Chapter 12: Cat.
Today I am getting a cat.
I know, I know it's kind of a bad look.
You probably think I'm going to be an old cat lady and die alone.
You're not wrong.
With the way my love life has been going, dying alone doesn't seem too far-fetched. I haven't been on a date in two months. It's just been a work-house-parent's house cycle. I'm so tired, the majority of the time. My only friend here is Naya, but she's busy and Ashton has a girlfriend so he'll never want to hang. A little feline will take my mind off my present loneliness for a while.
Putting a quarter in the parking meter, I hop on to the sidewalk and walk through the doors of the pet adoption center.
"Hello, I'm Tiffany. How may I be of service?" A blonde girl asks me. She looks twelve.
"Hi, I'm Valarie. I'm supposed to be meeting Denice here." I tell the girl.
"Denice is my mom. She's in the back." She informs me. "Mom!!!" The girl yells.
"Coming." A woman replies from the back.
"Do you work here?" I ask Tiffany as we wait for her mother's arrival.
"Sometimes. I'm here after school, I help my mum out when she's busy in the back." She tells me and I smile.
"That's so kind of you." I say, smiling at the little girl.
"Miss Stone, sorry to keep you waiting. I was getting Karlie ready." Denice says as she walks out of the back room with a cat cage in her hand.
"She's really in there?" I ask, nervous.
I've never had a pet before.
This is going to be tough, I can already tell.
"Yup, and she's all yours." Denice tells me, handing me the cage. She pulls out some documents from behind the desk and hands me a pen. "Sign here, here and....here." She shows me, flipping the page.
I sign the required places and then give her the paper.
"Go meet your new mommy." Denice tells Karlie as she hands me the cat box.
"Thank you." I tell her and she smiles.
"Enjoy your new best friend." Tiffany tells me before I walk out of the store. I walk to my car and open it, placing Karlie on the passenger seat before I enter the car.
This is going to be fun.
***
"And it's not like I owe him shit." I rant to Adam, eating a potato chip.
"He's always been like this, Vee. I wonder why you still hang around him after all these years. That man is literally deadweight." Adam say, brushing his hair.
"Where are you going tonight?" I ask him, carrying my phone from the chair as I head to the kitchen to get some orange juice.
I place my phone on the island before I take the bottle of orange juice out of the fridge. Grabbing a glass, I fill it and put the bottle back in the fridge.
"Anniversary dinner with Ashley." He tells me and I squeal.
"Oh My God!!! I can't believe it's been four years already?" I ask him , shocked.
"Yeah. Shit's wild." He says, smiling. "I'm thinking of proposing tonight." He tells me, showing me the black box in his hand.
"Adam!!! That's great. You guys are going to make beautiful babies." I tell him.
"Of course, have you seen me?" He says, cockily.
"Okay, Mr. suave. I'm so happy for you." I say, pouting.
"Well, you don't look like it. Look, you'll find someone." Adam says, encouraging me.
"Maybe." I say, smiling at him. "I gotta go. I have a meeting with Chad in ten minutes." I inform him.
"Ouu, what are you guys gonna talk about?" Adam asks and I laugh.
"Business stuff. Now scram. Go propose to your girlfriend." I tell him. He waves me goodbye before he hangs up.
I'm proud of that loser.
Walking into my room, I put on a blue plaid pantsuit and pair it with some black Louboutin heels. I grab my purse before I walk to my car.
I enter my car and I wear my seatbelt, I feel a hand on my neck. The hand squeezes my throat with so much force. I claw at the hand and gasp for air. My vision is blurred and I close my eyes.
***
Someone's talking.
Who is that?
Ugh, my neck.
"She's stirring." I hear a female voice say.
Is that...Heather?
I open my eyes and all I see is black.
Of course, I'm blindfolded.
I feel a hand across my cheek and I yell out in pain.
"Shut the fuck up you bitch." I hear the lady say before she yanks my blindfold off.
"Surprise." Heather says before she kicks me in my side.
I groan in pain as I clench my side.
"Oh please you lost a whole child, that little kick is nothing." She cackles.
