Waves - Dean Lewis
Seeing as I have been in New York City for over a week now, anyone--including myself would have thought that I would grow use to the constant noises, at least to a certain extent. Maybe then, I would finally be able to sleep through the early hours of the morning for once.

I was so close to doing just that, but when is the universe ever on my side? Oh, that's right--fucking never.

Leaning up slowly, I growl lowly, fed up with the constant interruptions of my much needed slumber.

There was no doubt I resembled bigfoot--better yet the bogeyman when I yanked my door open, my hair looking like a rats nest, my tan tank top and thin fabric shorts covered with an unreasonable amount of stains and one of my signature furious scowls plastered on my lips.

I followed the loud shouts and arguing coming from further down the hallway, starting my rant before Kat and Preston even come into view.

"Why is it that I have been woken up by my fucking roommates, rather than the usual New York cha--" I cut myself off sharply when I stepped into the open floor plan of the living room and kitchen.

My eyes widen into saucers, which definitely didn't help my already monster like appearance as I scanned the floor of the living room.

Heaps of clothing were sprawled all over the floor and furniture, two large suitcases tossed carelessly in the center of the room.

My first thought was oh shit. Katrina found out about...

Someone's voice clearing made me snap my head in their direction.

I almost pissed my pants right then and there when I locked eyes with a pair of fierce green ones, a head of blonde hair pulled into a very pristine bun.

"Mrs. Burnns!" I laugh nervously, feeling like I've just been caught selling drugs.

Actually, that wouldn't have been all that bad, if that was the case. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

Lisa Burnns was standing approximately ten feet away in the middle of our hotel suite in New York City. Not Alaska.

A pair of heavy footsteps approaching from behind me made me whirl around quickly.

"Oh, look, Mr. Burnns is here too!" Clapping my hands once, I force an innocent smile onto my lips.

"No wonder Christopher here told me that Katrina wouldn't be returning with whale photos." Mrs. Burnns scoffs dryly, her lower lip curling in disgust.

I took that moment to scan the people that are going down with me.

Kat was standing off to the right, her expression sour and she too was still in her pajamas.

Preston was sitting on the loveseat closest to me, his eyes cast down shamefully.

The silence was thick, and I was starting to wonder if even a knife could cut through it.

"Preston, I've contacted your parents, they'd like you to call them immediately." Mr. Burnns fixed Preston with a hard glare while tightening the red tie wrapped around his neck that added more detail to his already primped dress suite.

Preston wasted no time is excusing himself from the situation leaving Kat to fend for herself. The way Mrs. Burnns was glowering at me made me think I was just as deep in this shit as their daughter.

"Adalyn," Mr. Burnns starts, his lips set into a thin line.

"I hadn't bothered contacting your parents, given the fact that your mother was the one who officially invited my daughter to--Alaska." He signals to the regal suite we were standing in. "I'm assuming they're aware of your little getaway."

He didn't bother to hide the disdain in his tone.

I cast my gaze down, feeling a large amount of embarrassment creep onto my cheeks.

"Trina, go get the rest of your things so you can pack up all of your belongings out here, with the rest of your clothing," her mother ordered firmly.

My head snaps up quickly, the confusion wiping away any signs of my earlier embarrassment.

"What?" I ask bafflingly.

The intensity of Mrs. Burnns stare made me regret saying anything.

Katrina didn't cower away as easily as I had, she was raised by the woman after all.

"Mother, I don't want to leave. It's spring break and Ada and I just wanted to travel." Kat tried to reason, but I had a feeling she knew she wasn't going to get her way.

"Well, you've traveled. Now you're coming home." Mrs. Burnns ran her hands down her royal blue sheath dress.

"Mom," Kat tries again, but doesn't get to protest any further.

"Katrina Burnns!" Mr. Burnns deep voice booms loudly, making me indistinctively take a step back.

I've known Mr and Mrs. Burnns just as long as I've known their daughter, and I've never seen him have such an outburst.

By the look on Kat's face, I knew it wasn't often that he lost his composure like he had just done.

Katrina looks between the three of us, she looked close to tears and I felt my heart constrict for her.

With a dismal sigh, she wraps her arms around herself protectively as she starts to walk down the hallway.

When she's close enough to me, I try my best to speak with my eyes. Please don't just leave me here.

She smiles sadly, squeezing my hand reassuringly before slipping down the hallway, ignoring my silent pleas.

Crossing my arms, I keep my eyes trained on a particular piece of clothing to distract myself.

"I don't see it," Mr. Burnns breaks the uncomfortable silence, his tone firm but not anywhere near as loud as he was a few moments ago.

Looking up, I raise an eyebrow questioningly.

"I don't see the princesse innocente(innocent princess) Amir always brags about," He spat at me venomously, his attempt to speak with a French accent failing miserably. He was acting like I've just ruined Katrina's fucking life.

I can practically taste the anger threatening to spill out of me. Exhaling and inhaling slowly, I try to control my breathing by counting to ten.

It worked. Hardly.

"Why are you acting as if I've just introduced your daughter to the stripper life or something?" The words are out of my lips so fast, I blink rapidly, shocked with myself.

The way his eyes widened informed me he didn't expect me to respond in such a way, if at all.

Oh, but I wasn't done yet.

"With all due respect, Mr. Burnns, you're starting to take things a little too far."

I paused dramatically, chanting my father's wise words over and over. He spoke them years ago, the day I had gotten my first detention for talking back to a teacher.

Les vraies princesses savent quand tenir leur tongue.

Real princesses know when to hold their tongue.

