Unravelling

Chapter 48 - Responsibility

I was right.

Sean's place could do with a bit of sprucing up. It lacks what people on these endless housing-programs on TV would probably call "a female touch", or something like that. It is too small to be an absolute disaster, but maybe that is part of the problem. All his stuff – and he has a lot of things – is cramped into a one-bedroom apartment in a slightly questionable part of town.

As far as I can tell, anyway, because by the time we finally made it there, it was already getting dark. And to me, most areas look a bit creepy at night. Apart from city lights, which are the best thing ever when it comes to night time, of course. It might also be because I am not used to being in a big city like Chicago. The few short visits to San Francisco, which is the nearest big city to our hometown, don't really count, as I have never stayed there for longer than a few hours and hardly ever in the evening.

Everything seems to be so much bigger and louder and busier here. And there are people, like, literally everywhere. Even right next to the entranceway to Sean's apartment complex, there was a scruffy looking man, cuddled up in a tattered sleeping bag. He was sitting on the frosty tarmac with only a piece of cardboard underneath his butt to keep him from freezing to the ground. I felt really bad for him and Sean giving him some spare change – from the guy's reaction, this is a regular thing for them because they seem to know each other – didn't really do much to make me feel any less guilty for being able to walk into a, hopefully, heated apartment.

It took forever for Will to find a parking spot for our beat up vehicle. According to Sean, parking spaces are a luxury and the ones by the side of the road are never available. We ended up parking three blocks away. My older brother immediately tucked me into his side when we had gotten out of the truck and he kept me there all the way to the apartment. I think that is indication enough that this isn't exactly the nicest area to live in. He also instilled into me that I am not to venture out by myself.

I don't really expect that to happen after the stunt I pulled with running away. Surely, he won't let me out of his or Will's sight anytime soon. Plus, I am not even allowed to go anywhere by myself at home, where it is definitely safer, so the thought of wandering the streets of Chicago all by myself never even crossed my mind.

I questioned Sean why he chose to live here and he said that it is very close to his workplace, which he likes, and it is affordable. Apparently, living in a big city is expensive and I learned that he also doesn't like public transport and prefers to walk to work in the mornings. I guess that is a good enough reason, but I still think that, if I were him, I would invest a bit more money and live somewhere that looks a bit nicer.

Although, apart from it looking a bit unkempt and it being small, my brother's apartment is surprisingly nice on the inside and well-equipped. He even has his own washer-dryer which, he explained, is not very common. Most people go to a laundromat nearby to get their washing done.

Just my luck then that all my offending pink clothes can so easily be washed over night so that they will be ready for me to put back on tomorrow. At least that is Will's idea. But I will most likely ditch the stuff, since my initial top as well as Finn's clothes are also being washed.

Unfortunately, my skinny jeans have a hole in the knee from when I fell down while running through the woods. But trousers with holes in them are in fashion, so I don't really mind. Not so sure if my brothers agree with me, but that is a discussion to be had tomorrow.

I am curled up on Sean's two-seater sofa with a blanket wrapped around my lower half, just taking it all in and getting used to my new surroundings when the doorbell rings.

Sean mutters something about this being our food and that he will be right back and for me not to move. I look down at myself and giggle lightly.

As if I plan to let anybody see me in this getup!