When I got home I called Jaycee wondering what the heck had happened and why she left me.

“Jaycee! You left me… are you okay, wait no, you left me with a stranger he could’ve been a creep or something” I was trying to be angry, but at the same time I was worried that something had happened Jaycee wouldn’t leave me alone for nothing.

“ I’m sorry Cassi… I shouldn’t have left you, but I couldn’t find you a-and” her voice broke and I could hear the hiccuping of her sobs.

“ Oh my God what happened?” I was really worried now.

“ Oh Cassi i-it’s hic..Hic ….Renee” Jaycee managed to gasp out.

Renee was Jaycee’s younger sister she was 15 and at the prime of her life, I loved her like a little sister myself.

“ I tried to find you I really did, but it was an emergency” more sobs interrupted her speech.

“ Jaycee calm down just tell me where you are and I’ll head over right away” panic started to set in as my mind wandered I needed to know what was going on.

“ We’re at the hospital, I think it’s the one on 5th come quickly” then there was a silence on the other end as Jaycee hung up.

I pulled on socks and shoes, grabbed my keys then I was out the door.

January 22

I watched her leave, she looked beautiful… she must’ve dressed up just for me. I followed her to a club where she chatted with some ugly guy, why would she do that to me? Why did this guy keep showing up around her? Didn’t he know that she was MINE!? Well that’s just fine, he’ll see, he’ll see that I’m who she needs. When he left her at the bar I followed him out of the club’s large metal doors, he walked right by me not knowing who I was, he strolled to a large black truck ‘Someone’s compensating’ I laughed internally at a joke no one else could hear. While he was getting in his ‘ masculine truck’ I got in my car so I could watch every move he made as he traveled to the place he called home, a home I’d soon take from him.

It was 1:30 in the morning when he pulled into the driveway of a large two story light yellow house. He stepped down from the truck, whistling as he followed the cement pathway that lead to a triad of solid grey steps, I peered at him as he opened his door. Light after light turned on as he moved around the house, I saw a dark silhouette through a pair of light blue curtains it moved about as he assumedly put on pajamas, the last light flicked off from the upstairs room.

Everything was dark only a single street lamp outlined my form, I’d been observing the pitch black rooms seeing if anyone else came home or left no one passed by the inky black house no other lights were on I knew I was safe to enter.

“ Hello, I’m looking for Renee Bellani’s room” I said to the old receptionist, at the hospital’s front desk.

“ Are you family or just visiting?” She asked.

“ Umm, no, I’m just a friend of the family’s ” I said waiting as she tapped the keys on the keyboard.

“ Hmm Bellani” squinting, she searched the computer screen.

“ Ah, here we go Ms. Bellani is in room 608”

“ Thanks” I said rushing off to go find room 608.

The halls all looked the same, a placid eggshell white with a gray square by each door showing what number the following room was; ten minutes of searching, and I finally came to room 608.

I took a deep breath working up the courage to see what had happened, I didn’t want to go in ‘what if...what if she was on the verge of-’ I couldn’t finish that thought I just needed to see for myself what had happened to Renee. The heavy door swung open on it’s hinges as I entered the pristine room, my mouth hung open in shock when I saw Renee’s tiny form dwarfed by the large hospital bed.

“ R-Renee?” I couldn’t believe this bruised and scraped girl was the same cheerful girl who not too long ago would call me up just to chat about what she was doing in school and cute boys who she wanted to ask her out. The left side of her face was swollen and red three stitches covered her right brow, a cast enveloped her right leg, bruises and cuts painted the rest of her skin a hideous dark blue marred by unsightly long scratches all across her neck and face.

“ Oh my God what happened to you?” I was speechless I’d never seen someone so beaten looking.

“ Cassi, thank God you’re here” Jaycee appeared in the doorway with a cup of coffee and a muffin.

“ Jaycee what happened?” I asked still in shock at Renee’s state.

Jaycee sighed as she moved close to Renee stroking her soft brown hair, and focusing on her bruised heart shaped face.

“ I should’ve been with her; last night Renee was out with a few friends apparently she was on her way back to mom’s house when she got in the accident. She was thrown from the car an officer found her in a field near the crash, he said she was lucky he didn’t think anyone could survive that, but here she is. She hasn’t woken up yet,the doctor’s say that with a little more time she’ll probably wake up they don’t know for sure her leg is broken in four places, she has two broken ribs, a- and I don’t know how she survived either I’m just glad she did” more tears spilled from her brown eyes as she gazed at her younger sister.

I threw my arm around her pulling her into a hug “ What can I do?” I asked her after she was done crying.

“ There’s not much to do, we just have to wait though it’d be nice if I could buy a decent meal. I sent mom home so she could get a shower and a change of clothes she should be back in a few hours, but I’ve only had hospital coffee from the waiting room and this stupid muffin from the cafeteria that I conned off a nurse” she looked spitefully at the bran muffin.

“ Do you want me to pick you up some food?” I asked.

“ That’d be great, I’ll give you ten bucks if you’ll go out and pick up a burger and some fries” her hands moved through her bag as she searched for the long blue wallet.

“ Shit I must’ve left it at the club, I was in such a rush I couldn’t find you and now I’ve apparently lost my wallet too” tears ebbed at her eyes as she looked at her bag, it was all too much for her to handle at that moment.

“ Don’t worry about it I’ll go pick up some curly fries and a burger plus a chocolate shake, I’ll grab your wallet too” I wanted to be there for her when she was going through such a difficult time.

“ Thanks” she smiled pulling me into a hug, then she went and sat back by Renee’s side.

