Chapter II: ALESSA

120 mph, 125 mph, 130 mph, 135 mph, and 140 mph her speedometer marked as she made her way up the Sunrise Highway.

I’m going too fast, she thought. Daddy won’t live much longer, all the smoking he’s done throughout his life won’t help him either. She kept her eyes on the horizon, it was a very beautiful dawn, the different layers of orange, purple, yellow and dark blue, made the sky look gorgeous as the stars slowly faded into the brightness of the sun. She looked back at the road and hit the brake as fast and deep as she could; the car in front of her had suddenly stopped. She had to maneuver the wheel as well as she could but it seemed she would drive into the back of the other car. The car was red, a very shiny red. She didn’t know how, but she managed to brake just in time, and avoided hitting the car by a few seconds. I shouldn’t have smoked so much, she thought. I needed to be more alert.

There was nothing in the world that made her more ashamed than the fact that she had not been strong enough to stop taking drugs. I told Peter not to do it tonight, he didn’t listen. Luckily, these weren’t the type of drugs she’d normally do and for that she was thankful. Peter Knox, the guy she had been seeing, had brought the poppers without asking her. She had done them several times in the past. They are amazing, she thought, so it didn’t bother her too much.

She and Peter started making out in the elevator on the way back from dinner at Pier 66 on the Hudson River. He is insatiable, she reflected. His soft pink lips were like heaven on earth, even if she did not admit it to him. He squeezed one of her breasts so hard that it hurt, but she did not care; she liked that kind of pain. When the elevator got the top floor, they got off it and were right in her apartment, the 46^th floor penthouse with crystal ceiling. All the lights were off, only the moonlight helped them see as they undressed each other savagely. She ripped his shirt off. His abdomen and chest are so hard, she noted as she touched him. He made his way down her back with his hand and touched her left butt cheek softly before spreading both her cheeks open and squeezing hard. She couldn’t help but moan when he did it.

Her phone rang, bringing her back to reality. It was Peter. She’d left him in her bed by himself when her mom called her.

“Hi, baby” she answered.

“Where are you? I’m so fucking hard right now” Peter replied.

“I’m sorry I left without telling you. I just didn’t want to wake you and leave you worried,” she told him. “My mother called me at five to tell me my dad had stopped breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. How stupid am I for telling you about my erection?” he replied concerned. “How long until you get there?” he asked.

“Just a couple of minutes, I’ll keep you posted.” she told him before hanging up.

Peter had been a model for four years now. His olive skin and big, grey eyes were so unusual that he landed a job immediately after moving to New York City from his hometown, Dallas. He was about 6-feet tall, and had done sprinting and swimming his whole life. He had the most perfect body she had ever seen; everything from his calves to his thighs, to his abs, to his chest, to his arms. He was just her type although she had never told him that because she feared she would seem too infatuated and he would lose interest in her.

Alessa was pretty good-looking herself or at least that is what everyone had ever told her. She had black hair like her father, but her eyes weren’t dark green; they were a piercing blue that no one could help but get lost in. She guessed she had never been overweight because of all the coke she did. I need to stop doing it, she would remind herself everyday as she woke up. She had certainly cut it down a notch, though. During her teenage years, she would do up to three lines a night, with her friend Jessica. Alex, as everyone in her inner circle called her, had always resented Jessica for ditching her when they were both sent to Riverside, a rehabilitation center, when their parents realized they were both way too out of hand for them to solve the problem.

Jessica blamed Alessa for being too unscrupulous and incautious at home with the drugs. She said their parents had found out about them because she wasn’t careful enough. It wasn’t her intention to be found; most of the times she didn’t even remember how she had gotten home.  On a good day, she would wake up in her bed, half naked. There were days on which she didn’t make it up the stairs, she’d just crash dead in the living room, or the staircase, or the doorstep. She was surprised she had never been in a car accident. I should have stopped back then, it should have been enough.

