"You?!"

Francis growls as his body tenses up but his arms hang limply on his side. I can't help but smirk and reply cheerfully, "Yup. Me."

I am guessing Austin forgot to inform Francis that even I am a part of their search team. I begin walking up to him as he glares at me. He is probably trying to figure why I am here or maybe he is planning my murder.

I think both.

Me too, Greta.

No reply.
She put has put back the wall.
She really hates this name.
Serves you right.

I reach him and clench my palms into fists then release my index and middle finger and lift up my hands slamming them on the pressure points of his arms.

All in a fraction of a second.

Francis let's out a groan and then scowls at me, "What the he....lllMy arms are functioning!!" He begins to jump up and down. Suddenly he stops, probably remembering he has an audience. He glares at me. Again.

"Just because you made my arms functional again doesn't mean I don't hate you. After all you are the one that paralyzed it earlier."

"Oh don't bother. I don't like you either. Not anymore. Not after you slammed me onto my locker without even asking for an explanation. How does someone like Charlotte even manage to be with someone like you? Huh?!"

Francis scowls at me fixating a death glare upon me. I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to face Drake who is standing with a somber expression.

"Don't push it, Trice."

"Don't talk to me, Walters."

I begin walking towards to the table with Drake following behind me.

"Oh, come on. Get over it. I won't call you that ever again, okay?"
He tries to get me to turn towards him but I don't, knowing very well that he is going to convince me with the that puppy dog face that he pulls. I won't be able to deny that much cuteness.

Suddenly the front door opens and Candace and Austin enter. More like Candace enters and Austin cowers behind her. Francis is now sitting in the chair at the head of the table. "Why is she here, Austin?"

"Umm....well....she...umm...is...umm....because...."

"I am here because Austin wanted to keep an eye on me, just in case I am the criminal you are searching for. It is common sense the whole of RiverDale High doubts me and so do you all. By tomorrow the whole of the town will doubt me. I am here because my connections can help in the search. I could have gone solo or duo with Kevin on the search but I figured that searching with you people is a better idea. It will prove my innocence as well as let me have an access to your connections as well."

"And she is here because I wanted that as well."

"And why is that so, Drake?"

"Oh simple, Candace. She is the Julia Archer there is hardly anyone who will be able to deny any information to her, well straight males and lesbians that is. We might encounter and have to interrogate quite a few fitting the group. As for the rest of the others we might have to interrogate I can help."

"So you mean straight females and gays won't be able to resist you and blurt out all the info?" I retort.

"Do you have doubt, Trice?" He asks cockily.

Okay now I seriously doubting his mental health. Drake doesn't talk like this. He isn't under-confident but neither is he overconfident.

"Oh puh-lease. I mean you could hardly get me to talk to you. Dude, do you even know how to flirt?"

"One, you were not even looking at me when I was asking for your help. Two, I might not know how to flirt but isn't that the reason why the female population of our school tries to flirt with me?"

"Yea, true. But they hardly tell you anything apart their bra size maybe. Oh and they probably ask your...."

"Okay, that's it you two. Shut up. I am so not interested in hearing about sizes. So please spare me."

"Oh, come on Candace. Let me answer this once okay?.........So, Trice according to you its all about sizes, huh? Let me tell you, sweetheart, that's not the case. Last time I checked, there was a girl who was hell-bent on not flirting with me and I respected it, but by the end of the night she was ready to go out on a walk with me. I don't know, do my skills still sound useless?"

I am torn between wanting to kiss him and wanting to slap him. Slap him cause he just reminded me that indeed I, Julia Archer, went for a walk with him. And wanting to kiss him because that sudden rare confidence of his just increased the temperature of the room by a few degrees.

And he called you 'sweetheart'!!

Stop squealing, Greta. Just about every guy uses an endearment for me.

Yea, endearment like slut and whore and kitten and baby doll and all those shit? Oh not to forget the most famous word bitch. Huh?

Okay. Whatever. Squeal all you want.

Silence.

Not a word.

Frozen.

Everyone.

Pin-drop.