They also know when to talk back, with just the right amount of poise and wisdom.

"Yes, we shouldn't have lied and stepped around some major details, but that doesn't mean you can look down upon me like I've committed some kind of unforgivable sin. I mean...if you look at the pros and not just the cons, you'll notice that you've found Katrina, safe and in one piece. She's not somewhere passed out from drugs and she's definitely not working in some strip club, so I suggest you be at least somewhat grateful to Kat for acting mature in some sense, given the circumstances."

Mr. Burnns gawks at me, stunned into complete silence.

I smile softly, dragging myself over to the loveseat casually. "We just wanted to be teenagers--live on the wild side for awhile, you know?"

The cocky grin on my face grew when Mrs. Burnns waltzed over to her husband, looping her arm through his. She holds her head up a little too high. High enough to where I can see her nose hairs, which screams anything but conceited and mighty.

"Trina," Lisa drawls dramatically.

"You've got twenty minutes. We'll be waiting in the limo." They don't wait for their daughters response as they scurry for the door.

When the door clicks shut, Kat peaks her head out from the hallway. "Are they gone?" She whispers cautiously.

Rolling eyes, I nod, leaning back into the cushioned couch. "The coast is clear."

Kat stumbled out into the hallway, a duffel bag hanging from her shoulder.

She's quick in her actions, like her parents will return any minute.

Tossing the duffel to the side, she pulls me into a tight hug that lasts a few seconds before she starts to gather her clothes from around the room.

"I-I'm sorry about this. My mother can be a real bitch when she wants." She attempts to laugh, but it only comes out as a sigh.

"Yeah, I never really knew how fast your mother could switch from happy-go-lucky to cavalier until now. It's quite amusing, really." My endeavor to lighten the mood worked in a way.

"That woman just further proves what money can do to a person. It just gets to their head--makes them phony." Kat doesn't look up from her task as she answers, trying to speak and stuff everything quickly into her suitcase which I know she's crying about inside.

And not only because she has to leave. Also because she's not taking her time and folding her things neatly like she prefers.

Both of our eyes whip in the direction of a preeminent presence lingering off to the side.

"What's going on?"

Kat and I share a mutual glance between one another before she leaves me to answer, turning back to her task once again.

"Katrina's leaving," I state coolly, ignoring the tingling in my fingers.

Preston just blinks slowly, like he's having a hard time processing the news.

I wouldn't blame him, she is his girlfriend after all.

"Right now?" He asks skeptically.

He's closer now. Close enough that I can see the way his knuckles turn white from how hard he grips his phone in his hands.

"It's alright, It was fun while it lasted." Katrina jams the last of her things in her suitcases before zipping them up.

She was in a heel sitting position as she gathered all of her hair into a messy bun.

"But," she starts again, pausing while she gets to her feet.

With a wide grin, she cocks her head to the side, glancing between the two of us. "I guess you guys will have to party extra hard tonight--in my honor, of course." The sarcasm was seeping through her words, making me come to the conclusion that she's just messing around now.

"Oh, that just wouldn't be possible," I faked fathom, placing a hand over my heart.

After wheeling her suitcases over to the front door, she raises a thick eyebrow. "I'm not joking, Adalyn."

"But Pre--"

"--Preston's staying with you, Ada. I've already made the decision for him."

She winks at him before turning her gaze back to mine.

"You're not just going to sit here in this huge suite alone. Besides, maybe some alone time will help you two get past whatever kind of grudges you still hold, huh?" The hope in her voice makes me give in easily.

That and the fact that Preston and I have gotten over our differences days ago--well at least most of them.

"Alright, I better get going," she states with a huff of sadness.

She pulls me into a hug first, squeezing me so tight, I'm almost positive my boobs will be sore and bruised because of the way they were taking almost all of the restriction.

My mind wanders back into reality when she places a quick kiss to my cheek. "Love you, Ada bee."

The use of my old childhood nickname she'd given me made a wave of nausea pass over me, reminding me of what I was doing behind her back.

I smile in response, not finding the courage to return the words.

She moves on to Preston, and I contemplate giving them some privacy, but stay glued to the spot when he stares at me firmly.

Biting my lower lip, I try to push away the uncomfortableness surfacing.

I had no reason to be uncomfortable...

Their voices were soft and murmured just enough so that I could only make out chunks of their conversation.

It felt like some kind of stubborn magnet, my eyes gravitating to a certain pair, no matter how much I fought it.

When I looked at Kat and Preston, their lips were sharing a delicate, meaningful kiss that I felt like I was ruining.

That and the fact that there were a pair of eyes that were stained with the color of hot chocolate, staring back at me.

With the placement of where we were standing, me by the front door and them right beside the kitchen island a few feet away from me, I had a perfect view of Preston's face and the back of Katrina's head.

There was no mistaking what I was staring at--or rather who was staring back at me.

Their kiss lasted a harrowing few hours to me, but in reality it was only a few long seconds.

The moment of weakness in my chest was gone the moment I realized what just happened.

Never once did Preston drop my gaze when he shared that kiss with Kat.

That meant something, right?

They talked for a few minutes while I stood out of their way, mulling over my own thoughts.

When Kat's figure gets closer and closer to me, I shove my speculations to the side before returning yet another one of Katrina's hug.

"I'll see you guys soon. Don't have too much fun without me."

Katrina smiles, one of those smiles that beam so brightly, it would make anyone stop and stare.

Without another word Kat steps out into the hallway, shutting the door softly behind her, leaving her best friend and boyfriend alone, completely oblivious to their hush-hush affinity that had quite literally been happening right under her nose.