CHAPTER29

"You know what I want to do?" I ask Carter as we sit in the cafe having a snack. "I don't think I want to know anymore" he shakes his head before going back to devour his meal like an animal. "God gross, Carter we're in public, we only pig eat in private" I shriek. Yes, I shrieked, I'm a lady. "Like I care" I decide to play with him "You know those girls have been eyeing you since" I smirk. "Meh, I really don't care anymore " he says much to my dismay. Amelia. That's the reason. "Ooh, this is really serious. Now spill the beans dude" I force. He drops his sandwich in irritation and glares at me "Fine. I've always liked Amelia, this started in seventh grade when she hit that Othniel dude that always bullied me. Ever since I just fell in love with her. Now I know I dated other girls and all but I needed to get her out of me because she didn't seem to like me as I did. You can guess the rest" he explained. I frowned at him because Othniel couldn't hurt a finger and he was never even bullied, " You liar.  Is that how to give me juicy deets, Come on, where's my girlie Carter" "Sorry but this bitch got himself his own chick" he smiled. "So, what's the deal with you and Mr. Hot stuff?" He said in a high pitched tone. I laughed at his tone" Carter I'm sorry but you're beginning to sound gay" "Carter I'm sorry but you're beginning to sound gay)" he mocked me. I was about to make a sarcastic remark when my phone buzzed from my jeans. I pick the call without checking the name; a habit I have to do away with. The tiny voice from the other end spoke "Hi, it's Connie" Having my full attention, I answer "Hey, what's up?" "So I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me because I'm coming to town". Bubbling with excitement in my seat I said "That's lovely, will see you in a bit" "Great, just text me the address" and with that, she hung up. "Who's the babe?" Carter inquired. I didn't have enough information on my hands so I reluctantly lied "Oh, it's not important" Carter who has known me for like fifteen years caught my lie before it went "Stop lying, Looney" I just glared at him. If he doesn't want to talk about Amelia, I won't talk about anyone. So what, I can be childish too. "Well then Macbeth, I'm off for a lunch date" I rose up. "We just ate" was all he said. "Uh, do you know who you're talking to?" "I do know. Well, I'm supposed to be on my way to the hospital" I turned back to ask "Why what's wrong?" "Well, I haven't been feeling like myself amongst other things, don't worry about me. Go" he said as we walked outside and bid our goodbyes. I stepped into my car to text Connie on the diner we were going to, then drove off. It wasn't long before I noticed a black SUV tailing my car in a rather stylish way. At first, I didn't want to believe it because What the hell, I'm not in a freaking movie. Though it would be nice to have one of those hot car chase things. Back to the matter on hand, I tried swerving my car to the right to see what the other vehicle will do but he didn't and I let out a huge breath. After some time, he did the same thing and I wished I had not let that breath out. Who the hell is following me? I furrow my brows in confusion. The perfect idea coming to me, I smile to myself. I think it's time to play a little game of 'catch me if you can'. What? That was the only thing that came to me. I swerve out of my lane swiftly, not really because a few cars honked at me with displeasure. I apologized in my head as I took another lane, the only thing was that the driver was too good. I guess we have to take things to a higher level. God, I feel like I'm in a movie. I stepped on my gas and sped off as I begged Ollie not to disappoint me. I silently prayed for no police to flag me down. I totally forgot about the SUV due to my car racing skills. I really should try that stuff out, I praise myself. When I parked my baby, I noticed that the same car parked buildings away from me. I swear I had the urge to go and meet them and ask why they were following me. Who am I kidding, I would never do that, I'm only bold in things that won't get me killed. As I was about to step out, I noticed that the plate number of the car was very familiar as I have seen it somewhere. Yes! "92963" that's the numerical version of 'Wayne'. I'm very observant. That sneaky bastard. What the heck does Eriel want from me?. Sighing, I get down and walk into the diner, feeling very self-conscious because some weirdos are watching me. I was greeted by the smell of heavenly food as I entered the diner. I surveyed the room for any red-haired chick then I saw her in the corner by the window playing with her hair, a habit she's fond of. "Hi" I smile as I get to the table. She looks at me with a flicker of surprise, happiness and relief "Hey Lorraine, I thought you'd never get here" she joked. "What do you mean? I literally sped down here" Yeah for a whole different reason, but I let that part to myself. "So how have you been, what'd you do after leaving that place and since when did you have a fiancé" she asked all at once and I couldn't help but chuckle. "Cool down and to answer your question, I'm holding up I guess, sometimes it's not easy, other nights it's just normal but what I do know is that he's coming back" I say truthfully, taking a huge amount of air "Well, the fiancé part is quite tricky so you might not understand but yeah, I do have a fiancé" I smiled and she nodded in understanding. "If you say so, well I'm just happy for you, everything will be alright" She assured. That was one thing about Connie, she had the aura of encouragement and love. You can see why we became friends. As the waiter came by to ask for our order I said to her "So, enough about me, tell me what really happened that night" Her expression became more serious "Honestly, I don't exactly know what happened that night. But what I was told had something to do with drugs in my food" "But you didn't have much food that afternoon" "Well, I don't know what to think and who would want to hurt me". She said in a low voice. That was the same thing running through my mind. Connie was nothing but a sister to each and every one of us. She literally took care of us, so it was all strange to me. As I was engaged in my own thoughts, I began to feel eyes on me which made me uneasy. Taking a quick glance, I saw one of Eriel's men in a clear view, watching me. Seeing that I already caught him, he sped walked to his car and drove off. Immediately the car left, I felt so relieved and continued my conversation with Connie. Connie shrugged off the topic so I went along with it. We ate, talked about a lot of things. In general, we had a nice time. ***** As I got home, I noticed that Lexis wasn't home and for some reason, I had the drive to call him but I didn't. Things have been bearable between Lexis and me and I was somewhat glad. I fled to the bathroom to have a very relaxing bath. As I washed myself up, I recall the day's event, especially the unusual tailing of Eriel's men. I decided to keep it with me because I was going to get to the bottom of it myself. I got out of the bathroom, changed into my tank top and my night short as I settled down to my laptop, trying to make some research on Eriel. And just when I found something on Eriel, I received a call that startled me because researching about an evil person at night, alone isn't something you'd want to be doing. I picked up my phone from my bed and for once, I checked and it was Carter so I answered the call, ready to reprimand him for scaring the shit out of me. " My God Car-" "Lorraine are you home?" He interrupted in a soft tone. "Yes, is everything all right?" I asked "When I get there Lorraine" he said before hanging up. Uh oh, something's definitely wrong. Carter hardly calls me Lorraine so now I'm worried. I pace around, trying to think of what could be the problem. I know I should just be patient but I can be very impatient at times. Hearing the honk of Carter's car, I fly downstairs, not literally of course. I open the door for him to enter, taking in his features. His back was slumped and he had a look of worry and panic on him. I close the door and walk up to him, placing my two hands on his shoulders for comfort as we take a seat on the sofa "Hey, what's the matter?" He didn't say anything, but he just kept a neutral face on, so it was hard for me to tell what it was, but I knew it wasn't something good. Finally, he took a breath and he spoke leaving me speechless "I have Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" **************************************