I went back home to wash my hair and change into a long black sweater dress that I put gingerbread man stretchies underneath, I grabbed my phone and butterfly purse looking up the directions to Allure , the club we visited last night, the same place I had just left four hours ago.

It didn’t take long to find the club though I dreaded showing my disgraced face to the man who had seen me at my literal worst. I stepped out of my car just as he appeared from the club’s front door being lead by a huge fluffy black dog, I was instantly in love with this canine. Snow froze my toes through my snow boots as I tried to make my way across the slippery road, I hastened my approach as I saw his tall form start to head down the street.

“ Hey!” I called trying to get his attention.

“ Wait!” I continued, not wanting him to disappear mainly because I didn’t want to wait outside in the snow for his return. His head swiveled, deep blue eyes caught mine just as I caught a slick icy spot on the sidewalk and fell directly on my face.

“ Pfffft! Ha, ha, ha! I swear you’re the best” a voice laughed at me.

A strong arm wrapped around my waist heat seeped into my clothes from his touch as he launched me back onto my feet, I turned to find his face inches from mine his electric blue eyes bewitched me. He wore a big cheesy smile that reached up to his eyes, while his hand lingered upon my waist the smile slowly faded as he looked down at my face his eyelashes lowered as his gaze found my lips then he promptly let me go.

I cleared my throat “ uh my friend left her wallet in the club last night, is there anyway we could take a look?”

“ Yeah we can take a look, do you mind if we do that after Brownie’s walk? You could come with us” he invited.

“ Brownie huh? That’s a cute name” I said looking down at the large fluffy dog happily wagging its tail as it sniffed my boots.

“Yeah I named her that when she was a puppy she had brown fur, but it got darker as she got older” he said moving forward.

“ She’s so big, what breed is she ?” She was so cute I wanted a dog like her.

“ She’s a german shepherd husky mix, she absolutely loves the snow so I’ve been taking her on walks every afternoon since I’m not busy until night anyways” he said as the wolf like dog pranced in the snow she looked like some weird bunny with the way she was hopping.

“ I didn’t see her when I was at your place” I said thinking back to the apartment above the luxurious night club.

“ Well you were in such a rush I doubt you even caught my name much less noticed Brownie sleeping in her bed” he chuckled.

“Holy cow you’re right I don’t even know your name yet” I realized now that he mentioned it.

“ Well you know Brownie here, and I’m Alexander” he said with a little bow.

“ I’m Cassi, nice to meet you Alexander” I held out my hand.

His warm hand enveloped mine as he shook it “ My friends call me Alex, nice to meet you too Cassi” he spoke with that same lilt to his voice.

“ May I ask where you’re from ? It’s just, you speak with a bit of an accent and I couldn’t help but notice” I said, curious about the lilt that continually appeared in his speech.

“ well I’m originally from Italy, my parents moved here when I was still just a kid so my accent never really went away, but it has faded a little” he said.

“ oh my friends family is italian, though she hasn’t ever been to Italy, but her grandparents were from Italy” I thought of Jaycee in the hospital with Renee, and quickly looked to see if we were almost back to the club.

“ You look like you’re in a hurry or something” he said noticing my eyes wandering back in the direction we just came from.

“ I am kinda in a rush, my friends sister was in an accident and I’m supposed to be grabbing her wallet and picking up food for her” I gave the short version of the story.

“ You sound like a good friend, we can go back and search for the wallet” he said giving me a charming smile as he called Brownie over and we started heading back to the club.

“Thanks that would be awesome” I said with a crooked smile of my own.

The dog galloped back to us with her tongue hanging out and a playful bark ‘ what a cute puppy’ I thought as she nuzzled my hand.

“ She likes you I can tell” he laughed.

“ Well she’s in luck because I already love her” this was not a lie, I was a huge dog person. I pet her soft mane of fur scratching behind her ears as she padded alongside me, she ran ahead to the club door recognizing her home. Alex unlocked the door and soon we were both inside the dark empty club, quickly he turned on the lights making his way to a separate room I hadn’t noticed when I was in the club probably due to alcohol.

“ This is my office which also happens to hold all of our lost and found items that are left over after clean up” he spoke motioning to a safe beside a desk filled to the brim with books and miscellaneous items. I looked away as he opened the safe not wanting to look like a nosy Nelly, he had it open a few seconds later.

“ Ah, we have a number of wallets can you tell me what your friend’s wallet looks like?” He asked.

“ It’s a long blue wallet with a little pink bow on the front” I said trying to recall exactly what Jaycee’s wallet looked like.

“Yep we do have it here” he said as he handed over her blue wallet.

I let out a sigh in relief thanking God that it was actually turned in.

“ Thanks you’ve been awesome, seriously I was worried it wouldn’t be turned in” I thanked him.

“ No problem Ms. Cassi glad to be of service, but don’t forget you owe me a favor” he sang as I was leaving.

“ I almost forgot, well what is it you want?” I asked turning back to him.

“ Maybe a cup of coffee” he suggested.

“ Sure I can bring you a cup of coffee just let me know when, you have my number” I said turning back around.

“Uh that’s not really what I mea-” I heard him call after me, but I needed to get back to Jaycee at some point, I threw a short wave in his direction as I closed the club door. I felt bad for cutting him off, but I’d already been gone for over an hour I was sure Jaycee was starting to freak out thinking I’d been in an accident too or something. I hopped in my car and drove towards the hospital picking up the food I promised on the way there, I was hoping Renee would wake up soon thank God I didn’t have work until Monday.