At the elevator, Alex watched Emily puff out her cheeks. It was Emily’s ‘tell’ for being annoyed. She would share the same sentiment but Alex felt so ready to be rid of her cousin’s clothes. It didn’t matter what or how it happened. It needed to happen soon.
Emily stomped out of the elevator and walked into their floor. Since the Parkers were invited at the last minute, their rooms were located at the other side of the building. It was the only thing that delighted Emily.
Alex tipped the bellboy that helped them with their luggage and they quickly settled in.
Emily opened one of her bags and whipped out a new outfit.
“You’re changing clothes?” Alex asked. She already placed away her things and brought a small bag. It carried all her essentials—her phone, her wallet and her umbrella.
“Of course” Emily replied. She didn’t spare her cousin a glance and headed for the bathroom, saying, “Honestly, Alex. Shopping in these boots? That’s a death trap.”
Alex merely shook her head, “Well, I’ll meet you at the lobby or the boys might think we ditched them.”
“How is that a bad thing?” Emily yelled through the door.
“It would be when mom finds out.”
“Ugh, fine. But if they can’t wait for a lady to get ready, I count that as a complaint. I’ll break Jae’s legs and we’ll steal his car.”
Alex chuckled before she left the room, holding the straps of the backpack she wore.
She reached the lobby in no time.
Like she predicted, Jae already waited by the lounge. He stood up as soon as he spotted Alex. They talked near the front desk.
“It’s just you?” He frowned.
“Emily is still getting ready.”
Jae blinked his eyes several times, “Getting ready how?”
“An outfit change” Alex shrugged.
He nodded in reply, “Yeah, those boots wouldn’t be good for shopping.”
“And how do you know that?”
It was Jae’s turn to shrug, “Shopping has a lot of leg work.”
Alex felt impressed by Jae’s analogy. She figured he took her mother’s words to heart and expected a long trip. At least, he sounded prepared. Then again, her cousin would probably whip out unpredictable ideas to do.
Her eyes swept the lobby once more. It became a habit she developed whenever she found herself in a wide space—especially while waiting. They landed on the opposite side of the desk, far from where they stood.
A young woman signed a piece of paper given to her by the staff. She had her wavy black hair up in a ponytail. She also wore a simple outfit with a round neck blue sweater and a plaid wool skirt. Her face barely had any makeup other than the noticeable pink lip gloss.
Alex grabbed Jae’s arm. She felt the blood drain from her head. She wanted to leave. If anything, maybe even use him as a shield.
Just then, the young woman’s doll-like black eyes met Alex’s.
It was too late.
“Xandra!”
Alex winced at the sound of it. Jae’s gaze landed on the source of the name as well. To say he felt surprised would be an understatement.
He quickly turned his back against her.
The young woman walked up to their side of the desk. She seemed to be the only one thrilled about their meeting, “Long time no see. You look well.”
“Same goes for you” Alex answered with a tight smile.
She received a laugh, “It has! You’ve certainly grown just not around here.”
The young woman waved her hands around her chest area. Alex squeezed her backpack straps tighter. She surely hadn’t changed. She seemed to have grown into a new level of an irritating pest.
Alex pressed her lips together, changing the topic, “Anyway, what brings you here?”
“Just checking out of my room” the young woman giggled, “My stepfather is so generous. He took out the whole family. Freccia’s Foundation Week and all. He really wants to get on my good side. He got me my own suite. Isn’t he sweet?”
“He sure is” Alex laughed through closed lips. If they weren’t in a hotel where her grandmother’s guests also stayed, she would have dumped this woman right away and walked out.
“We stayed for like three days” the bane of Alex’s existence gushed, “The pool is great and all but we’d like to get some sun.”
“I see. Have fun.”
“Oh, but it’s too bad” she continued with an exaggerated sad tone, “Neal would have loved to see you. When did you last see each other? Was it at Whitney’s party where you fell into a pool fully dressed?”
Alex bit her inner cheek. It seemed like her 4-word replies did little to get rid of the munchkin. She surely liked to provoke her. Alex thought she would be tired of it by now.
If she wanted to play then, Alex would play.
Alex sighed heavily, mimicking the other party’s tone of voice, “Time sure flies fast. Last time I saw you we were at the police station where you surrendered the jewels you stole from my mother’s dresser.”
Jae’s head whirled towards Alex. She just went completely out of character. In front of him stood an Alex who had crystallized eyes and a sickly sweet smile. He had witnessed this look in other girls whenever they jabbed each other with fake enthusiasm.
Never did he think that Alex also knew how to do it. Did all of them possess this skill?
The young woman kept her smile, waving her hand, “Oh, kids. See something shiny, they take them. They don’t even know what they’re worth.”
Alex noticed her voice rose higher. They always did whenever something bad about them had been overheard by others.
“Yeah, good thing the law protects minors from being imprisoned.”
Just then, the desk clerk called the young woman’s name and gave her his clearance to leave the hotel. Alex never heard such sweeter news.
“I’d love to stay and talk, honey” she pouted at Alex, “But I have a beach resort to go to.”
“Perfectly understandable.”
And good riddance.
Alex only spoke the latter in her mind.
Then, the young woman chuckled at Jae’s back. Oh, he acted like he didn’t know she was there but she knew better, “Say hi to Logan for me, Jae.”
She didn’t wait for him to reply and left. The way his back became rigid looked enough to her.
Alex snapped her attention towards the older Parker twin. Jae returned her surprised stare. Unlike Alex, his face contorted to a scrunched displeased face. He had his hands crossed over his chest, the veins in them bulging from being stretched to tight by his fists.
With the young woman gone, he didn’t hold back from showing how he felt.
Alex tilted her head. Jae acted very strange. What could it mean? How did that bitch know Jae?
Two puzzle pieces clicked together in Alex’s mind.
Her body began and her breathing became a bit labored. The idea sounded insane in her head.
But it also sounded so perfect.
“Wait, is that woman…” Alex began to say. She licked her dry lips, trying to build a momentum for her to ask, “Is Skye Logan’s ex girlfriend?”
