Shelby bit down on her lower lip, a quiet way of reprimanding herself in case no one else did. She frowned, watching the officer on duty fumble with a bunch of keys before finally unlocking the cell.
It was almost midnight. She'd given up hope of anyone coming for her until the next morning. She was shocked when the officer announced, ”You are free to go.” And that was it. No explanations or apologies. Just freed from a place she'd swore she would never end up in.
She'd always been a good girl, for goodness sake. How she ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time felt like the universe playing a cruel joke on her.
“Stay in with me,” Alexis, her introverted friend and roommate, had begged earlier, tugging her back into bed. “Take a break from those parties. Don't go out tonight.”
Shelby had shrugged her off playfully, sticking out her tongue. “It's just a drink with my colleagues. You know I'm a hot lady and they can't resist inviting me. I won't stay long, okay?”
Alexis pouted, her nose buried back in her book as Shelby left for the bar.
They had barely ordered drinks when the police stormed the place, searching for members of a gang. In the confusion, everyone was rounded up, taken to the station and locked in cells.
The officers questioned them one by one and some were released after running their IDs through their system.
Shelby immediately called her roommate who couldn't believe her ears. “Is this a prank?” Alexis asked incredulously.
“No, it's not,” she replied, sighing. “It's a nightmare and no one must know about this. Please…come get me now.”
Twenty minutes later, Alexis arrived at the station wearing a thick coat that almost swallowed her up. Her eyes were wide with shock and worry as Shelby hugged her. They pulled apart and stared at each other.
“Just say it already,” Shelby muttered.
“Say what?” Alexis asked, trying hard to hide her smile.
“Go on. I deserved what happened tonight.”
Alexis grinned, “Not so hot now, eh?”
Shelby chuckled and groaned as they left the police station.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "not so hot now".
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Image credit: Pixabay