His Twisted Queen

Chapter 4

Alaina.

......................

I catch the train home and enjoy the soft pouring of the rain as I made my way through the bustling East Village to the small walk-in apartment in an unrenovated building.

I kept my head down as I passed the crowd of people and climbed the stairs of the dilapidated building. I drop the umbrella, and begin to fight with the lock like I did everyday, turning the key this way and that way.

Finally, it clicked home. I trudge up the creaky stairs to the tiny studio apartment that I made as homey as possible with personal but inexpensive touches.

I kick off my shoes, walk into the kitchen, open the fridge, looking and finding a banana.

Not with much eagerness, I get in the shower to wash down the day's crab.

The apartment is warm and cosy, and I snuggle under a blanket with a stash of popcorn, M&Ms and a variety of sweets infront of the TV. I narrow down what to watch and end up with a natural geographic animal show.

However, I soon regretted my choice as all the apex predators reminded me that I got an invite to be a hunter for a weekend.

All throughout the week, I couldn't stop thinking about the napkin with uncle Dom's number on it, stashed in my bedside drawer.

Having expectations means you are automatically setting yourself up for dissapointment. And I know...I know that if I go as far as accepting the invitation, I will start expecting things. Things like earning a place in their lives.

I will never fit in with the Romans. They are good people, probably believe life is a song to dance to. s**t, I can't dance.

I can't set myself up for dissapointment.

My phone chimed a message and I snatched it from the table.

My eyes almost fall out of their sockets as I stumble upon the message.

Breakfast at 8. Don't be late. And then the address of a downtown diner.

What the hell? Uncle Dom just made the decision for me.

But wait, where did he get my--

Don't fret over where I got your number, I got skills. Be good, kid. Another message from him.

I'm still in a daze of shock.

Will I be b***h if I text right back and tell him that I'm not interested?

Dissapointments are right around the corner. How long before he realises that I'm not fun to be around?

I need reasons as to why this is a bad idea but I can't find any. It's not like Uncle Dom threw me to the wolves like my parents did, he wanted to take care of me. I was the one that left.

And when I left, the path I found myself on seemed easy but I knew I was on the wrong path, in darkness.

I was on an endless highway, driving a nightmare, I couldn't escape from.

A soft yet urgent knock at the door shatter the silence enveloping me. I look at the time. Midnight. I can't even guess who is at the door cause I never get visitors.

I lazily rise from the couch and walk over to the door. "Who is it?" I ask, holding the doorknob.

"Cyrus and Zack. Open up, Alaina." A very familiar voice came...a voice I haven't heard for the last two years.

I turn the doorknob and swing the door open. The two faces before me is ever so familiar that I can't help but pause for a moment to get used to the sight.

"`Sup." Is the greet the two idiots decide to go with. Shoving me to the side, the Korean and African-American enter my place.

"Oh...kay, do come in." I retort in sarcasm, closing the door. As if it's the most normal thing, they lunge down on my couch and eat away at the treats.

"Where's Kia?" I ask, remembering another team player.

"Bahamas, on vacation." Zack answers.

I smile, classic Kia. Always touring around the world.

I step closer, slightly annoyed but very much furious to know why my team from back in the day showed up on my doorstep. "Guys, what the hell are you doing here? Thought I made myself clear when I said I didn't want to see your faces again?"

"Yeah you did, but we missed you so we thought of pulling up to say hi." Cyrus Chance respond through a mouthful of popcorn.

"Oh, is that so? And why didn't you think to text or call first before just pulling up?" I say, getting very much irritated as they sit there, watch TV, eat my popcorn like we are on my movie night.

We might have had crazy nights together, but times have changed.

"We knew, you would say no sunshine." Zack Xu throws me a smile. And for a moment, I'm reminded that he used to smile it me like that as though I was indeed the sunshine on any dark day.

"Damn right, I would've said no. I put my past behind me and don't need you--" I stop making noise as the two seem more interested in the movie than in me.

I click my tongue, going over and taking a standing between them and the TV, my hands resting on my hips.

"Hey!" They shriek disapprovingly out.

"Tell me right now, why you are here. Or I'm throwing both your asses out of here without breaking a sweat." I exclaim, scanning my stern gaze between them.

"Damn, you still bossy." Zack smiles hard.

"And still fine as hell." Cyrus add, running his snake eyes over me, whistling as his gaze lands on my ass. "Damn girl, what's you been eating?"

Zack laughs. I've forgotten how absolutely annoying they can be.

I ignore their comments and sit down on the table. "I'm waiting."

Zack scratches his nose, sitting forward. "You still remember my little cousin, Tao?"

I immediately nod. "Yeah, I do. Why?" I ask.

And when they just proceed to make silent eye contact, I got nervous.

I was forever at Zack's house and little Tao would hover around me like I was the most special creature he's ever known and I got a soft spot for the little guy.

Like in all teams, there's always a cliche of a romantic interest between two players. And that interest was between Zack and me. It started off as a hook up at first then into a relationship but less than three months in, I couldn't do it. I couldn't commit myself to Zack or a relationship.

I really liked him, he was funny, a hopeless romantic but there was always this voice at the back of my head, telling me that things won't work out and that I'll get hurt.

So before I could actually get hurt, I ended things. Zack understood and it was hard at first but we found each other as good friends again.

"He was abducted from school today."

Shock and panic plummet into the pit of my stomach. I look at them, hoping to find a clue that this is a joke but there's nothing. "What? You guys know who took him?"

"The Pope."

As if things couldn't get any worse, they mention Tom Pope, the world's ugliest man. We used to work with him or rather for him and he was an absolute d**k.

He had this messed up thing, where he gave cash loans to underpriveledged people and as soon as the people set out to fund their expenses, he would send his thugs to rob the people. And bring the cash back to Pope.

Worst part is, the people had to pay back the loans with massive interests. I hate that guy.