Still With You | JK ff

Chapter 18: An Unappeasable Itch!

[Flashback]

The door opened to a waft of dense and sticky air, laden with the pungent smell of alcohol and nicotine trapped in closed confines for weeks. He slammed the door shut behind you and stomped past you into the living room visible from the entryway. You stayed near the door indecisively and then hesitantly moved forward in the dimly lit corridor.

'Oh, look who we have here.'

'Did you pick up another stray cat?'

'You in the mood for some charity, bro?'

The group cackled in unison, faceless shapes in a murky haze of smoke illuminated only by the little bit of light that was coming in through the dusty windowpanes. You stood nervously at the edge of the room, your eyes traversing the room, in search of him.

'Jiah... Jo Jiah, we have a helper girl for you. Now stop nagging me from the kitchen!' It was a guy leaning back in a large, cushioned chair, with both legs folded beneath him, who yelled towards the kitchen.

A head popped out of a small doorway.

'You,' Jo Jiah pointed a finger at you, her shiny black hair swaying gracefully down to her chest. She scanned you from top to bottom with a disgusted expression.

'Get in here and unpack this food,' she said as she took yellow rubber gloves off her hands and tossed them at you.

'I can't believe you were going to make me do all that work when I just got my nails done today,' she muttered as she climbed into the lap of the boy.

'Well, what are you waiting for?' he gesticulated towards you. 'Bring the food out, we're hungry!'

He had left your side the moment you had stepped into the apartment and seemed to have disappeared into the living room before you could turn the corner, melding together into the mass of the group, unrecognizable now in the darkness. As you stood in the midst of the loud chatter of numerous jokes at your expense, unsure and intimidated, you hoped he would emerge from the dark to tell you what to do. But he was nowhere to be found. With one last glance at the group, you made your way into the kitchen.

You had to rummage through the greasy cabinets and shelfs to find a few clean plates and bowls to empty out the bagged food into. One by one, you carried the dishes out into the living room and made space to place them on the coffee table in the center, which was cluttered with lighters, half-empty glasses of drinks, boxes of cigarettes, ashtrays and small baggies of something green. Marijuana. Someone from the other end of the table snatched all the chopsticks from your hand and passed them around the circle, skipping you entirely.

'I need a plate for this shit, I don't want to spill on the couch again,' a guy with a dazed voice murmured from the far end of the couch, while the four others wedged on the same couch next to him snickered needlessly.

The guy Jo Jiah was perched on, shot a demanding glance in your direction. The bulge of his biceps visible even in the dim light.

'Er- there aren't any more clean plates,' you explained, a knot in your throat causing your voice to crack. Still no sign of him.

'Duh- then wash one,' he ordered with an air of finality and moved on to his banter with the group as usual. 'Who wants to light this up?' he waved a rolled joint between his fingers to the excited cheers of the group.

'Me. Me!'

'I call dibs!'

'No, I'll boom this one, you got the last!'

You hurried back to the kitchen and washed one plate. You shook it in the air several times to dry it of the dripping water, since you couldn't find a clean kitchen towel or a cloth of any kind for that matter.