Apartment 311

Ch | 25

Noah Silas Anderson

Chapter 25: "Not all it's cracked up to be"

I wasn't happy about it, but I drove to my father's. He lived away from the city, so it was a decent drive.

I would've asked Gael to go but we kinda got into it last night about the whole Cassie thing. It was a brotherly disagreement - a petty bicker - nothing that either of us should hold a grudge for. That's how Gael is, though, the "big brother" I never had. When you get so close to someone, y'all become like family.
He was just pissed about how "close" Cassie and I got last night when we were all in her apartment. I'd say him and Brooklyn were pretty jealous but Brooklyn claims it's not like that. And I doubt G cares enough already to be jealous, too. They're just tripping over nothing.

Cassie just seemed troubled and it's hard trying to get to know someone when they have these preconceived notions that people aren't shit and they convinced themselves can't have a good time. The type of person I am just wants to interact with the new people I meet like I've known them forever, that's how Gael is, too. But Cassie's just not that comfortable, yet. And instead of taking it easy, Gael likes the challenge of Cass playing hard to get. If she would open up to him he'd understand it the right approach and then he could win her off in a normal way. Well, she acts like she's not interested, I think, but I know what I saw on the ship; especially when she was drunk, she was into him.

I arrived at the one-story house down a long lane with a few other houses scattered on each side of the road.

Before the drugs, we lived comfortably. I'm just glad I got out on my own before things got bad.
Honestly, I have no idea what things are like with his marriage, with his other kid, or in the house. It's not the house I grew up in, he moved around a lot with each wife. I don't think he's left this place though, since Emereigh was born.

A cat jumped on my truck as soon as I hopped out. I hate cats. My face curled and I pressed a button on my keys to sound an alarm to scare the boney black cat.

There was a children's bike in the small front yard and cigarette butts all along the sidewalk and porch. It was so much, I hope Kim helped contribute to the pile.

The door behind the screen was open so I thought it'd be unlocked and tried walking right in, but I stopped when I saw a little girl on the carpet. It was Emereigh, who's six, she was coloring one of those black and white auto booklets you get for free from the convince stores.

That's just sad, I thought. She doesn't even have a real coloring book.

I pulled the door open and walked inside. The smell of cat piss, beer, and fish hit my nose, making my face curl.

Emereigh didn't even look up at me or speak, and I didn't care to either. She's not my (real) sister.

"Where's Rick?" I asked her.

She just hunched her shoulders and continued coloring. I don't think she talks much.

"Okay," I talked, "where's your mother?"

"At work," she said.

"Work? Where does she work now?"

"On the corner."

"Where'd you get that from?"

"That's what Daddy said."

I laughed then squatted down to level with her. My eyes landed on something by Emereigh's crayons.

"What's this, Emereigh?" I knew exactly what it was but I wondered if the six-year-old did.

"That's Daddy's medicine, he told me to hold it for him and hide it from Mommy," she told me. I wiped my hand down my face and slowly retracted the needle.