Tucked (REWRITING/EDITING-)

Unlucky 13

Emma.

I'm awoken by thumping sounds and yelling. I strain to hear if it's Eli, but I don't hear his voice. Just a grown man by the sound of it. I decide to forget about it, and I fall back asleep.

I wake up again an hour later, and the noises have stopped. I wonder what happened... Maybe Eli knows what's up. I get up and dressed quickly, then walk to Eli's place. We can go out for breakfast, and maybe he can tell me what the noise was. He has lived here longer.

I stand in front of his door, and reach up to knock. No reply. I knock again, a bit louder. No reply. I put my ear against the door to see if he's showering, or maybe listening to music? Maybe he isn't home? He's probably at the bakery. Yeah, he probably has the morning shift.

Before I leave, I knock one last time, and try the doorknob. Unlocked. I open the door slowly, and creep into the room, just in case he is here. Something seems off. The kitchen is sparkling clean, with no dirty dishes or messes on the counter. The furniture is the same, but I notice Eli's movies are gone. I call his name before I go in his room, no response. I walk in, and it's completely stripped of all things but the furniture. No posters on the walls, no clothes on the floor or in the closet. The bathroom is empty too. I grab my phone my pocket and call Eli. It rings once, twice, three times before he picks up.

"Please tell me I'm in the wrong apartment." I say slowly.

"Emma, I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you because I figured you were asleep and-"

"Just tell me, it's okay."

"It's a long story, and my dad is in the car with me, and he might not enjoy hearing himself called a bigoted asshole. One sec."

The sound muffles but u can make out the sound of, what I assume is his dads voice. That must have been the sound this morning.

"Emma? I'm back. Sorry about that."

"So are you going to tell me?" I ask.

"Yeah, we just got home. You might want the make yourself comfortable."

"Okay then... Go on."

He takes a deep breath, then begins. "My dad owns this huge company. He wants it to stay in the family. Now, when Abby was still around, that was her goal in life, to be the biggest business woman in the world. Like a nicer, female, Donald Trump of sorts.

She was going to take over the company. Everything worked out perfectly. Until she got sick. I was just sending out applications for university, and suddenly everything had to change. My degree, my school, my life. I had to pursue commerce. And now, that isn't enough for my dad. He's moving me back home, to start working. I'll finish my degree online. AND, if that wasn't enough, he had to screw up my love life.

I didn't know they still even did arranged marriages. It's Alison, this, Alison, that. Hopefully I can talk my way out of that one. So, this morning, surprise! My dad shows up with a few moving guys, and now I'm back in Santa Cruz." He finishes.

"So let me get this straight. You have to take over this huge company, you can't choose your career, college, or girlfriend, and your dad is a huge dick."

"Exactly." He laughs bitterly.

"Well, okay. Is this permanent?"

"Unless I figure out a way to come back."

"You'd better." I say.

"I will. Shit, I gotta go. I'll call you."

'Okay, bye then, I guess."

"Bye." I click the end call button and lean against the wall. I wasn't expecting that. I shouldn't feel this upset. I don't know Eli that much. What do I know?

Well, I know about all the pets his family has ever had, a fish, a hamster, and most recently a dog. I know his favorite food, color, movie, song.

He played that song for me when I was sick. We were just hanging out at my place, and it came up in conversation. He took out his phone, eagerly saying how much he loved it. I was slightly surprised when Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi filled my ears. I must have looked confused, because he rushed to explain.

"When my sister and I were younger, I was about 12, our whole family went to Las Vegas. My dad had a business conference, so it worked well. One night, we went to Freemont street. Did you know the largest suspended screen is there?  It covers at least a block. Every half hour, it has a show on the screen. The night we went, it played this song with fancy graphics and videos from a concert. We always remembered it as "that time Bon Jovi was in the sky". So, yeah."

I guess I do kind of know him. Not everything, but we did meet a few weeks ago. I already miss him. Suddenly, a thought hits me. Nina! Has he told her? I quickly run out of the apartment, and rush to the bakery. I burst in, and find Nina cleaning a table.

"Did he tell you?" I ask, catching my breath.

"Yes dear, he did. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just ran here, that's all."

She laughs warmly. "I meant that Eli is gone, dear."

I blush. "Oh. I'm not sure yet. We only met recently, but..."

"I understand completely." Nina says, her arms outstretched. I embrace her, and hold on for dear life. I can feel my eyes tearing up. Nina pulls away and wipes away my tears with her apron.

"It's alright dear, it's normal to feel sad about someone you care for. I do."

"I know. Wait, why are you wiping tables? Don't you usually bake and work behind the counter?" I ask, finally paying attention to my surroundings.

"Well, without Eli, I have one less employee."

"I could help out if you want! Until he comes back, anyway." I offer.

"What a wonderful idea! I'll pay you of course. Do you want to start now?" Nina says, her face lighting up.

"Definitely."

Eli.

My father and I sit in the car in stony silence. I am fuming as I pointedly look out the window, pretending to be observing the buildings we pass. I jump as my phone starts buzzing. Emma is calling. Shit, how did I forget to tell her? I answer the phone and we exchange a few words before we get home. We roll into our garage, my dad slamming the door as he goes inside. Maybe calling him a bigoted asshole wasn't the best idea. But finally, he's gone and I can explain myself to Emma.

After we both hang up, I head inside, preparing myself for a fight.