Fourty Nine

CHAPTER 49

Cafeteria - 12:00

"I can't believe you turned down that offer, Alicia."

Alicia and Brittany walked hand in hand as they entered the cafeteria. After the Brooklyn girl decided to leave the music room, Alicia instantly became a hot topic in the dormitory. Everyone started talking about her.

"I'm sure Amanda has something to do with this," Alicia guessed.

As soon as they reached the counter, Carl greeted Alicia and Brittany warmly. The glasses man smiled gently and asked, "Hi, how are you guys?" and looked at the two girls in turn. "I heard the dormitory tightened security after one more death." She shuddered in horror. "Why are there so many murders in this dorm, huh?"

Brittany shrugged her shoulders lazily. "Maybe this dorm is cursed. Ah, never mind. Make me a bowl of caramel ice, Carl," she asked, to which the counterman immediately agreed.

"I heard that the handsome and competent detective is a close friend of yours, Britt. Is that true?" asked Carl as he struggled with some ingredients behind the counter.

"Yes, we're like family," Brittany replied. "And I'm sure his head will soon explode out of his ass for not catching the culprit."

"If I look again, he seems to like you, Alicia." Carl put down Brittany's order and gave Alicia a wicked wink.

Alicia chuckled amusedly. "Don't joke around. Our relationship is not like that." She said honestly, because the truth was that neither of them knew the threat Nicholas had made. "Carl, I think I need a soda," she added, changing the subject.

And the counter guard who had worked at Golden High for many years immediately gave Alicia a glass of soda. The two girls immediately walked away from the counter and chose to sit at a table in the corner of the cafeteria afterwards.

"Britt, did anything happen before I moved into this dormitory?" Alicia asked curiously.

And the blonde-haired girl with chubby cheeks just shook her head slowly while spooning caramel ice into her mouth. "Nothing, other than Ace and the popular girl group's fading popularity."

Alicia wrinkled her forehead for a moment. Looking right at the soda grains that were slowly disappearing in the glass. She then muttered, "Then what about Ace? Do you think popularity is important to him?"

Brittany wiped the corner of her lips with a tissue that was provided at every table in the cafeteria. Pulling out a mirror from her skirt pocket, she said, "Ace doesn't need that. All the girls in the dorm will come to him easily. Most of them would give up their bodies and their pride just to be considered equal to that CEO kid." Brittany said it with a sarcastic tone;seeming to hate Ace so much. "Everyone approaches him to be considered popular."

"Excuse me ladies," Nicholas called out suddenly. He smiled broadly as Alicia and Brittany gasped at his completely unexpected presence. "May I join you? Oh, of course." Nicholas immediately sat down next to Alicia and made a face without any guilt.

"Nic, what are you doing here? Aren't you..."

"Interrogating Julia?" Nicholas cut off Brittany's question and chuckled amusedly afterwards. "I think I need some food because my stomach is starting to hurt and oh, yes, I also bought you this Alicia." He placed a box of fresh salad on the table and smiled kindly. "Eat up, take care of your health. I don't want you to get sick in the middle of this difficult situation."

Brittany and Alicia exchanged confused glances. Why was Nicholas suddenly paying attention? Meanwhile, Nicholas began to open his salad box casually. Feeling strange, Brittany immediately looked at Nic and called out to him, "Nic?"

Nicholas looked up. "Hm?" and chewed on the piece of vegetable in his mouth.

Brittany frowned and scratched her neck, which was not itchy at all. "Is there something going on? You're acting... weird." Brittany's hazel eyes looked at the two people in front of her in turn, while waiting for the detective's response.

But Nicholas only laughed amusedly after successfully swallowing his food. "Oh, I'm sorry, Britt. I forgot about you. Can you order your own food?"

Brittany, who felt increasingly confused, decided to get up from her chair. "I might as well order some food before I become a bit insane like Nic," she said to Alicia and the girl just smiled amusedly in return.

A moment later, Brittany left Alicia and Nicholas alone. She went to the counter and ordered some food. While at Alicia's table, Nicholas suddenly stopped eating and looked at Alicia seriously.

"What's wrong?" asked Alicia, feeling intimidated by Nicholas' gaze.

Nicholas took a deep breath and let it out as he said, "Are you free tonight?"

Alicia frowned, not understanding. "What?"

Nicholas again took a breath and let it out as before. "I want to take you to dinner. Outside the dormitory. Just the two of you. Without Brittany," he said emphatically. "Can you?"

Alicia, who was about to put in the spoon with the salad pieces, abandoned her intention and remained silent. She didn't understand the situation in front of her. "Ma-dinner? Together?" Alicia was suddenly nervous.

And the soft smile that appeared at the corners of Nicholas's lips was able to cure Alicia's nervousness. "I won't insist. I think I need a little entertainment because this case is starting to make me bored and tired," Nicholas explained in a voice that was so warm; it touched Alicia's cold side directly. "But I don't think I can go alone. I need someone to hear all my stories."

Unexpectedly for the young detective, Alicia nodded in agreement. "Yes, I think I can."

"Really?" Nicholas smiled triumphantly. "Then let's call it a 'date', shall we?"

Alicia was once again rooted to the spot. While trying to gather her wits, she blinked and confirmed, "What? A date?"

Little did Alicia know that Nicholas had other intentions than that. But one thing Nicholas was sure of now was that he felt it would be easier to pry all the information out of Alicia later that night. []