A Way to Pass Time

2

Ch. 2

Lindsey and Peter stared at my notebook for so long I was afraid their eyeballs would fall out. Louis was having his fun by throwing his head back and laughing loudly. I tried to move my notebook away, but Peter's hand shot out and slammed it down on my notebook. His stare just intensified, as if trying to find the secret code to translate it. Lindsey's head snapped up to give me the sharpest look anyone has ever given to like she was trying to see into my soul. 

Lucky for me that my soul had departed years ago so no one could set eyes on it.

 She gripped my hands and I gave her an are-you-crazy? look. They were starting to freak me out. Damn Goldens. I knew it was just some joke to mess with me. I tried to pull my hand away but she held on tight, giving me goosebumps. "You're... perfect!" She screamed.

 Her excitement alone was a terrifying sight for me to see. I practically threw myself out of the booth and leaped over the display counters where Louis was and hid behind him as a shield. Even he was looking a bit freaked out at seeing the girl getting on the table and fist pumping the air as if she won the lottery.

 Louis and I shared a look and he nudged me towards the employee exit, not taking his eyes off the Goldens. "I'll see you later, kid. I think it's best if you stayed away from these people."

 I nodded my thanks and made my escape, Peter STILL staring at my notebook and Lindsey dancing on the tables. I practically ran out of there. I couldn't go back to the book store now. That's the first place they'd look. Sheila could die for all I cared at the moment. Running as fast as possible without slipping on ice, I ran through the streets of downtown Denver until I got to my apartment.

 Okay, my apartment was more like a boarded up shack. I was the only tenant and no one lived there except for the old man that owned the place. The place was like looking at a rotting piece of fruit. Some of the windows were broken and curtains fluttered in and out of them. The front door looked like it would fall off if you weren't careful, the bricks chipping away.

 Basically, it was like if the slightest breeze came, it would knock over in a pile of rubble. It wasn't in the safest neighborhood either. Homeless people and pickpockets ran through the streets. But I could afford the rent, so who needed safety. I never really carried anything to give to hobos or anything for a pickpocket to steal. If someone attacked, the only thing I could really do would be to kick them in the balls. It hurt to both genders, ladies, gentlemen, and even on occasion, the female genetalia.

 Anyways, I quickly got inside the building, waving at the old man that always sat at the desk. As the owner, he really didn't do much. He sometimes forgot to ask for the rent and I shamelessly took advantage of that. But he was always at that desk with a black and white picture of his family, a landline phone, a can of mace, and pen and paper.

 I felt sad for him, but I didn't know anything about socializing and he probably didn't want my company anyways. The metal stairs groaned loudly as I walked up to the top floor of the building to my room. And yes, it really was one room apartment besides the bathroom.

 Inside was a regular sized room with a little kitchen in the corner, a table and a chair by the window, and a beat up old couch with some blankets and a pillow against the wall. My books lay scattered around the room, some in a stack, others just on the dirty carpeted floor. That was all. It definitely wasn't something to be happy about when I come back from a long day, but it was everything I needed.

 I shut the door and leaned against it for support as I put my hand to my forehead and process what had happened. Golden people were nuts, well those two were. I pushed myself up and went over to the mini fridge. There was last weeks lasagna that was looking a bit fuzzy and some frozen macaroni, two opened beer bottles, and funny looking lemon. Thankfully I wasn't hungry so I just went over to the small table by the window and looked out.