She pressed her ear against the door but she was sure nothing abnormal was going on. She opened the door and once it was open, there was no turning back. Her eyes were drawn to the horrible scene. Tears started draining her cheeks. What on earth was going on. ‘Albert would never betray me.’ I thought that was true, I wish that was true, why isn’t it true? What did I do to deserve him. I thought I was the luckiest girl ever and – why would he do this to me? I didn’t betray him when I could’ve. I had the opportunity of a life-time to cheat on him with an actor but I didn’t. Even a binman would be better than Albert.
“I can explain Sabrina!” Albert said, getting out of bed and putting on his vest.
“There’s nothing to explain Albert, I have eyes. I can see you weren’t anywhere near as loyal to me as I am to you!” Sabrina went blurting on to stop Albert from talking. “I guess sleeping with the neighbour’s dog walker is more important than being loyal to me. I guess I should just go back to NYC and sleep with Alex, the actor who actually wants to be with me!” Without another word, Sabrina slammed the door shut. “I’m so sorry you had to see that Barbara. I should’ve told you she was coming home today but she wasn’t supposed to come back home for the next ten hours. I hope you’re alright.”
“I’m fine thanks Albert, I hope that breakup wasn’t too brutal on you. You just better never do that to me when we start dating!” Barbara said giving him a stern look as she got out of the same bed he just jumped out of. They really blew it when Sabrina walked into them kissing in bed! As Sabrina went running out of the house, her eyes filled with tears, she couldn’t stay in the same place as Albert! He was a horrible jerk! The tears flooded down her pale cheeks like two waterfalls on either side of her nose. She jumped on the subway and headed to the railway station, she didn’t have the energy to walk there in half an hour or run in ten minutes. When she finally got there, she got through the barriers and headed straight for the telephone box to call Nikita and tell her that she would be coming back. She didn’t want another nasty surprise like the one Albert gave her! She tried calling Nikita five times but she clearly wasn’t home as she didn’t answer at all. She didn’t know anyone else, except Albert’s phone number. It was killing her, what would she have to think about on the train? She couldn’t get the picture of Albert and Barbara out of her head, she couldn’t stop thinking about how Albert cheated on her. But why was she so angry with just Albert? She should also be firing about how mad she was with Barbara. They used to be best friends but now they had just lost all of that, she should have thought about how she was dating Albert. Sabrina trusted Barbara even more than Albert but now she knew she couldn’t trust either of them! Having a boyfriend cheat on you is bad enough let alone him using your best friend! Now she had lost her boyfriend and best friend! While she was sitting on the train, she tried to stop crying but it was harder than she expected, over ten people asked her what had happened. She didn’t want to attract much attention as she didn’t want to talk about it, it was private after all. She finally managed to wipe her tears away and tried to find a phone box on the train but just as she expected, there wasn’t one. Never mind, I’ll soon be in New York so I don’t have to worry. Here’s the bright-side though, Nikita’s apartment is only a five-minute walk from here. She had never been so desperate to leave Texas, her friends and her family before. Everyone would know about this and she did not want that! She got off the train slower than she had ever walked before. She knew she just wanted and needed some comfort. Her head was hanging low as if she was the one who had done something wrong although many would debate she had. She had made a lot of mistakes, she fell in love with Albert, she was Albert’s boyfriend, she said yes when he asked her to marry him, she trusted him and Barbara with all of her life, she was best friends with Barbara and a lot more than that previously but those were the main ones. How had she been so stupid, she couldn’t stop beating herself up about how she loved Albert so much. Eventually she got to Moonbucks, she was not looking forward to climbing up three flights of stairs. It took her ten minutes alone to get up. When she got up this time, she was not out of breath at all, just raging with anger. She knocked on Nikita’s apartment door with the secret knock they made as kids when they were 8, two years after they met. When Nikita didn’t answer, Sabrina immediately assumed Nikita wasn’t home. Annoyed and wishing she had gone into the coffee house first, Sabrina pressed the top of her head against the door and started thumping it really quickly. She heard a noise coming from across the hall, was that Alex or Stewart? She had found out they lived there when they were getting to know each other. She watched as the door opened, Alex came out looking really agitated so out of all politeness, Sabrina immediately apologized.
“I’m so sorry Alex, I hope I wasn’t distracting you from anything or interrupting you. Have you seen Nikita, you know what never mind. I could really use a friend right now.”

