Surrounded But Alone

Chapter 12- Gail's New Roommate

Gail's Point of View;

I remembered that inside the building had stairs so when I saw Presley lean off the wall to start walking again, I waited for him to pass me. That way in case he fell back I could at least brace him from a hard fall. We made it up the stairs to our floor slowly but without any difficulty. As we were now on flat ground I could now walk side by side with him. 

At the door of our apartments, we said goodnight to each other where I set one foot in my apartment and before I could even process the surroundings I screamed instinctively. I was caught in a trap with a rope wrapped tightly around my right foot causing me to be hung upside down and swinging from side to side in the doorway. 

"Help!!!!! I'm trapped!" I continued to scream as that happened.

I'm sure everyone on the floor heard me. Presley who had just opened the door to his apartment turned and saw me. Mitchum also came out and they both ran to my side. They had very confused expressions on their faces. I even heard another door open and people talking saying things like, "What's going on?"

And the responses were, "I think someone pulled some kind of prank on the blond girl across the hall."

The voices I was hearing faded to the background when Mitchum asked, "How did this happen?"

Presley used his shoulders to show that he didn't have an explanation. Then I saw a Latina girl step out of my apartment. I wasn't swinging to the side so much as before so she was able to step out from behind me to where Mitchm and Presley were in the hallway. She was wearing my football PJ's shirt that supported the FIFA team of Puerto Rico. She was also drinking out of my mug that my ten-year-old brother gave me as a gift when I moved here.

"Who are you and why are you trying to break into my apartment?" She looked very serious when her eyes narrowed looking directly at me and spoke calmly with a slight accent.

"Your apartment?! This is my apartment and you're stretching my clothes you-you-you demented PJ stealer!" It may have been the blood rushing to my head but I felt my face heat up with rage.

"What did you just say to me?! Cómo te atreves!" She responded after taking another sip from my mug. She didn't like what I said and I didn't care.

As I was going to reply in Spanish Mitchum spoke, "Um well obviously you two haven't been introduced yet. Alejandra, this is your roommate who I've been telling you about."

"Oh yes I've heard much about you, I'm Alejandra Corazon please to meet you." She said with her demeanor changing from being threatened to friendly and excited. For some reason, she irritated me more with the swift change but this would be no time to start an argument.

"I'm Gail Israel and I would like to stand up straight."

She then laughed a little as if she took what I said as a joke. "Oh yes my bad, see I didn't know what time you would be back so I set the alarm system. Sorry about that."

She said untieing the rope off me in no time with it almost leading to me fall to the ground head-first. But I positioned myself in time and landed on my back thankfully. That hurt! As I got back up to Mitchum lending me a hand to help me to my feet. I was a bit dizzy by the sudden change of position but was ok enough to understand what was going on.

When I was able to stand up straight without Mitchum's support I saw Presley approach Alejandra to talk to her and heard their short interaction.

"So do you... usually set traps at your apartment?" he asked in a slightly timid tone.