Bad Blood ~Rewrite~

One

The sun dipped towards the horizon, ready to send the bustling city into a darkness warded off by the artificial lighting. Mountains of boxes concealed the small apartment living room, blocking off all sense of hope from the young girl who sat in their midst.

"I don't even know where to start," she complained, sprawling out on the floor with her phone resting next to her. She heard the soft chuckle emit from the device, brightening her spirits lightly.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "I'll be there soon, and when I get home I can help you. Just relax and start putting things where you think they should go." Caitlyn sighed dramatically as she sat up. She grabbed a box and ripped the tape away.

"I'm just worried you'll hate it," she groaned, pulling out the hideous statue her mother had gifted her before she moved to New York.

"I'm sure I'll love it no matter what you do, babe," he said. Caitlyn smiled lightly, imagining the smirk that was inevitably plastered on his chiseled face. "Listen, I've got to get back to work. I'll be home in an hour, alright? I love you."

"I love you too, I'll see you soon." She sighed again as she tossed her phone over to the couch that was partially buried. Muffled shouts sounded from across the hall, and Caitlyn pulled herself from the floor, creeping toward the door and peeking out of the peephole. She sighed softly when she didn't see anyone in the hallway before pressing her ear against the red wood.

"No, Annika! Why should I listen to you?" The voice was deep and strained as the man yelled at the silent figure. Caitlyn wondered if the man was talking to anyone at all. "I don't care what he told you! You had the chance to save her! God! I can't talk to you about this anymore. Stop calling me..."

Caitlyn pulled herself away from the door, hearing her mother's words echo through her mind.

"Caitlyn Jane O'Brien, your curiosity is going to get you into trouble one of these days. You need to mind your own business."

"Why do I need to mind my own business when everyone else's is so much more interesting than mine?" she muttered to herself softly.

She sighed as she looked back to the mountain of boxes, running a hand through her dark brown hair. She began sorting through the boxes, groaning as she thought of the thousands of places they could go within her new home. She picked things out of the boxes here and there, setting them in random, haphazard piles. She sat back on the floor with an exasperated breath, beginning to sort through a box of Nick's clothes. She pulled out his leather jacket and smiled softly, thinking back to the day she had first met him. He had been wearing the jacket despite the heat of the California spring day. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. She sighed and moved to put the jacket on the top of the pile intended for their bedroom, noticing a small note slip from the pocket. She picked it up and began unfolding it, stopping herself suddenly as her mother's words echoed in her mind again.

"A good girlfriend would give him his privacy," she muttered, refolding the paper. She ran her thumb over the smooth surface, trying to push away the dozens of thoughts that bombarded her. "A good girlfriend would also make sure it's not an important paper... so that she could give it back to him if he needed it," she reasoned before tearing it open. She felt her brow furrow softly in confusion as she stared at Nick's writing scrawled out on the piece of paper.

Caitlyn O'Brien - 1604 Lonsdale Ave. Avalon, CA.

The sudden sound of keys jingling in the lock ripped her away from her thoughts. She quickly folded the piece of paper up and tucked it back into the jacket pocket, standing up to meet her boyfriend as the door to the apartment opened.