Phthartic

01

  I held the cigarette in between my middle and pointer finger as I stood on the balcony looking over the city I've grown to become unaware of. When I was younger my dad would bring me into the city of Chicago every Friday after school to go out to eat and just have a daddy daughter day, I remember when I would come in I would have no worries in the world, I was so care free. When we would come in the city would seem so safe, fun, and happy. However when I moved here once I turned 19 I could tell none of that was true, this city isnt happy at all, its full of crime, death, junkies, missing people, and one of the worlds most deadly gangs.. the Darcel. When I came here when I was younger I had a bandana covering my eyes and when I moved here that mask was removed, I was no longer blind to the truth of this city...nothings as it seems.

  "Kendall!" I heard my named being called from inside and I quickly put my cigarette out and threw it over the edge. "Kendall what are you doing?" Gemma asked as she walked out of the sliding glass door on the balcony. "Nothing." I told her and she furrowed her eyes together then her eyes widened. "Are you smoking again?!" She asked upset. "What?" I asked pretending to be clueless. "Kendall Olivia I can smell it." She told me and I looked down at my feet. "When did you start smoking again?" She asked me concerned. I picked my head up and walked past her inside completely ignoring her question. "Kendall!" She said chasing after me as I opened the fridge in the kitchen. "What would your dad think he if knew you were smoking cigarettes?" She asked and I completely froze. No one ever asks me about my dad, they all always know its too much of a hard topic for me. "What did you just say?" I asked her pissed off. "Kenny..im sorry I didn't mean to." Gemma quickly apologized. "Im gonna go in my room and get ready for work." I said and quickly walked past her into my room slamming my door. I let out a deep sigh and put the water bottle on my night stand. I slipped off my Fleetwood Mac band shirt and sweatpants and put on my dark purple scrubs. When I was grabbing an elastic to put my hair up I accidentally knocked over a box with a picture frame on top of it. "Shit." I breathed out as I heard the slam on the floor. I bent down and picked up the picture frame to see the picture of me and my dad on my 14th birthday slightly cracked. I quickly picked up the frame and put it on my counter and picked up the box making everything in it spill out. "Great job Kendall." I said to myself as I started picking everything up and putting it back in the box. I furrowed my eyes when my hand grazed over the silver necklace with a 'B' pendent hanging from it. I slightly smiled at the memory of my dad and quickly slipped the necklace over my head and ran out of my room. "Kenny can we please talk about this?" Gemma asked me as I grabbed my purse. "When I get home Gems, im gonna be late for work, Sam will kill me if Im late again." I told her. "Bye!" I said opening the door. "Kendall!" She called out making me look back. "I love you." She told me. "I love you too." I said and ran out of the apartment closing the door behind me. As I was walking to my car I had my head down digging in my purse trying to find my keys accidentally bumping into a very tall man with many tattoos, brown hair, and hazel eyes. "Im so sorry." I quickly told him and ran to my car.

  "Late again.." I heard a deep voice say from the staff room. "I know im so sorry Sam." I told him taking my coat off. "Im just busting your balls Kenny." He told me which made relief wash over my body. "So Kenny I was wondering if you would want to come to this club with me and a few friends tonight?" He asked handing me a patient's folder. "What club?" I asked him. "This new one called Electricity." He told me and I nodded. "Text me the details." I told him and walked out into my patients room. "Hello Annalise! Im nurse Langdon." I said to the blonde haired girl as I walked into the room. "Please just call me Anna." She told me smiling. "Okay Anna, well you have a pretty bad gash here so im definitely going to need to stitch that up." I told her and picked the supplies off of my cart. As I was stitching up her wound on her arm she picked her other hand up and held my necklace. "What a peculiar necklace...what does the 'B' stand for?" She said which made me pause what I was doing. "Um it was my dads and his name was Ben so im guessing that." I told her and she looked at me as if she was studying my face to try and find something, I quickly cleared my throat going back to stitching her up but her eyes stayed on my face.