"Shut up." I say, spitting blood.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I had Andrè put arsenic in your drink. And that my friend is how you lost your baby." She tells me and I freeze.
"Y-you did what?" I ask her, wiping my bloody lip.
"You heard me." She says grabbing something behind her.
I writhe in pain as the pain in my side gets worse. Tears fall from my eyes as I lay on the floor, unable to move. Heather is going through a black bag. She brings out black gloves and a gun.
Okay, I'm gonna die.
Cool.
Her back is to me, I take this time to scan the room, I'm in a car warehouse. I spot a wrench in the distance. As Heather looks through the back, I muster up strength and I start crawling towards it, trying as much as possible not to make a sound.
I pick up the wrench before I try to stand up. I fail miserably as the wrench slips from my hand. Heather turns around and I use my last strength and stand to my feet before I start running. She chases me around the warehouse and I run as fast as I can.
Shortly, I fall to the ground as Heather tackles me.
"You really think you can run from me?" Heather asks before she flips me over to face her.
"Fuck you." I spit in her face.
She bashes my forehead with the edge of the gun and I cry out in pain. My vision blurs and I close my eyes.
Zachary's POV.
"Hut!!!" I yell as my teammates chase the ball I just threw.
"Henderson on your left." I hear Fredrico yell from the other side of the field.
With lightning speed, I dodge a player from the other team who was charging towards me.
"Bitch." I call him, putting my mouth guard back in.
"What did you just say to me bro?!!" The guy spits, taking his helmet off as he walks towards me. I take out my mouth guard and I walk up to him, looking him in the eye.
"I called you a fucking bitch." I say, shoving him.
"Ayo, Henderson." Coach Housley yells as he walks towards me.
"I'm not doing anything." I tell him.
"He's not worth it, Zach." Frederico tells me.
"Letting your boy talk you down, huh? Who's the bitch now?" The guys says and I swing at him, but he dodges.
"That's enough." The referee tells us. "Henderson, you're benched." He says.
"That's bullshit, he charged at me. I'm just putting him in his place." I tell the referee.
"Rules are rules." He says, bringing out the red card.
"Fuck you!!!" I say, shoving the referee.
"Zachary." I hear Sabrina scream.
"Control yourself." The referee says as I try my very best to maintain my breathing.
"Come on, Pal. Sit this one out." Federico tells me, patting my back.
I don't reply, I just walk out of the pitch and I head to the locker room.
"Stupid." I say before I throw my helmet across the room. It hits the water cooler and it flips over.
I just sit in silence staring at my feet.
Today's game was fucked up.
And that fucktard just had to add to my frustration.
"Hey." I hear Sabrina say as she walks into the locker room.
"I just want to be alone right now, B." I tell her, running a finger through my curls.
"I know. Come on, let's go home." She tells me, touching my arm.
"I need to shower and get changed.' I tell her.
"I'll run you a bath when we get home." She tells me, tugging at my arm.
Sabrina picks up my helmet as I stand up. She wraps her arms around me as we walk towards the exit.
***
"Babe, I'm home." I yell as I place my keys on the island.
Turning around, I open the fridge and I grab a beer.
"Hey." Sabrina says, walking into the kitchen. She gets on her tippy toes and kisses me.
"You look better." She tells me as she caresses my cheek.
"I feel better too." I tell her, tapping her nose.
She giggles as she leads me to the living room. The volume on the television is on really loud and the intro to the news show plays.
"Ugh, turn the shit off. It's so loud and for what?" I groan, pointing at the television.
I stare at the television and I read the headlines.
"Valarie Stone has been filed missing officially by her parents. Her housekeeper Dinah, said she left her house on February fifth and she did not return that day or the day after. This is a developing story and we will keep you updated as time goes on." The news reporter says.
"What?" I say with my mouth wide open.
"Zachary I-" Sabrina says, trying to touch me, but I shove her hand away.
I didn't know I shoved her that hard until I see her on the floor, holding her arm.
"Don't fucking touch me." I tell her before I grab my jacket and storm out of the house.
I'm going to find her.
I have to.