“Don’t even worry about it Sabrina, you weren’t interrupting anything. It’s great to see you but what happened. Actually, don’t worry, I understand if it’s private.” Alex said, trying not to add in anything that sounded like flirting as he didn’t want to make anything worse.
“Thanks Alex, you’re the best!” Sabrina said quickly and before Alex could even start to smile, she flung herself into his arms, she wanted to be sure she could trust him but after what happened with Albert, she wouldn’t be able to. The kiss was so slow and magical, it felt like time was racing by. They were so engrossed in each other, they didn’t hear a noise coming from inside Alex and Stewart’s apartment. A few moments after they started kissing, Stewart said
“I’ll check what’s taking him so long.” From inside the apartment as if he was talking to people. When he walked out of the front door, he got as big a surprise as Sabrina had earlier that day. Although, luckily for Stewart, it was a pleasant surprise as he knew how desperate Alex was to be with Sabrina. He expected something really bad had happened in Texas as he knew Sabrina wasn’t nasty enough to cheat on anyone. She clearly liked Alex but was too loyal to Albert to cheat on him. Just to let them know he was there, Stewart cleared his throat and they both rapidly turned to look and started looking really awkward.
“Please Stewart, don’t tell anyone about this, we don’t know if we are going to do this yet or not, it was just a mistake!” Sabrina quickly blurted out trying to get him to hold his mouth about what he had just seen. He nodded to show he understood and they’re secret was safe then when he went back inside and told them to follow, Sabrina quickly whispered something in Alex’s ear which made him perk up again.
“Sabrina, what are you doing here, what happened?” Nikita shouted, seeing the expression on Sabrina’s face, she could tell something very bad had happened. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Texas?”
“I don’t really want to talk about it with everyone else here. I know we’re good friends but I’m not sure if I’m even ready to tell you. Just give me some time and I’ll tell you when I am ready.” Realizing how upset Sabrina seemed, Nikita knew better than to dig for information so just changed the topic.
“So, would anyone like something to drink then we can all play a game of Monopoly, after all we have time, it’s only one in the afternoon. Is anyone else getting hungry? I think I’m just going to make us some lunch, be back in half an hour. You guys catch up a bit more, you don’t know that much stuff about each other. Maybe you can play truth or dare? Maybe spin the bottle, that would be a good one.” They all decided to play spin the bottle, it was fun and romantic, I mean who wouldn’t? Sabrina went first, all she could wish for was it to land on Alex. Were the gods with or against her? When the bottle stopped, she had her answer. She was over the moon, it wasn’t Eden! It wasn’t Stewart! The bottle had landed on Alex! They leant in, it was the most romantic kiss ever. Anyone would be able to see the chemistry between them. There were sparks flying all over the place. Then suddenly Eden shouted about it being her turn and the moment was ruined. Everyone was disappointed except Eden who had no clue what was going on but as they didn’t want her to know, they let it go. Eden quickly spun the bottle excited to see who her mystery kisser would be. Everyone was so relieved when it landed on Stewart although Eden and Stewart had a very quick kiss, it was fun to watch. The girls had both gone and they had been lucky. Now the boys and Sabrina just wished it would be the same way. Stewart was next but not so lucky. He spun the bottle and it unfortunately landed on Sabrina, the rules of the game were clear so they slowly went in to kiss when Nikita opened the door with her food made. It had only taken her a mere ten minutes but she had saved Alex and Sabrina, so they were all glad. Eden was glad as she was just really hungry. Nikita had made a chicken pie and it looked delicious and a vegetarian pie but a lot smaller for Eden. Eden loved animals, no matter what type of animals they were. They could be horrible and steal her food or kind and nice to pet. She loved all of them and believed strongly that they shouldn’t be eaten. She also hated seeing people walk around in fur, whether or not it was fake, she just didn’t think it was right or nice to all the animals out there.

They started eating the food, they were all very hungry so within half an hour, it was all gone. There wasn’t the tiniest bit of pastry left in the plate, it was as if there hadn’t ever been anything in the plate ever before. Once they had finished eating, they started to set up the game of Monopoly. Sabrina was the dog, Nikita was the ship, Eden was the top hat, Alex was the racing car and Stewart as the thimble. The first property bought was the Reading Railroad taken by Nikita. After that, the game started to move very quickly but after two hours of playing, Eden was finally bankrupt so was out of the game. Next was Stewart, then Sabrina and then Alex. Nikita was the winner and everyone except Sabrina was glad. Sabrina didn’t really care who won but the others were glad as they knew how competitive she could be. Once, she lost at a game of eight-ball pool and it ended up with Stewart and Eden having their heads banged together although it was Alex who beat her. There was also a time when she lost at Poker and a glass bowl came flying out of her hand as she ‘accidentally let go of it.’ This ended up hitting Mr Green, the handyman. He had to go to hospital to get the glass out of his head. If Eden hadn’t ducked, it would be stuck in her head. When the friends told Sabrina this story, Nikita kept on making statements to defend herself. Sabrina was now really glad it was Nikita who had won, she didn’t want someone getting injured on her first night in NYC.
