It had been a little over twenty four hours since my brief encounter with Sherrie. What I expected when coming back to her place was easily met. Warm smiles and hot coffee as if nothing had ever happened.
Taking a sip from the black coffee I prompted her about our previous encounter, "What was going on yesterday morning?"
Her smile quickly turned serious as she reached for her own brew. "Word had gotten to me that a boy, just about your age, from the shelter was murdered the other day."
I wasn't sure how to respond. "Do they know who did it?"
"No; they suspect a gang of teenagers or young adults, it's remarkable that they haven't found the culprits yet." She sipped her coffee.
"Yeah..." I trailed off as she turned on the news.
Silence. I wasn't sure what to say and it was obvious Sherrie didn't either, there was no proper way to cut off to another topic; not from this. Suddenly my phone buzzed in my pocket; it was Colin. I quietly excused myself and walked into another room.
"Hello?" I felt my stomach drop and blood pump as I waited for a reply.
"Hello, Scott, you don't happen to have a moment, do you? His voice was calm. I envied it.
"Oh, uh, sure." I felt a lump in my throat.
***
Where Colin directed us to meet was quite the surprise. An abandoned building, perhaps a squat, just north of town. I couldn't help but feel intimidated by him as I drove to the spot. Why here? Was he going to kill me? I laughed at the thought but couldn't help sweat over it.
When I arrived I was greeted by his presence inside a small, dusty room on the main level. He smiled and held out a cigarette, which I declined.
"How've you been?" He prompted lighting one for himself.
"Cut the small talk, you still haven't told me why you were in Germany." I clenched my fists, making them turn a shade of white.
"Someones moody," He drew the cigarette from his lips and began circling the room.
"I didn't mean to sound so forward." I scratched the back of my neck nervously.
He stopped and grinned for a moment before continuing to circle me as if I were his prey. "Don't sweat it."
What once seemed like a friendly figure in my life, had apparently turned cold.
"Just tell me, okay? What's the big deal?"
He stopped once again his face just inches away from mine. "If I told you, you'd have to keep a secret, and I'm not sure if I can trust you just yet."
"You can trust me!" I pleaded.
Smoke hit my face and I coughed as he continued walking. "This is all so serious, I hate it." He rubbed his forehead.
I ruined it and I knew it. My chances of becoming good friends with him were slim. I sighed, looking back at his face.
"Look, I'm sorry, it's just this has been bugging me the whole time."
"It shouldn't be."
"I know." My eyes darted back to the jet black carpet.
He sat down on a springy couch, relaxing his body. For a second I could empathize he was feeling as stressed as I was.
The silence became unbearable and I sighed loudly plopping myself onto the mattress in front of the couch. "Do you live here?" I changed the subject.
"No, but I sometimes stay here, when I can't stand my roommates." He nervously laughed. Finally. I could hear the tiniest bit of uneasiness coming from him.
"What're your roommates like?"
He paused a moment before replying, "Bearable."
Satisfied with the answer, I sat back against the wall looking at the old table and mirror in front of me. We remained silent for another good five minutes before he tipped his WWII captain's hat and left me to sit on my own, as if I had anyone else to talk to. Looking around the room I noticed the blue paint was chipped and the walls were viciously deteriorating. The mirror had aged blood on it and was broken as if someone had punched it. All these details helped me build a character around Colin, something that seemed necessary for me to still believe he was the least bit righteous. I got up and put my fist against the sight of impact on the mirror, through the shattered glass I saw my acne, green eyes, and wild hair. Ugly. I needed a haircut badly, it was beginning to grow out and was almost the length of half my forehead now, not to mention the colors were retched, the red and yellow scattered about the jet black making a hideous outgrown combination with my dark brown roots. My teeth were a shade of yellow, and my eyes dull, I needed a shave. No wonder Lilith didn't like me, I looked as if I belonged in the dumpster. Yet then again what punk didn't?
I drove back home to find my other neighbor, Henry, waiting at my doorstep. He quickly stepped back in surprise.
"I- I thought I heard you in there! It seemed you were being awfully loud, I do suppose there's an intruder then." He announced, his voice shaky and body trembling.
"Are you sure it wasn't George?" I scratched my head.
"Positive."
"Oh, well, let me check inside then." I stepped past Henry and unlocked the door.
As I walked through my space I couldn't find a trace of anyone, that was until I found, sitting right on the couch, Colin, smugly grinning at the TV screen. Without looking back he took a sip of coffee, "I guess I have some explaining to to."
