Finding Autumn

Chapter 5- Livin' The Box Life

         The entire office seemed to be shut down, but in the distance, there was still one light on. The way her feet helplessly dragged their way to the elevator made it evident that she was absolutely clueless about where she was going.

         Alright, maybe some hobo would be friendly enough to lend her half of a bench? Who am I kidding? She's the hobo now.

         With one last huff of frustration, she picked up her pace to the elevator, feet lightly paddling the black marlin marble floor of the office. With a gentle press of a button, she could hear the elevator start to come up. She looked around meanwhile, noticing all the little details that she hadn't noticed before.

        "Oh, you're still here?"

        Autumn whipped her head around to see Roman standing there with a pile of papers from the faxing room right around the corner.

        "Uh yeah, I was just heading out."

        "Home?"

        "Yep!" the words slipped from her mouth a little too fast, and she bit her lip from making it any more damn obvious that she had no fucking place to go.

        He raised an eyebrow at her hustle but simply decided to ignore it. "Alright, have a nice night." His assumed suspicions seemed correct, but he didn't want to say anything just yet. He did tell Andrea to watch her too.

        "Thanks, you too," the elevator doors finally opened, saving her from any more awkward conversation. "See you tomorrow."

        "Mhm," he mumbled, analyzing his papers on the way back to his office.

        She was finally able to breathe again as the elevator doors came to a close. He only needed another question to understand her inescapable identity. Her heels floored the lobby, pressing against the floor and shoved out the door.

        Since it still was a summer night, the air was warm with a crisp of humidity. She headed out some distance in case some employees came early and decided on Central Park. Emma walked until a feeling of numbness overcame her legs. By then, she had reached the Bethesda Fountain. She had seen it so many movies, but she had never actually seen it in person despite having had lived in New York her whole life. She settled on a particular green bench and curled her body upon it. Maybe tomorrow, she would go pick up her belongings from her old apartment. Her landlord probably just left her items in storage to sell later. She hadn't believed they would be her problem again, especially since she was considering killing herself.

        Huh.

        It sounded so weird to admit to that. She was going to kill herself. In high school, she had seen so many people strung with depression. They seemed as though they would have those thoughts. It wouldn't have even crossed her mind at that time that she would be here. She was supposed to escape all of this bullshit.

        A hot tear spilled down her cheek in embarrassment. Deep into her own cave of self-harm, she hadn't noticed a family of deer come near her bench. It was dark out, and the moon was clearly visible. She was quickly alerted and rolled off the bench with a hard thud onto the damp ground when she heard a soft endearing moan come for one of the deer.

        "Are YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!"

        An aggravating feeling came across her where she couldn't even express the limits to her anger. With a devastating growl, she picked up her things and walked toward the fountain. The melodious sound of water flowing seemed to relax her into a calm she hadn't felt since she had seen that penny.

       What the fuck was her life. She had literally been on edge to killing herself. She magically got a job for being a shithead. Yeah, that's what surprised her most of all. Surprised me quite a bit too. Like how the hell does that happen in real life. Surreal. Either Roman was a complete dumbass or a complete dumbass. His actions did not make any sense whatsoever. 

       Seeing as a family of deer occupied her former bench, she decided to go back to her old apartment anyway. She didn't want to show up to work the next day wearing the clothes he had given her. That would be suspicious. She sighed when she realized what she had to do. She hopped over the side of the fountain and began picking up silvery quarters thrown in by tourists. Chanting rock bottom in her head, she crawled out, her leather pants reached. That should make the bus fare, she decided.

       She proceeded to walk out of Central Park and towards a bus stop. There were a couple of other people there, but the city was still bustling at midnight. She didn't think she'd be sleeping anytime soon. Not soon after, though, the bus approached. She would, of course, be the douche bag that paid the whole sum with quarters. Down to the Bronx, she goes.

       With all this time, she would usually be up in her thoughts, but this time she decided to watch the lights. There was no point in thinking. Thinking got her in trouble. Thinking almost made her jump in front of a train. Not much later, she made it to her stop and bid the driver a farewell. A normal person would definitely be concerned about walking alone at night, but she was feeling extra reckless that night. Surprisingly she made it to her old complex unscathed.

        "Yo Gare Bear, what's cookin'" she approached with a pinch more confidence she should have.

       "Oh, hell, I thought you died. Your shits in bags in the basement. So many goddamn bills Autumn. Pick up your crap and get out."

       "Aww, Gary, nothing special for a close friend?"

       "You're funny Laurent, seriously get your shit and get out." I mean, she couldn't say she didn't expect it. Worth a shot, at least. She pouted and opened the door to the basement. She had made it her mission for years to avoid coming down to hell-ehem- the basement for years.

      "Lord, I know I have only prayed to you when I need something, but please don't let me die by vengeful rats, that would be hella embarrassing. Not the out I had imagined, ya feel? Amen." and with that note, she proceeded down the stairs with caution. She shuddered at the mold growing on the walls. How the fuck does this place pass inspections? She spotted her bags just a bit to the corner and decided to make a run for it. Screaming, she ran and picked up to bags and sprinted up the stairs. Only seven more to go, not including her furniture. Eventually, she had them all upstairs.

"Gary, please let me keep my furniture in the basement for a week. Right after, I'll be out of your hair, and you'll never see me again.'

Gary sighs and looks up from his computer, "Autumn, I don't know who the fuck you think you're talking to, but I ain't Oprah-"

"Gary, one week. You can sell it if I don't come back in time."

He considers it for a brief moment, "Fine, only because you've been here for seven years. You have a week, then that shits out of here." Honestly, it had baffled me how much Autumn was able to get away with because of her looks, like damn all she does is complain about other people having things handed to them, and then she pulls this shit. It's like she's trying to get bullied.

Regardless, she took a long hard look at the bags and where to put them. She sighed yet again. It seemed as though she would have to visit an old friend.

She walked over two complexes and rung the doorbell of a townhouse.

"Autumn, Laurent?"

"Hey, Val, what's up?"