“Is that why Mr Green looks so ugly? And is that why he has a terrible fashion sense, because that glass got to his head – literally?!” Sabrina said, not trying to be rude but didn’t quite manage. The friends started nodding, making it seem like they were now thinking the same thing. Trying to change the topic even quicker than she had when Sabrina was upset, Nikita blurted out,
“Sabrina, where are you planning to stay, in my place? We could live together and then you can find a job like the rest of us. That would be fun.” Sabrina had been nodding previously but now she was shaking her head.
“I’ll stay at your place but I’m not going to get a job Nikita, I’m sorry. You guys may have jobs but I use my Dad’s money, I don’t make my own money. There is nothing you can do that will make me change my mind!” After that, Sabrina was slightly embarrassed so went down to Moonbucks to have a rest. New York seemed even more strange to her when a creepy guy with ugly hair started looking at her in a strange way. He was standing behind the counter wearing an apron, she hadn’t seen him before. He had a name tag on which said, ‘Justin’ and under that, it had the word ‘Manager’. She thought about how easy it must be for women to get jobs in here. Did he check ladies out all the time or did she look bad? It had been a while since she came down from Alex and Stewart’s apartment. She heard the bell from the door ring and shshe looked to see who it was. Alex walked through, she was so upset, she just made a scene in front of her crush, he might not want to be with her after what he just saw. He might find her too spoilt, she would do anything to stay with him.
“Sabrina, what happened back there? You’re so amazing, you should go get a job, you can’t live off your Dad’s money your whole life. Come on, I’ll help you find a job, if worst comes to worst, you could always work here. But that’ll only happen if you’re not qualified for anything – you’re not are you?” Sabrina started shaking her head. “Anyway, at least we’ll be close to each other most of the time. Plus, if you start working here, we can get real, if you don’t, we won’t have enough money as acting is a tough business and we can’t be a thing.” Without another word, Alex was gone. I need to be with Alex, he’s right, it’s time for me to get a job. I can’t let him go, I need him, I love him. I can’t live without him! I have to get a job here!
“Justin, can I get an interview for a job here tomorrow at 11:00?” Sabrina asked, in a rush. Justin nodded and she was so excited, she may be getting a job.

Sabrina ran upstairs to tell Alex her news.
“Alex, Alex, guess what!! Oh, hi Stewart, do you know where Alex is?” Sabrina asked when she realized Alex wasn’t home. Slightly worried the others were there and she had just let out the secret, she scanned the room to check. No one was there, phew! Stewart pointed towards Nikita’s apartment so Sabrina rushed there, still eager to tell Alex about her news.
“Is Alex in there? Oh my gosh, Alex, you are here, thank god. I have huge news, come out here. I need to talk to you.” Alex followed her into the corridor.
“What is it Sabrina, have you decided to try to get a job?!” Excitement crept all across Alex’s face.
“Better! I have an interview at Moonbucks tomorrow at 11:00! I may be getting a job! We can be together if I get this job, us can be a thing! Do you think you can help me get ready for my interview tomorrow as Justin was giving me a weird look earlier so I’m now slightly worried?”
“No way, this is amazing!” Alex said, his smile couldn’t get much bigger, if it did, it would fall off his face. “I’m so proud and happy for you! Sure, I’ll help you get ready but I wouldn’t pay too much attention to Justin if I were you. He rarely checks out hot babes but he isn’t great near people he likes. If he starts being really awkward, then you know he’s into you. By the way, he isn’t into many people so it would be amazing if you didn’t look so beautiful.” Alex said, starting to get all romantic.
