ONNAXOFF

Chapter 9

Jessie

I spent the day so intent on finishing Last of Us, I didn’t even realise I was hungry until Abel called to remind me about movie night at his place. And obviously, there was nothing edible in my suite.

“I can’t come over right now.” I tell him when I pick up.

“Why not?”

“I have to eat.”

“Just come over, there’s pizza in the fridge.”

"Okay.” I say and hang up.

When Abel opens the door, I breeze past him and head straight for his kitchen.

“Please tell me you weren’t kidding about the pizza, I’m hungrier than a hippo on a diet.” I say, yanking the fridge open. Gin, some vegetables, cheese, half a watermelon… Bingo. A pizza box. I put it down on the island, open it up. Mmm. Pepperoni. My fave.  I grab a slice and start chewing. Some movement catches my eye and I look up. A slim, heavily tattooed man is sitting in the arm chair nearest the kitchen, staring at me open-mouthed.

“Oh, hello there.” I manage to say after swallowing my mouthful.

"Hey..." He says in a raspy voice.

Abel comes into the room from the hallway. “I see you found the pizza. Jessie, this is Ricky. Ricky, this human vacuum here is Jessie.” He sits down on the couch and picks up a PS3 controller. “Now, where were we? Oh yeah, I was showing you exactly why you don’t come to a nigga’s house and try him in a game of FIFA.”

I go back to eating my pizza. Damn. It really is better cold. Maybe I should start keeping pizza in my fridge for times like these.

When I finish my meal, I sit up on the counter and watch their game from a distance for a while. I put my hand behind me to lean back and accidentally crush a foil covered dish.

"Oh shit." I exclaim as Abel turns back to me. Ricky takes advantage of the distraction to score a quick goal.

"Hey, just because you hate real food, doesn't mean you have to destroy mine." Abel says light-heartedly.

"Sorry." I say guiltily. "And what makes you think I hate real food?"

"Every time I come over, you're eating junk." He states as if it’s the obvious thing in the world.

"That's because I don't have a kitchen, and even if I did, I can't cook to save my life." I confess.

"Not even easy stuff?"

"No cooking's easy."

"So if I told you to go make me a sandwich..." He teases with a smile.

"I'd probably poison you. And it would only be half intentional." I smile back.

He stares up at me for a second, then remembering that his friend is right behind him, he shakes his head and asks "You guys ready for the movie?"

After he left the other night, I googled Taxi Driver and found out it was made in the 70s. If I'm honest, I'm not really in the mood to sit and watch a random old film, but he made it sound so good, it might be worth my time. I nod.

"Cool. I just have to make a couple of phone calls and then you're gonna get your world rocked, Scorsese-style."

"Can't wait." I say blandly as he disappears up the stairs and into his bedroom.

"Jessie, right?" His friend asks. "Have you seen the movie before?"

"No, I haven’t." I answer. So he is gonna do the friendly chitchat thing. “Have you?”