Picture Perfect

Chapter Four: The Break-In

Francis Payne
I plunged on my divan inhaling the scent of my cologne. At last I'm home!

Oliver huddled his belongings together and positioned them at the entry way to the guest room. I could see the sparkling lights of the city glitter below from my apartment room.

"I'm going out for a walk Oliver," I say, positioning the bonnet on my head and some shades.

"Okay!" He retorted, slamming his door shut

**

Snap. Snap. Snap

The echoes of the identical clicks of camera flashes went sounding through the neighborhood. My only time I wanted to get food around New York and then this happens, like what the heck it's twelve o'clock don't they ever get tired?

I snap out of my trance and look around. There's nothing but apartments around the corner and the old abandoned building. My home was blocks away from here. I glance toward the window by the fire exit of one building and I felt lucky that it was open.

"There he is!" One paparazzo says out of nowhere and I make a run for the bushes. My only option was to apparently hide in the room till they all go away. The gate of the fire exit was unlocked so I climbed carefully up the steel steps and into the small living room. It was dark, so obviously no one has rented this place out yet. I started to head for the door but I suddenly heard footsteps from the next room- I spoke too soon.

Shoot!

As desperate as I was, I headed inside the chest perched against the window where I got in and folded my knees to my chest level. There was a folder and camera right inside. I held the camera in my hands and examined it in the dark before being discovered by the girl renting the apartment.

I let out a scream accidentally throwing the camera into the air. The camera slammed against the wooden floorboards and the girl gasped in horror.

"What the heck!" She said, observing the camera's behavior. "Great! Now I can't finish this internship because you broke my camera!"

"I'm sorry." I said.

"Sorry? That's not going to make anything better! I'm calling the police!" She yelled.

I grabbed her wrist frantically and pushed her against the wall. "Look, I'm not a bad person; I just needed to get away from people. I'll pay for the damage I did and I'll be going back to my own life."

She glared at me for at least two minutes before letting out a sigh. Her blond hair covered a part of her face and it sort of reminded me of my younger sister Rebecca. "Wait! You're Francis-"

"Yes, don't scream my name and I promise I'll give you free tickets to my next concert! And I'll get you a new camera!" I whispered covering her mouth

"I don't want to go to your stupid concerts. I just need the camera" She rolled her eyes.

"Also, please let me stay for the night. I can't go with the paparazzi following me."

The girl shot daggers at me. I hate to be full of myself but to be honest; I really thought every single girl in the universe would fall for me. Or even let me stay in their houses or appreciate me. But this Blondie wasn't one of those girls.

"Fine," she came back flinging an extra blanket at me.

"By the way what's your name?"

"None of your business,"

She's really getting on my nerves twenty times a minute. "If you don't tell me, how am I supposed to help you?"

She didn't look back; she froze there with her hand on the white door of her room. "Fine, it's Sabrina!" She uttered, ignoring eye contact and clicking the lock of her room.