One

The pain was too much sometimes. She felt like it was trying to suffocate her, that's why she'd left. Giving her parents the excuse that she wanted to study abroad, Alexis had packed her bags and moved across the continent to put distance between her and the place that reminded her of the good memories she had of him.. When she'd met him, she'd been at the hospital battling Leukemia and he hadn't wasted any time or lied to her. He'd told her who he was and why he was there and immediately she'd felt a connection with him. He had been her savior back then, telling her everything will be fine as long as he was there. He'd taken her fears away and given her hope. But now he was gone.

Two years later, she thought it would be easier to come back. Easier to breathe in and not feel so much pain but she was wrong. It hadn't lessened. While she had been in London, she'd found it easier to forget. There were no memories there or places that reminded her of him. As each day passed, she'd learned to live again, to be happy, to smile and remember him fondly. That's why she'd come back. Because she thought it would be a bit easier since she'd overcome the pain. But seeing a child pass by holding their grandfather's hand had transported Alexis back to when she was a child, going from one store to another to shop for her brother's things. Jim had let her pick anything she wanted even if they weren't necessarily for her brother's. They'd picked so much that her mother had forbidden them from buying anything more. Jim. His name alone brought tears to her eyes. It still hadn't registered that he was gone. She refused to believe he had left.

Sucking in air, she stopped taking in her surroundings. She had booked a hotel room, wanting to leave immediately if it was all too much which is why she hadn't told anyone she was back yet and she wanted to keep it that way. A few days was all she needed. To be Alexis before she went back to being the Rutherford Princess. Jim had dubbed her that once while speaking to the press and it had stuck. Only her parents called her Alexis now. Her younger brothers called her Lexi, something they'd done ever since they were young because they couldn't pronounce Alexis. And the rest called her RP. She hated it as much as she loved it. It was a love and hate relationship. Right then, hate was what she felt for being the Rutherford Princess. She couldn't walk down the street without people staring at her or the papparazi following her. She had to resort to wearing a disguise like she was right then. A black wig to cover her blonde hair and a cap just in case someone had sharp eyes and recognized her.

Looking left and right, she wondered what she was going to do. She couldn't go back to that hotel room. It was suffocating and she didn't want to go home just yet. So she kept walking with no destination in mind until she saw a motorcycle shop. She always wanted one but her parents wouldn't let her buy one. But now she could. She was twenty-three with a trust fund that could last her two lifetimes and she was definitely getting one. Walking hastily to the shop, she got in and looked. around. Her brother Jayden had taught her how to ride one behind their parent's back, after making her swear she wouldn't tell anyone he was the one who'd taught her. According to him, she got away with anything but they paid a very heavy price if they were caught doing something wrong. To some extent it was true, but she was never going to admit that to him.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" a middle-aged man asked approaching her.

"Yes. Do you have anything feminine?"

"What's your budget?"

Alexis scoffed "I don't have one. I just want something easy and girly. Don't think about the price" with eyes as wide as saucers, the salesman scrambled to show her different types of bikes, but only one caught Alexis's eye. Black, sleek, stylish. That's all she saw. "That one" she pointed out at it walking towards it. She sat on it, testing how it would feel under her and for some weird reason she had this urgent need to buy it. So she did. After an hour of signing papers and promising the manager she'd come back if he kept his mouth shut about who she was, she took the bike for a ride. It was shiny and she felt it was only right to finish her look with a leather jacket. Instead of going back to the hotel to retrieve the one she had there, she just bought another one. Then sped away. It was exhilarating

The adrenaline rush she felt from being in charge of the powerful engine beneath her made her forget about everything else. She stepped on the gas, thankful that it was starting to get dark outside and traffic was dwindling. So immersed in her thoughts she didn't see another biker speed to catch up with her until he passed her honking. Looking up, Alexis took that as a challenge and increased her speed. They raced, each taking a lead before the other did. She was having fun, kicking the guy's ass until a police car appeared behind them. Cursing, they both stopped, the guy insisting to park in front of her just to show off. The cop got out of the car walking towards them with purpose. "License and registration please" Alexis blinked.

"Does my driving license count?" she asked the police who just looked at her. "Right" she took it out of her jacket handing the small rectangular card and paper to him. He looked at the photo on it then back to her.

"Take off your cap please," he said still looking from the papers in his hand to her. She'd forgotten she was wearing a wig covering up her blonde hair. Pulling both the wig and cap off, she shook her head from side to side, letting her natural hair bounce. She heard a gasp come from the guy she was competing with and turning her head she blinked in shock.

"Ray?"

"Lexi? When did you get back?"

"You idiot" she groaned.

"Okay. Both of you, you're coming with me to the station"

"What!?" they both asked in disbelief

"You heard me. I can't let you go knowing who you are"

"And who are we?" that from Raymond

"Rich kids who have no regards for their lives or the lives of those around them."

"But.... I...... I.... "

"Get used to it cuz," Raymond said chuckling. Alexis gritted her teeth wanting to sock that idiot. He hadn't changed one bit except getting bigger. And apparently being escorted to the police station was a routine for him since he didn't mind. She would bet his father had instructed the cops to pick him up whenever they caught him on the wrong. Dammit, she wasn't ready to go back home.

"What about my bike?"

"Follow me and if you even think of running off I'll hunt you down and lock you up without caring who you are"

"Aargh, I hate you. This is all your fault" she growled slamming on her helmet. She should have known it was Raymond, judging by the way he flew past her. Damn him. She knew from experience that there was no talking her way out of that one. They were going too fast and the cop was doing them a favor by not giving them a ticket.

"Watsup man. What did you do this time?" the police behind the desk at reception asked Ray as they were walking in.

"I met a pretty lady who's leading me down the wrong path. The things we do for love" he sighed and Alexis had an overwhelming urge to knock his teeth out. She just wanted to forget everything for a while but now she was about to get an earful. "Do you have coffee?"

The nerve of him. "What do you think this is, a fucking hotel?" Alexis asked throwing him a glare.

"Wow. Even mad you're still so pretty. And why are you even mad? It's not like I forced you to follow me. You turned this into a competition, not me"

"I turned this into a competition? You jerk. You're the one who overtook me blaring your horn like a mad man. You didn't have to show off"

"Always blaming someone else for your mistakes Alexis. I thought the world out there would make you grow up but you're still the spoiled brat I remember." he scoffed leaning on the desk. The guy behind it watched them in amusement sensing this is how they fought and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Spoiled brat? You're twenty-five and the police have to bring you in every time they catch you in the wrong because they can't trust you enough to send you home. The only reason I'm here is because of you. I did nothing wrong"

"Except you were overspeeding"

"Right beside you, you moron"

"I'm going to get myself a cup of coffee. Want one?"

Alexis stomped her feet. The only reason she wasn't beating the crap out of him was that she didn't want to add assault to her list of offenses. They were in a police station full of men who had guns. Maybe she could steal one and blow Ray's brains out. That imbecile. Deciding to ignore him, she sat on one of the waiting chairs by the door and held her face in her hands. They definitely called Vince who had probably called her parents and she could imagine them breaking all traffic rules to get there. They were going to be mad at her for not telling them she was back. One of these days she was going to put Raymond Lachlan in his place. She peeked at him between her fingers.