Silence.

"Are we playing some kind of mute game?", Drake asks looking thoroughly confused. It breaks the trance everyone has fallen in. Everyone looks here and there even me. Then we head to the table, except for Francis who is already seated. The table can hold a total of twelve people. Five on each side and one on either heads. The two chairs closest to Francis are left empty. Austin sits on the second chair on Francis left. Candace right beside Austin, on his left. I sit on the other head of the chair and Drake sits next to me, on my left.

"Hey, you can't sit there. You have to sit somewhere else........ Drake, you know the pattern right? Then tell Julia to sit in the correct seat and yourself do it right!", Austin exclaims looking terrified.

"She won't listen and neither will I."

"Why do you even have a sitting pattern?", Candace asks.

"Shouldn't you be on the head of the table, Austin? Isn't this your house? Or are you just a hippocrate who says I don't have a self-respect when you yourself don't have it?"

"There is a reason behind everything. And you are right this is my house, so I am telling you to not sit there."

"It doesn't matter where we sit. We need to discuss how get Char and Emily back. Forget it. I don't think that Julia not changing her seat is a major issue right now.", Candace surprisingly comes to my aid.

"It matters! Heads of the tables are reserved for superiors!", Francis grunts.

"Oh, so you mean me, Drake, Aus are all your inferiors? Listen, Julia might take that crap but I won't.", Candace growls this time.

"Oh puh-lease. I will never take that kind of crap from anyone, especially not from my subordinate. Superior my ass." I counter. The very thought of him being my superior is idiotic. I can't help but burst out laughing as I picture Francis' face once he comes to know about who I am.

The rest of them join me in laughing. Drake's laughter doesn't sound like it did yesterday. It's so hard to believe that so much happened in a span of three days. The thought stops my laughter. Emily. She is somewhere in trouble. Probably thinking I hate her.

Suddenly I realize that everyone has stopped laughing and are staring at me. "What?" I ask laughing again. They join me again. Francis tries to stop himself by biting his lips.

Under other circumstances, in another world maybe. This gesture would have put my body on fire and I would have jumped him. He would have happily welcomed it and made love with me. But right now, in this world. I can't do that. Forget about making love, he doesn't even want to fuck me.

Not even emotionlessly.

I ward off the thought by replying, "You know it, Johansen. You can't resist the urge to laugh with me. So stop doing that you will only draw blood and noth........"

"Drake!!"

"I am okay. I......I am ohkayyy.......I....just.....need....a....a...mom...en..ttt."

I look at him licking his lips trying to keep the moisture intact. His body is shaking. His breathing is coming in slow shallow pants.

Telltale signs of addiction.

No way.

Drake and drugs? Alcohol? But he looked clean. Does that mean........he didn't take his dose for today?

"What is it, Drake? Alcohol?", I ask my eyebrows drawn in concern. He nods weakly.
"Do you have beer? Wine? Wisky? Anything alcohol?",I ask frantically.

"No. I didn't think we will need any so......"

Urgh!

What to do?

Your car. Don't you have a bottle of something?

Yes! Thanks, Greta.

"Get up Drake. I think I have something in my car but by the time I go and come back you might become unconscious. I don't want that."

He manages to stand up but falters when he tries to walk. I immediately run to his side and guide him out of the house all the while letting out profanities.

I feel lucky that the security is not holding us back. I have a feeling Austin disabled it as soon as he realized the emergency.

Good.

I run as fast as I can while towing Drake. I open the door fast and literally dump him in the passenger seat of my convertible car. I open the roof to allow some ventilation. I then run to the storage section of the car and search for the bottle.

Found.

************************************
Heya, buttercups so this was the surprise. A second update on the same day. I know not much has happened in these two chapters but I promise something big is going to happen in the next chapter.

Q/A round:

1) Who likes confident Drake?
2) Would you be angry with Drake if he called you aunty? More like d as one to Miley?
3) Why do you think Drake resorted to drinking?
4) What do you think Julia has found?

Until next time.

Comment. Vote. Share.

💞💋💞 Reina