Missing Romero | On Hold

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 1

Jay's pov

I hear glass fall onto the wooden floors in my living room. Loud footsteps that sound like an elephant stampede is heard as my mother's voice fails to whisper with an unknown man outside my room door. Someone slams against the wall in the hallway and a woman's moan sounds through the paper walls of our small apartment.

Gross Giorgia.

The doorknob is jiggled and someone tries to push the door open. Loud bangs fill the apartment along with the booming thunder coming from the wailing storm outside.

Maybe the universe is taking pity on me and is crying for me or something.

I don't stick around long enough to see if Giorgia and her one night stand manage to make it into my room. I grab my escape bag filled with clothes that will last me two days, a pocket sized first aid kit, extra money, and a bag of chips. I rush to my bed, which is just a mattress I've had for years, and snatch my phone and pocket knife that sat on top of the covers. I stuff them into the back of my jean pockets.

The window creaks as I open it, it tiredly protests because of the fact I do this at least once a week. Usually it's every other day though.

The window in my room is old and practically falling apart. It has a crack from a time that one of Giorgia's exes threw a brick at it. I think they thought it was her room. After all, Giorgia usually uses my room during her nightly playdates, considering her room is dirty and she is too lazy to clean it.

I would clean it like I usually do with the rest of the house, but I ain't going into that roach infested place. I swear you could find unknown diseases and bacteria in there.

I went in there once when I was 11, so I could look for some lunch money, and I saw a sock moving across the floor.

Scared me into never going anywhere near that door located across from me.

I could hear Giorgia cursing me out, slurring and stuttering out most of the words in her drunk state.

"Open the door Jason Smith! I pay the bills in this house, not you!" I roll my eyes. Actually I do pay the bills. Giorgia never had much money. The money she has is always gone in less than a week to feed her alcohol and drug addiction.

The wind pushes rain through the open window, the water dripping down to the hardwood flooring.

Time to bounce.

I place one foot on the tree branch hanging near my window, then I quickly do the same with the other foot. Once securely balanced, I jump down, swiftly landing on both legs before making a run for it. My backpack bounces with each step I take. I swirl past small businesses I grew up with before they closed down and got turned into abandoned lots where people go to smoke and sell drugs.

I hate that. I hate it when you grow up with places near your childhood neighborhood and the people who worked in these places knew you and were like family, and then they close down due to financial problems. That or they get sold out by some rich guys.

When they are scammed out of the place they owned, those small businesses turn into yoga studios and hippy cafes. I really hate it.

I speed by small condos and rundown houses that look similar to mine. My whole body is soaked from the rain. I smell considering I haven't showered yet tonight. I'm extremely cold and my hair keeps falling onto my face, shielding my eyes. I lose my sight multiple times when rain drops go in my eyes.

I slow down to a walking pace once I make it to the more dangerous part of Vegas.

The street lights flicker like they usually do at these late hours.