Never Again

Chapter Twelve

"Um, ow?" The man says. I can't even speak I am so... shocked? Surprise? Scared? Definitely a combination of all three. "That was quite loud, don't you think?" He walks toward me and I scream again, grabbing the closest thing to me. I hold it out in front of me, trying not to shake.

"A can opener is supposed to scare me?" I hone in on my lack of weapon and try to think. I chuck it in his direction and yelp, running away.

"What the?" He scrambles after me. "I don't mean to alarm you!" I run into the bathroom, breathing heavily.

What the hell am I supposed to do? I mentally shriek.

"Okay, okay Eleanor, calm down. So, there's a strange man in your new house not long after you move to Ireland. No big..." I let out a verbal shriek.

"Hey, are you okay in there?" A long rift of knocking sounds and I instinctively back away from the door. "Eleanor, you okay?"

How the hell do you know my name!

"Eleanor, Octavia told me. My name's Wilson, her boyfriend?"

"H-How am I supposed to believe you?" I stammer out.

"What do you want to know? Maybe I can get you to believe me." I think for a moment but cannot come up with a thing.

"Octavia told me to stop by so I could help her plan your 'Welcome to Ireland' party happening this weekend." My thoughts stop. "I told her that it was a dumb name for it, but she told me, "Wil, stop being a know-it-all boyfriend and let me do my shit..." He keeps talking but I tune him out.

He knows about the party, about you moving here; and plus, he knows Octavia too, and that does sounds like her...

Probably against my better judgement, I slowly open the door to find what I thought was a scary killer still rambling on, have a back-and-forth conversation with himself. Despite the original precautious feelings I had only a few moments ago, I laugh. He pauses mid-sentence and looks at me.

"You're laughing?" He looks so confused that I can't help but let another snort slip. "But you were screaming in terror a few minutes ago!" And that's when I completely lose my composure. Falling to the floor, I start gwawfing like an idiot. "What is so funny?"

"I-I'm not even sure!" And that somehow made it all the more funny.

How stupid can you be, Eleanor? He obviously isn't a killer, just look at him!

He is pacing, one hand pulling at his hair and the other holding his phone up to his ear. He is talking animatedly, his eyes wider than normal. I tune him back in just as he shoves his phone in my face.

"Here, she wants to talk to you." Taking it, I say,

"Hello?"

"Girl, I am so sorry!"

"Octavia?" She keeps rambling.

"I told Wil he could come over and I forgot I now have a roomie that doesn't know him! Yet, at least." She adds. "Don't worry your pretty little head, he's harmless, I swear. I will whoop his ass when I get home, though. He was supposed to wait till I was home, that little prick." I could hear her smiling through the phone. "Anyway, hon, I'll be coming home from the store in a half hour or so. Would you mind occupying him until I reach home?"

"Oh, Octavia, I—"

"Yea, fuck you too ya douche!" She yells loudly. "Sorry, someone just cut me out of the check out."