech', I know perfectly well what you're trying to do here…and I'm so not interested in seeing him again!"
"But…I promised them" Phoebe lowered her head. "You can't do this to me!" She glanced back at her sister. "I promised we were going to have a great time, but you're… you're just making it hard…almost impossible for me to keep my promise"
Piper shook her head with annoyance. "Sorry Phoebe, but you should have checked with me first"
"Piper, they called very early this morning, and you were asleep, so I arranged the dates, I mean, I didn't think you were going to say no…last night you seemed to like the guy"
"I certainly did not!" Piper snapped. "And if you really want to go, then go ahead, I won't mind staying alone at the hotel" Piper furrowed, glancing at the driver who was still looking at them through the rearview mirror. "Do you mind!?" She snapped at him too and made him turn his eyes back to the road.
"Piper…please" Phoebe whined and gave her sister the best puppy eyes look she had. "Pretty please?" She insisted sweetly.
Piper sighed and rolled her eyes. Phoebe's puppy eyes had always been her major weakness, so she knew she was heading for big trouble. "And don't give me that look; I know you too well Phoebe Halliwell, you're not going to convince me this time, so forget it"
Phoebe lowered her head and nervously played with her thumbs; patiently waiting for her sister to change her mind, she knew it was just a matter of time.
"Oh, all right" Piper shook her head as a sign of defeat, but just to keep her 'pissed off big sister attitude', the truth was that she was also dying to see Brad.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you" Phoebe kissed her sister's cheek after each of her frantic words.
"Phoebe…. stop it, stop it, stop it!" Piper wiped her face with her sleeve and shoved Phoebe away. "Eww! … I hate it when you do that!"
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Tuesday 1:47 P.M.
"Hello" Mike smiled and nervously leaned on the locker beside Lexie's "You look beautiful today" He blushed and she blushed even more.
"Thanks" Lexie closed her locker and rested her back on the door. "You're sweet" she smiled bashfully and pulled the books to her chest.
"I was going to…I mean…that's only if…if….uhm" Michael nervously scratched his temple and took off his eyeglasses. He had never hated himself so much before for being so stupidly shy; He knew he was timid, but this time…well, this time he outdid himself. He wanted with all his heart to date Lexie; He was madly in love with her but nobody knew it, not even his sister.
"I wished I could," Lexie replied promptly, before he even had a chance to ask her out, "but I can't" she added coldly.
"Sure you can…you just don't want to, that's all"
"Michael, please don't make me go through all that again"
"Sorry, but I think you should try and forget about K…." Michael cleared his throat, realizing his lack of tact. "He´s not worth it"
Lexie looked at him for a short moment but said nothing; she took a big breath and started walking. Michael followed her with remorse.
"Lexie, please, wait" Michael grabbed her arm and stopped her. "I didn't mean to upset you"
"It's ok Michael, I am not upset, it's just that I have to leave, that's all" She pulled her arm free and faked a smile.
"Lexie…" Michael narrowed his eyes at her with disbelief, knowing perfectly well that she was hiding something.
Lexie sighed and fixed her dark blue eyes on his. "Have you ever been thirsty…I mean real thirsty…then you go to the refrigerator and open up a carton of milk and pour it in your mouth and…and then you find out that it's sour? Well, that's exactly how I feel right now, that's exactly how he made me feel; so forgive me if I don't find boys quite suitable all of a sudden" She barely smiled.
"Let me show you I'm nothing like him…let me help you forget" Michael held her hand and gently squeezed it. "Please"
Lexie bent down her head and slightly shook it. She wanted to leave at that very moment, she wanted to run away as far as she could, but she couldn't, it was Micky, the brother of her dear friend, so she just tried to be as polite as she could. "Let me have your cell number and I'll call you…eventually" She smiled.
"Great!" Michael's heart jumped frantically inside his chest while he quickly entered his number in Lexie's mobile. "You wont regret it, I promise you"
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Tuesday, 5:17 P.M.
"Was Prue mad at you last night?" Karen asked while walking through the parking lot, enjoying Lexie's company.
"Not as much as I expected her to be…but, yeah, I could say she was" Lexie smiled, tossing her helmet to the air. "She just grounded me…indefinitely" She chuckled with mockery. "But I think she'll be more pissed tonight" She winked an eye to Karen.
"Lexie, you're playing with fire sweetie… you should talk to her, and explain your situation, they deserve to know, they deserve a chance to help, to do something for you before it's…"
"Too late?" Lexie finished Karen's statement. "I told you it was already late, so please, do not insist"
"Lexie…"
"Nuh uh" Lexie placed her finger on Karen's lips. "Now, tell me, are you coming with me…or not?"
"Uhm… Brian is going to pick me up…we are supposed to go to a family dinner at his house, but tell me where you're going to be and I'll meet you there"
"No, no, it's ok, don't worry" Lexie squeezed Karen's shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, we'll have some coffee before classes, ok?"
"No, Lex, please, tell me where you're heading, I really want to meet you there, I don't want you to be alone" Karen grabbed Lexie's hand and held it tight.
"No…go ahead and have fun with Brian, I've got to go now". She pulled her hand free from Karen's grasp and jumped on her motorcycle, skillfully strapping the helmet around her chin. "See? … This is how it's done" She joked.
Karen smiled and just stood there, watching helplessly until Alexia disappeared from sight.
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Tuesday 7:55 P.M.
