The Neighbor

Who's That?

The Neighbor's POV

"Hello?" I hold the phone against my ear tightly as if to block the sound from escaping for anyone else's ears to hear.

My friend answers with a quiet urgency. "Today isn't going to work man, Linda tried to run today so security is at an all time high here, you'll never get through."

I sigh, feeling drained. I was getting way too used to bad news like this. "Again? She's relentless."

"The same can be said about us." We're both silent for a moment before he speaks again. "This isn't your fault, I told you to go on without me. We would've been screwed if we both stayed here and we both know it."

He gave me this speech constantly but it didn't make me feel any better about myself. I know he never held what I did against me, in fact he told me to do it, but that was only because he was so selfless. Part of me is angry at him for pushing me out the door, I'm not free like we thought I'd be, I'm haunted by the fact he's still there. It's even worse now that he's alone. "The facts are facts, I'm out here and your alone in there."

He lets out an exaggerated breath. "Stop that! Geez, you're so dramatic. If I don't care, nether should you. Besides, I'm not alone you've made sure of that. You literally call me every five seconds."

I chuckle, our similar sense of humor was what made us so close. Being able to laugh together is very important in a friendship and relationships too, I assume. I didn't have a lot of experience in that department. Don't get me wrong, I've done a lot in my life and I had loads of experiences, but a relationship wasn't one of them. I kissed a few girls before, but I never had the desire to commit. When I kissed someone it was sort of just to see what it felt like, an experiment that never failed to produce the same result, indifference. It might sound strange but I felt like I was waiting for someone and anyone else besides this person felt like a waste of time. Regardless, I always had something chaotic and it typically dangerous happening in my life so I wasn't eager to see how the whole relationship thing would pan out. The last thing I wanted to do was get somebody killed just for loving me. The word love made me cringe. It's not that I didn't believe in it, I was very much a romantic, but right now the idea of love seemed like it belonged on another planet.

"Ummm, you there?" He asks, reminded me that I'm on the phone.

I sit down on my bed. "Yeah, I'm here. I'm sorry, I just got distracted."

"By what?" He questions me.

Unsure of how to answer, I summarize. "My thoughts."

He huffs. "Again? You're such a troubled soul, it's tragic." He half-teases me.

Just as I open my mouth to respond I hear a man screaming angrily. I lay my head down, unbothered until I hear a woman's voice yelling back. I'm immediately on my feet and at my door. "Hey let me call you back, I have to go check on something."

"Weird, but okay."

I hang up the phone and make my way towards the loud noise. I see a crazed-looking man who looked to be about my age walking out of the apartment that all yelling was coming from. I guess somebody beat me to it and deescalated the situation before I got here. The door is cracked open so I open it soundlessly, wanting to see exactly what I was getting myself into. What I see melts my heart. There's a gorgeous girl with long dark hair holding an ice pack against a blonde girl's face and talking to her softly. 

I enjoy the sight for a moment before interrupting. "What's going on here?" I look down and notice the glass all spread out across the floor. I look at the girl with blonde hair and look her over to make sure she wasn't bleeding. She meets my gaze, looking terrified. I suddenly don't feel as confident that I should involve myself.

"Let me draw you a bath. We can talk about this later okay?" The girl with the dark hair pays me no mind. "

The blonde girl says something back but I don't process it. I know the girl helping her from somewhere, but where? How? Whoever she is, she apparently left an impact. She notices I'm staring at her and glares at me over her shoulders. Her stunning blue eyes send another wave of recognition through me. Maybe I just wanted to recognize her. "

When she goes into the bathroom, I make eyes
contact with her friend. I notice how pretty she looks, a sort of sweet innocence about her. Her ivory eyes red and puffy. I'm not sure what happened, but heart goes out to her. How could someone hurt someone who looks so gentle. She looked like she was hurting so I decided to help her the way I'd want to helped. I head into the kitchen and grab us some drinks. Maybe it wasn't the most responsible move, but it was all I could think to do. That and listen to her.

I could tell she was fragile so I approached her with caution as I handed her a wine cooler. "Hey."

"Hi." She smiled weakly at me. "Thank you." She took the drink graciously.

I didn't either of us wanted small talk so skipped it. "Are you okay? Your eye looks really painful." I examine her black and blue eye, I could tell it was going to take a while to heal.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Things just got so out of hand." She takes a long sip of her wine cooler.

"I saw that. Do you want me to beat that guy up?" I tried to keep the mood light, but I heard the anger in my tone. A guy that hits a girl is a lowlife who needs to be locked up.

She grins. "No, no it won't make things any better but I appreciate the thought. I want to have the pleasure of dishing out his karma and I won't let you to take that away from me."

I chuckle. "I wouldn't dream of taking that pleasure from you." I put my arm around her gently, pulling her closer to me for comfort. "Ever think of hiring a hitman?"

She laughs and hits my arm. "I wouldn't do well in jail."

I felt her presence before I saw her. The dark haired girl leans over the couch, her hands on her friend's shoulders. "You ready for your bath?" I keep my eyes are her, but she avoids my gaze until she notices our drinks. She narrows her eyes at me, sending a shiver down my spine. I take a sip of my own, trying to act casual. I help her get the blonde girl to the bathroom for her shower and it's not long before I get kicked out.

I try to leave their apartment but I shocked to realize I can't. I'm not ready to leave this familiar girl or her friend. So, I stay. As I lean against the wall and sip my drink, it comes to me. I know why she seems so familiar, but I can't believe it. Things like this never happen to me.