Close Quarters

Chapter 1

Marcy

The city lights are a blur beneath me as I'm perched on the edge of a skyscraper. It's a dangerous thrill, the kind that sets my heart pounding and adrenaline rushing. I took a deep breath, the cool night air filling my lungs, and I jump. the rush of a free-fall is exhilarating, the wind whipping pass me as I twist and turn in the air. I'm pushing the limits, defying gravity while it consumes me. As I fall closer to the ground, my heart falls to my stomach, and then—it goes black.
I wake up with a jolt, my heart racing as I sit up in my bed. My heart was still in my stomach, my breath heavy, and I'm drenched in sweat. It took a moment for my mind to catch up with reality, realizing it was just another dream. Not as bad as my last one where I was about to get mauled by a bear, but this one— this one gave me a weird feeling.
I look at my bedside table at the clock, it was 5:30 AM. I might as well get up, there's no way I'm going back to sleep. Thank God I didn't wake Kat up, the bear dream had woken me up with a loud scream and I practically woke the whole neighborhood. I got up and headed for the shower, in hopes to soothe the remnants of my dream. The instant the hot water hits my skin, it's like a symphony of sensations. The steam swirls around me, wrapping me in a warm, gentle embrace. It's a comforting heat, like the sun after a chilly week. The water cascades down my body as I relive the vivid details of my recent dream. I keep feeling the drop hit my stomach and the wind fill my lungs. The thing about my dreams is when I wake up, I remember in vivid details, but the thing is, I will alwaysremember in vivid details. My dreams don't go away. I don't forget them. My head is like a camcorder, constantly replaying its memories. It's like my dreams aren't dreams, and that they're memories. Like I've actually lived with them. Normally, I have about two dreams per week, on bad weeks I can get up to four. My doctor told me doing things I love and protecting my peace help a lot, and it has been.
After my shower, I did some skincare and make up to get ready for a morning run. It was February in Bellanau so it wasn't very cold here. I put on some leggings and a matching top, finishing it off with a light jacket, my running shoes and some headphones. The track was only a five minute walk from where me and Kat lived, which I could run in two minutes. I put my headphones on and played "Cool Kids" by Echosmith.
As I step outside, tightening my sneakers, feeling the firm group they have on the ground, I do a quick stretch before starting off slow, my feet hitting the pavement in a rhythmic pattern. The world is still waking up, the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting a soft glow on my surroundings. I can hear the distant chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves in the trees, and the occasional car passing by. My heart beats with the rhythm of my footsteps, a steady thump, thump in my chest. I start to feel a small burn in my legs as I arrive, but as I look forward, something stirs inside me, a thirst for more. I decide to keep going, venturing away from the track.
As I'm taking in the familiar surroundings, although new since I've never ran over here before, a distant growl of a motorcycle engine slices through the air, overpowering my music. I slow my pace, scanning the road ahead while I keep up with light jog. The sound of a mechanical beast roars aloud, coming around the corner charging towards me. My heart pounds from anticipation. Besides me, I notice an innocent puddle, left over from last nights rain. But there's no time to react, the motorcycles too close, too fast. And like a scene from the movie, it roars past me, hitting the puddle with a vengeance. In an instant, I'm drenched, the cold water is soaking me to the bone. I stand there, frozen in shock, as the motorcycle disappears in the distance. Anger bubbles inside me, replacing the chill of the water. My peaceful jog turned into an unexpected splash zone. But before I can even release my anger on the imbecile who splashed me, they were out of my site, just a small distant roar from the engine left. I shouldn't have came here. Why didn't I just stay on the track? Anger turned into frustration and tears built up behind my eyes. As I look down I see my cute new white running shoes were now... brown and my cream fuzzy jacket also brown and I looked as if I rolled in the damn mud. I rolled my hand into a fist so tight to prevent an outburst while I turned around and started walking back to the apartment. What a great start to my fucking day.

__________________________

After an eventful morning, it was almost noon, and I had cooked up some eggs and toast for me and Kat, whom was my roommate. We both attended Myers University and moved off campus into an apartment just a few months ago after being dorm mates for junior year.
"I can't believe that happened to you, I'm sorry Mar." Kat sympathized after telling her what my morning had entailed.
"Yeah it was horrible. I can't believe that guy just drove away after splashing me." I said, still furious from this morning's events.
"Yeah that is messed up. But hey, to get your mind off things my family is hosting a dinner party tonight, wanna come?" She said, placing her eggs on top of her buttered toast and taking a bite, giving me a cheesy smile.
I thought about it for a moment before realizing this is exactly what my doctor told me to do, get out of my comfort zone, experience new and fun things. Plus, I hadn't met Kat's family because... Well, we were only really roommate best friends, but this would probably be a good time.
"Sure," I reply. "Who's all going to be there?" I question. She thinks for a second before replying. "Mostly family, probably some family friends also." She tells.
"Oh and Zane. But I wouldn't even bother talking to him." She adds.
"Why is that?" I question as I clean off my plate.
"He's...uh...an ass, trust me." She reassured and I just nodded.
"You should start getting ready soon, it's an hour and a half drive." She said, heading back into the living room.
After doing some of my morning norms I started to get ready for Kat's family dinner. I want to make a good impression so they don't think Kat's been staying with a psycho or something. I curl my hair and do my makeup before putting on a sundress with some kitten heels.
"Ready? You look perfect!" She complemented and grabbed her keys before we headed for the car.
The drive went by super quick, probably because the anticipation was building. We pulled in a large roundabout driveway laid in the pavement, and a huge house sat bold in the perfectly mowed lawn. The exterior was adorned with intricate details, from the ornate carvings on the wooden doors to the elegant balconies that overlooked the sprawling gardens, and never ending rows of flowers. The architecture was a blend of classic and modern, creating a captivating design.
"You never told me you were a billionaire." I said looking at Kat in disbelief.
She rolled her eyes before applying. "Not me. My parents." She said.
The Romeros were famous for their long lasting business in real estate and investing and all sorts of other other things Kat mentioned that I forgot.
As I'm taking in the sheer size of the house, something catches my eye. It's parked off the side of the house, gleaming under the afternoon sunlight. It's that motorcycle, the one that totally drenched me this morning! I can't believe it. It's here! Of all places!
Before I knew it Kat was already walking inside.
"Kat wait!" I yelled softly. She flicked her head around before giving me a confused look.
"Whose motorcycle is that?" I asked, gesturing to my left at the black and red bike next to me.
"My brothers, why?" She asked, taking a step closer to me.
"That's the motorcycle that splashed me! I'm sure of it!" I say as I watch Kat's face drop and she connects the dots.
"Oh my gosh, it makes sense now," she realized. "I'm gonna beat his ass."
She quickly turns on her heels and stomps up the stairs and into the house as I follow quickly behind her.
Uh oh. This should be...interesting.

                       

Authors note:
I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and i'm very sorry if there are any grammatical errors. I try my very hardest to make everything perfect but...no one's perfect. Anywho, let me know what you thought!