"Wake up."
I groaned in displeasure as I heard my alarm clock buzz right next to my ear. It had been almost a week since I had returned from Germany and jet lag was still affecting me gravely. I groggily rubbed my eyes and shut the damn thing off with one swift movement. 10:00, it read. I still had not received a call, or text for that matter, from Colin. At this rate it was driving me insane, my instincts were to call him but I didn't want to seem pushy or obsessed. It was almost as if I had a friend crush on him, I did not like him romantically, that's for sure, but he deeply intrigued me and it was as if I wanted to hear him talk all day. He certainly had a way with people, to make them obsessed with him and hang onto every word he said like it was the last word he would ever speak. I admired him for that, and silently hoped that trait would rub off on me.
***
The next thing I knew it was 16:06. Suddenly, the doorbell echoed from across the room. Without too much effort I got up and opened the door to find the most beautiful girl I knew, Lilith Waters. I had fancied Lilith for as long as I could remember, her hair was beautiful and smelt of cheap perfume.
"Always good to see you." I smiled looking at her perfectly heart-shaped face.
She smiled back, "John told me you've just gotten back from Germany?"
"Yes, my aunt recently died, but it's fine, I mean her death isn't fine, but-" I grew flustered.
"Oh, I understand; my condolences." Her smile quickly disappeared.
"D- Don't worry about it, but hey; I understand John probably told you to drop something off?" John was her brother, and one of my closest friends, he hadn't the slightest clue of my affection for his younger sister and I planned to keep it that way.
She nodded and took a pair of socks from her bag. "John said you left these at our house, oh I don't know, maybe five months ago?" She laughed.
I quickly returned the nervous laughter and took the socks from her hand with a smile, "Well thanks."
She quickly waved goodbye and left me to stand in the doorway in awe of what had just happened. If I was sure about one thing it was that she didn't like me back. Last time I checked she was dating a boy two years older than myself, who had slicked black hair and impressive guns. Oh, how I longed to be loved back by her, she was nothing more then a useless crush perhaps, but I couldn't help the butterflies I ever so strongly felt.
I threw the socks across my room and continued with what I was doing prior to Lilith's arrival; fixing my neighbor's computer.
It was known by almost everyone on my flat level that I studied computer engineering. "Fix my computer, would you, son?" Was almost a daily request. It was as if everyone was breaking their computers just for a free fix! Obviously that isn't what they got, of course I charged, and for a reasonable price too. Yet whenever I told them they had to pay they would sigh. What were they expecting? I groaned and continued messing about with my neighbor, Sherrie's, ancient laptop.
Sherrie was the one person I wouldn't charge for; she served as almost a mother figure to me. She told me she'd lived here, in the exact same space, for ten years after getting off the streets when she was forty-five. Nowadays she helped recovering alcoholics like herself and worked for a local homeless shelter. Frequently, I'd visit and help her around the space. She had no kids, but as far as she was concerned I served as one. In fact, it worked out considering my birth mother was out of the picture; we hadn't spoken in years and it didn't seem likely we would anytime soon. She considered me her vile son, filled with filth, and was quite zealous, thinking of me as the Devil. As soon as I turned eighteen, just a year ago, she made me move out. We didn't talk anyways, she had made sure we were never in the same room as each other since I was sixteen, I was surprised she didn't just kick me out. Despite that 'little' problem, life seemed tolerable. I had John, Sherrie, Lilith, and hopefully Colin to talk to.
***
After an hour I had finally finished fixing Sherrie's computer and was set on giving it back. Firmly grabbing the laptop in my right hand I ventured out of my space and buzzed Sherrie's doorbell. What I was greeted with was tears, in fact many of them.
"Scott, I'm afraid now is not a good time." She muttered in between a stream of tears.
Shocked, I stood there unsure of what to say, "Oh- okay, I was just dropping by to give you your computer back-" She stopped me mid sentence.
"Please leave, now is not a good time, Scott, I'm sorry. Tomorrow we'll chat, okay?"
I nodded my head and she slammed the door shut following more mournful sobs. What had just happened, I was not so sure, but I was certain something had to be up. Sherrie never cried, not in front of me at least, what could possibly be upsetting her was perhaps far from anything I could imagine. With that, I went home and listened to the thunder and rain outside my window.
