Basketcase

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Seven        

The elevator dinged, an identical royal carpet ran up to each entrance, except one. One door, our door, Marissa led out, stopping abruptly. We stopped... Blocked by several bodies, I squeezed in between, embracing the view. Marissa stepped back, the rather vibrant red, transformed into a deeper oozing wine outlining the foot of our door. Oh... Stepping out in front, the door lock clicked, Mar turn the knob and began pulling it toward her. The carpeted interior shared the complexion of the spilt wine in the hall except it wasn't just a glass nor a bottle. Large circular patches reached out to the collapsed bed and just after the tv desk. Stepping closer, my foot sunk, squishing into a soggy sponge and ringing out the moisture. Murky water flooded over and between my toes, spots of dirt settled on my skin as the moisture levels changed. Several steps in, the dark patches of carpet all linked becoming one single unit as the base of the bathroom door.

"You left the tub on?" My neck twisted to the voice, the full crowd peeking in from the doorway.

I nodded slowly, "I left the tub on..." turning in a daze to face the bath door.

"Ry!" I flinched, nodding slightly as I walked forward. My feet stopped at the door. The nob twisted and opened the bath door. A small pool of water triggered a waterfall over the tile onto the carpet, waving water over my moist toes. Water blared from the faucet triggering a steady stream of dribbles. Water glossed over the white tiles. Dang... I need a... My eyes fell to my chest, colliding with red fabric hanging off my shoulder down to my waist. Moving my hands to the bottom seem, I began pulling it midway. "Ryan!" I froze. "Drop it!" she shrieked. I let the fabric fall to my waist, keeping my hands steady in place at the height where they'd froze. Slowly stepping in one spot, I faced the group behind me. Marissa's shoulder's sinking in relief.

"What?" I stared.

Her eyes widened and our gazes connected,"What?" she stressed, silently twitching her eyes to the left and right, the group of boys casually crowded around. "Why are you taking your shirt off?" she teethed a smile, staring again.

My brows crumpled, "It's slippery."

Palming her forehead, she closed her eyes, shaking her head rapidly. "That's your last T though!" she expressed.

"It is?" I asked.

"Yes," she insisted.

"Oh." Now what. I blinked. Something rubbed up against my leg, a solid forest green ball of loose fabric catching my gaze. Plucking it from my leg, I opened it in front out in front of me. Splotches of water soaked into the fabric, but for the most part dry. Hmm... "Can I have another one?" I asked. Again, something smacked against me, the room growing dark. "Thanks." Pulling the second from my face, I threw one over my shoulder and I walked over the bath entrance. Laying flat the first, water immediately sponged up the liquid. I stepped up, pacing my way to the fabric's end and laid the second shirt leading up to the faucet. Slowly shifting up to the tub, I crumpled the back fabric of my shirt tightening in the front. I arched over and twisted the red knob, becoming stiffer as the water distribution weakened from a blaring waterfall to a single stream and then dry. Or... not really... still wet, so much water... I returned to the room, empty. Talk echoing in from the hall. My feet tracked a path into the hall. "And what's that?" I recognized Marissa.

The ground transformed into a tickling prickle. "You guys need a place to sleep," one of the boys stated. I circled around the group, finding an opening.

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, they have the back rooms," Harry inquired, sharing a confused expression.

"Well, while the hotel cleans or... does something about this water damage," Liam explained, "you guys can't be there."