As she turned right on the first exit from the highway, she remembered the time Jessica had told her to forget she had ever existed. “Jess, I swear it wasn’t my intention” she’d told her. “Do you think I care about your intentions? This is your entire fault; I would never have been caught if you, stupid bitch, had been more careful. I don’t want to talk to you. Forget I ever existed, forget about our friendship. It means nothing to me anymore,” said Jess before walking away.

She drove into the Southampton parking lot. It was really busy that morning.

As she was getting off the car, she glanced at a little bag; it was filled with white powder. Ugh! Peter is so careless. He’s clearly never been caught, she reflected. She took the little bag and put it in the small coin pocket of the jeans she was wearing. I might need some later.

She walked up towards the front desk and suddenly heard “Alex!” and turned.

“Dan! How are you?” she asked him as she turned and saw his clean-cut face. Daniel had always been a strikingly attractive lad; she’d always had a thing for him and he only got better as he aged. “I’m a bit worried” he replied. “Is it for the same reason I’m here?” Alessa asked sounding very concerned. “I got a call from your brother” he answered, “He said your father is not well, he said he’d stopped breathing.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m here,” she said to that, “my mom called me this morning.”

She pointed at the front desk, making a come along gesture to Dan.

“Good morning, ma’am. How can I help you?” the secretary said, her name tag read Hope Williams. Her name seemed curious to Alex. She looked up at her eyes and said “Yes, Julius Archibald?” she said to her. “Let me look it up…” the secretary looked down at a form she had, “He’s up in the intensive care unit, third floor” said Hope. Alex thanked her with a nod.

“How’s your sister? Does she still dye her hair red? I seem to recall it really suited her,” she told Daniel as they walked up to the elevator.

“She’s great! She’s engaged now. Can you believe that? Troubled Jess, all engaged,” Daniel said. Now, that’s a surprise, she thought, trying to hide her expression. “And yeah, she’ll be a red-head until the day she dies, I guess,” Daniel completed. “I’m so happy for her! Say hi to her from me when you see her.” Alex replied.

She had to look away, his hazel eyes were crazy beautiful; it was a surprise Daniel was still single. He had been quite the ladies man back in high school. He had at least three or four different girlfriends each year. And even after breaking up with them, the girls would drool over the prospect of having been his girlfriends.

As much as she liked him, though, she couldn’t do it. Daniel was three years younger than her and Alessandro’s best friend. His only friend, she thought.

“Still single?” she asked him. “Why? Want to marry me?” he asked back in a flirtatious manner. “You wish” she shyly grinned.

“I’m shocked Alessandro has not told you. You guys were really close,” he said. “I recently got married.” Wow! Never in a million years would I have seen that one coming, she considered. “That’s a pleasant surprise and it’s a shame I’m finding out in this situation. What’s the name of the lucky one?” she said to him.

“Her name is Meryl. It was a small affair; I didn’t want too much buzz about it in the club… I didn’t want to steal the thunder from your brother’s party, you know.” I’d hoped no one would bring it up. The night before her flight to Montecarlo, she had not restrained herself from doing a bit too much weed and she’d overslept thus missing her flight. She had 29 missed calls from Alessandro, her mother and her father. 29 missed calls from each one of them. She did not want to go through all the explaining. Instead, she decided it was a better decision not to go. Sandro will forgive me, eventually. He always does. “She’s a lucky girl! And congratulations to you. I thought I’d never see the day when you were a married man.”

The elevator hit the third floor and they got off it. Suddenly, they realized there was shouting and crying all around. She did not know how to react to it. She scanned the aisle and found her. Christine was crying inconsolably, she shouted “JULIUS, WHYYYYY?” as she looked up and pointed at the ceiling. Her shouts gave Alessa chills. It can’t be.

As she nervously walked closer to all the shouting, she saw her brother running towards her. He must be devastated, she thought. He kept running past her. She turned and saw him hugging Daniel. Daniel hugged him back, looking confused.

“I CAN’T DO IT, I CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!” screamed her mother.

It suddenly hit her; her father was dead. He was dead and she had not said goodbye.