No Pills

7. Sing for them

WARNING: This chapter contains swearing and abuse. Read at your own risk.

Mia's P.O.V

Thursday.

I am working at a nightclub on Thursday.

I didn't have a say.

Aunt Lisa said we needed the money. She said our bills won't wait for me to return to work next month. She said I was just going to sing. She said nothing wrong would happen. She said, and through it all, I just nodded. I can't fight with her or any crazy girlfriend or any pervert or anybody again. I'm tired of this.

Screw it; let's sing or whatever.

My mind has also been on the pills and what they could lead to, so I suck up to Aunt Lisa, so she wouldn't care about my lateness.

I visit my father's neighbour and friend again. Mr Jones spots a smile as usual, making me unsure whether he'd have anything to do with them.

I ponder a way to broach the subject without explicitly confessing to drug possession.

"Mr Jones, did you know Dad before he even moved in or after?"

"After."

"Oh, and how was he then?" I squint. "Like, In your view."

"Dear, he was the way he has always been to me. A nice guy. A little discreet, yet bubbly."

"Ok... did you see anything fishy happen when we stayed here?"

"I mean, your father can be a, what you kids call, weirdo. But a cool one. You remember all the antics he'd get up to."

"Yes." But this is not the answer I need. "How about after he got arrested and left."

"Hm. Actually something off did happen once. But it was you, wasn't it?"

"Me? I did what?"

"You visited. Cleaned the place. Christmas time. "

"Every was very dusty though." I say, "When I came here recently. And no, that... wasn't me."

"Really?" He frowns. My heart skips.

Someone came to the apartment. Who?

As I scratch my head, I recall the stalkers guy from the pool. Perhaps I was right in suspecting him. Yeah, maybe my father is not bad at all and that guy actually sneaks into abandoned apartments -

"Why didn't you report this? There are CCTV cameras around."

"Not at that time. We were now getting new ones, and you've always had the key. Made sense to me that it would be you." Mr Jones grimaces. "Should I be concerned? Should I call the police -"

"Yes- no. It's passed. But if an intruder comes again, report." I panic, wondering if that will bring them to me in a bad way. This is a mistake. If it's the pool guy, that's that. I should get rid of the pills.

Or hand them to the police? They'll have a field day ruining what's left of my father's name. It will be sensationalised such that my invisibility will vanish.

And I am tired of people calling my father a criminal.

*

*

On Thursday, I find myself hyperventilating for no reason, like during the calculus test yesterday. That one was so sudden that Noah got scared and gave me his answers, thinking I had test anxiety.

"-Mia."

"Hey, Mia!"

"Earth to Mia!!"

"Huh?" I snap out of staring at the hour hand to meet hazelnut eyes.