“What’s going on out there? We want to know, get back in here right now and tell us!” Nikita shouted from inside her apartment. Alex waved and went back to his apartment and immediately started spilling the news about Sabrina but told Stewart not to tell anyone yet, just in case. Sabrina rushed in to tell Nikita and Eden but then decided against it, she didn’t want everyone to know. If I tell them, they might find out about me and Alex. I don’t want that so I’ll just say it’s a secret. She was fine with Stewart knowing as he supported her and Alex but she wasn’t happy with telling anyone else yet. She liked how it was, only a few people knowing, no secrets would get out about them, unlike with her and Albert but she didn’t want to think about him, she was with someone else now, she had moved on. Nikita and Eden begged Sabrina to tell them what she had told Alex but Sabrina would not say a thing until she changed the subject.
“So, do you guys have any plans tonight? Going to a pub, going clubbing, anything?” Sabrina said as they kept on shaking their heads. What do people do in NYC, do they have any fun? I mean, who plays Poker on a fun Girls Night? Well, to be fair, it was a bit of fun putting money on a game. But a whole night of it was a bit much. Plus, she couldn’t do that anymore as she promised Alex she wouldn’t use her father’s money. She really wanted Alna to be a thing.
“I’m going to stay home tonight I think, I just need a bit of alone time. By the way Nikita, what time do you leave for work?” Sabrina asked so she knew when Alex would be able to come over and help her get ready.
“At 08:00, why?” Nikita replied, very confused.
“Just wondering, what do both you guys do for jobs and how often do you normally go to Moonbucks?” Sabrina responded, wanting to make sure Nikita didn’t know and didn’t care why she was asking.
“I was a business executive but it was too stressful so I quit after my first heart attack. I’m now a waitress in a restaurant but it’s quite far from here. I rarely go to Moonbucks because of how far my job is - so maybe twice a day and the evening. But Nikita goes five times a day – literally!”
“Wow, does your boss hate you or what?” Sabrina asked, not bothering to try not sounding rude.
“Yeah, he does actually. Oh – that explains why I drink too much coffee!” Nikita said, trying to work out what Sabrina meant. Eden and Sabrina were just looking at her. They had a wrinkle of their foreheads and chorused together,
“I’m sorry – what?! Isn’t obvious, he doesn’t hate you because you drink too much coffee, he hates you because you’re barely at work!” A huge but fake sigh came from Nikita, they could tell she was still confused but weren’t bothered to explain it to her.

“Eden, do you think I can quickly talk to you outside for a second?” Sabrina asked, trying to be as polite as possible because she really needed some help for her interview tomorrow.
“Um, yeah sure.” When they got outside, Eden was almost as confused as Nikita was when they said her boss hated her because she didn’t spend enough time at work. “So what do you want to talk about? Is it how stupid Nikita can be sometimes?”
“No – but that would be quite an interesting conversation. Anyway, I have an interview to get a job at Moonbucks tomorrow, and given you’re a waitress, I was going to ask you for some tips to get the job. Do you think you can help me? By the way, please don’t tell Nikita about the interview, I don’t want her to know until I’m sure I have the job.”
“No problem, I wasn’t going to tell Nikita anyway. I try not to tell her anything in case she blurts out with something stupid, just like she did right now.” Nodding in approval, Sabrina waited for her to say more. “The main bit of advice I would give you is what anyone would say, stay calm during the interview, just be cool.” Nodding along to show she was taking in all the tips and information, Sabrina started getting more and more excited, with all this help, she may have a job in less than a day! “Just tell Justin how open-hearted and kind you are. A smile goes a long way. Just emphasize all your strong points and your weak points. That should help you. Is that why you’re staying home tonight, to get ready for the interview tomorrow?”
“Yes, exactly. I’m really nervous and Alex said Justin maybe into me which could make things even more awkward so I hope Alex was just being silly and trying to freak me out. By the way, it sure did.” Sabrina said, trying to show how worried about this interview she really was.
“Yeah, you didn’t realize Justin was into you. Good luck girl, go get that job, it’ll be easy as long as you don’t break his heart too early.” Eden replied, not realizing she was making Sabrina even more worried about the interview.
“Ok, thanks to Eden, I’ll try my best but I’m not going to get involved with Justin. Ever! He is seriously ugly, I mean his fashion sense is horrible, and have you seen his hair?” Trying to make it obvious to Eden that Sabrina was a lot more confident than she was before, she waved and went into her bedroom. It was still very tidy from earlier that day when she went back to Texas. She started to unpack her clothes and then she looked at the top of her closet for folded clothes and found two strange-looking things attached with a chain. She suddenly realized what it was. Oh no, is Nikita who I always thought she was or someone else, is this even Nikita? Do I even know Nikita, the person who I thought was my best friend?  
 
To be continued…