Lexie's silent, long ride finally drove her to the beach. She parked the motorcycle and dropped her bag and helmet on the handle bar. Unfortunately, she had arrived about an hour too late to watch the sunset, but luckily, some beautiful colors still lingered in the sky. She mechanically walked on the sand for hours; she walked until her body felt tired enough to rest. She arrived at a high, isolated sea cliff and slowly climbed it; when she finally reached the top, she just sat there, enjoying the cool breeze and the soothing sound of the waves. The only thing that kept her going was the mere thought that everything would be all over soon.
She closed her eyes tightly and let a couple of tears fall freely down her cheeks. "I love you mom…and I'm sorry if I had to brake my promise, but I can't go on like this, I can't take care of my self…I know I promised you I would…but I couldn't, I just couldn't" She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and took a deep breath. "Mother, I need you…I really need you right here by my side"
Tuesday 11:47 P.M
Prue was furiously driving her Miata and talking to Andy on her cell phone. "Please Andy… just do me a favor and send those patrol cars to find her, and if they do, ask them to pick her up, she needs a lesson; …I'm heading for Campus right now, but I don't know if she's there or not…she's not even answering her damn cell phone"
"Prue, calm down; don't you think you're over reacting?" Andy asked calmly.
"Are you going to help me or not?"
"Yes Prue; I'll send those patrol cars right away, but promise me to calm down; I don't want you in the E.R. for driving under the influence"
"Influence? What influence? What are you talking about?" Prue raised an eyebrow, obviously intrigued with Andy's words.
"The Prue influence" Andy smirked. "Just kidding" He giggled. "I meant driving under that edgy condition of yours".
"That is so not funny Andy, but thanks anyway; and don't worry, I can control myself…I think" She frowned. "Ok, I'm arriving at campus right now, let me see if she's here, talk to you later and hey… I love you"
Andy smiled widely. "I love you too"
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Wednesday 2:34 A.M.
Alexia was getting ready go home. She grabbed her bag and pulled out her leather jacket; she slowly zipped it up and turned the ignition on; but suddenly, two sets of arms grabbed her from behind. She screamed and turned around quickly to face her assailants.
"Let me go, I didn't do anything" She demanded when she noticed they were cops.
"Are you Miss Alexia Bennett?" One of the two police officers asked politely.
"Yes, I'm Alexia Bennett, but…how?"
"Sorry Miss, but we have strict orders to take you in custody" The officer bent her hands on her back and swiftly handcuffed her; immediately shoving her in the back of the patrol car and shutting the door closed.
"This is outrageous, completely unjust, and stupid… and I need a lawyer! I'm going to sue you both!" Lexie yelled louder when the two policemen got inside the patrol car. "In fact I'm suing the whole San Francisco police department, that's what I'll do!"
"Shut up!" The second officer yelled and slammed his baton on the shielded window behind him. Lexie shrunk back a little but quickly resumed her tantrum.
"You're not scaring me mister, I know my rights"
"Shut up!" The second cop insisted.
"Well I won't shut up until you get these things off me, they are hurting my wrists!"
The policeman chuckled. "Then you can scream and yell all you want, 'cause those things aren't coming off"
"Arseholes!"
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Wednesday, 3:09 A.M.
Prue was doing great,well, almost great; she was on her 9th cup of coffee and about her 50th glimpse at her wristwatch in a 'long…long' period of thirty minutes. Andy had been out looking for her little sister in law but he'd decided to go to the manor after he received a call from Prue and noticed that her tenseness was at its best; he knew she needed him. Prue followed closely Andy's pacing while he was talking on the phone, looking outside from one window to another. Prue squinted her eyes, trying to listen to Andy's already too long conversation. Finally, Andy folded his cell and slid it into his inner coat's pocket.
"They found her Prue…she'll be here any minute now" He spoke calmly.
"They did? Thank God!" Prue jumped on her feet, fixing her eyes on Andy's "But where was she? How is she? Is she hurt? Is she ok?"
"She's ok Prue… she's fine" Andy grabbed her shoulders and held her at arms length.
Prue sighed deeply, her opened hand resting flat on her chest. "I'm going to kill that little…"
"They're here" Andy whispered. "Come on" He held Prue's hand and pulled her to the entrance.
Prue opened the door and flinched a bit when she saw her baby sister handcuffed like a common criminal. Andy's friends were holding Lexie by the elbows, dragging her towards the door. Lexie saw Prue and lowered her eyes to the floor; she hated to be seen like that. She hated to look vulnerable under her sister's eyes.
"Andy!" Lexie cleared her throat and hissed with mockery. "I should have known you were behind all these" Lexie stood by the door; her arms harshly bent behind her back and still, harshly handcuffed. The two police officers quietly held her by her upper arms, waiting for Andy's instructions. Lexie turned to her sister, her face reflecting pain and anger. "Why are you doing this to me? No, let me rephrase that to you, Why did you let that stupid boyfriend of yours do this to me?" She knew too well how to hurt her sister and she was doing a hell of a job.
Prue gulped down the knot in her throat and glared at her sister. "He has nothing to do with it, I asked him to look you up and bring you here…and he's no stupid; so I suggest you apologize to him and start behaving, unless you want to go back to the juvenile detention center?"
Lexie's jaw almost reached the floor. "I can't believe my own sister would do a thing like that!"
"Believe me, honey, you still have quite a few things to learn about me" Prue smirked and pulled her sister inside. Leaving both cops smirking by the door.
Andy knew it was Prue's turn to piss off her little sister, so he walked to his friends and patted their shoulders. "That will be all, thank you White, you too Rollins, I owe you guys one" Andy smiled and walked his friends to their car. "I'll take it from here" He winked an eye and politely opened the car's door for them.
"Your call inspector"
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