Resonance

His morning alarm goes off on his phone. He slaps his hand around on the ground while his eyes are still closed. The vibration gets louder and the soft melody plays a second time. Finally, he touches it, then pulls it closer. With one eye open, he swipes the screen to turn off the alarm, also turning off the snooze alarms he has. He turns to his side on the couch, hugging himself as he flexes inward, then raises his arms to sit up and stretch further while yawning. He reaches out to finish his flat soda and turns the TV back on. He sits and stares at the ground. The ringing in his ears is better, but still a little tender to the touch. He thinks to himself, a day off with nothing to do. Without any substantial hobbies besides watching some sports or shows and the occasional video game, there isn’t much to do on days off. He has a cigarette in the apartment, too lazy to go to the window and open it. As he starts foraging later in the day for a late lunch, his phone buzzes to life. Strange, he doesn’t remember that tone from his phone. He checks it, and sees a text message from an unknown number. Oh, he thinks, it's the incoming text sound. He never gets texts. Yo! It’s santiago from work. hope ur doing good! just heard about what happened. so crazy. If ur feeling good enough itd be nice to see you at the party bro! He reads it in Santiago’s energetic voice, as if he’s thinking faster than he can speak. He wonders how he found out. Regardless, there’s no avoiding the party now. He feels his heart beat a little louder than usual and feels a pressure in his stomach. An anxiousness grows. There’s going to be a bunch of people, but he’s now torn between an self-issued obligation to see his friend, or to avoid confrontation to talk to people. It’s always been a pain to come up with small talk, he thinks to himself as he sets his phone down. He looks at the phone as he makes a quick sandwich.I can’t just, not reply.He mumbles to himself. With his phone in hand, the ideas of a reply are difficult to find. He replies to Santiago. Hey thanks. Yeah, yesterday was a weird one LoL. What time are things starting later? He types it out. Then he deletes it completely only to write out the same thing and sends the text. Stepping into the bathroom to look at the mirror, he sees how long his beard is. It's time to shave. With some warm water, he splashes his face with care, rubbing the water into his skin. Then with some shaving cream and a worn razer, he shaves everything. It goes quickly as there wasn’t much there in the first place. His phone vibrates again and he looks at it after washing up. 8, is all it reads. Just a few hours. Another text comes through with an address. Ricky looks it up, it's not that far from the apartment, almost walking distance. A walk wouldn’t hurt especially if it's a party and there will definitely be drinks. He goes to his bedroom and picks out some jeans and a band t-shirt. It was from the only concert he’s been to. It was over 10 years ago that some older friends took him to see. Though an awesome experience, he kinda wishes he was able to get closer in the crowd. He shivers thinking about how he could’ve ended up in a mosh pit, or pressed between too many people. He looks at the clothes on the edge of his bed, wondering if it's nice enough, or too nice. He returns to the kitchen to take a bite out of his sandwich, pacing back and forth, looking into his room at his clothes, silently, chewing, without thought. The afternoon passes as the sun begins to set. The days get longer and longer, the warm breeze comes in through the window as Ricky sits on his couch, dressed and ready, but nearly an hour too early. He watches a show he’s already seen. He tries to relax but can’t stop watching the clock. Sounds of people coming home from work thump around him. Muffled voices in the distance, bumps heard in the ceiling, car doors closing in the parking lot, all telling signs that people were getting settled for the night. Usually, he would be doing the same. Maybe getting a pizza and getting cozy. But tonight is different, way different. The minutes pass agonizingly slow. He checks the clock often, only catching it just after it ticks over so it seems as if it takes twice as long to change again. Suddenly his phone starts to ring. Frantically, as if it was the most important call of his, he answers it immediately. “Hey dude” He says, waiting for a reply on the other end as his heart begins to pound. “Dude? Since when do you answer a call like that? Are you still at work?” the voice replied. He checks his phone to see who it was. “Oh, dad. Hey. No, I’m at home. I was expecting a call I guess.” He said, reluctantly. “Okay, I’ll keep it short then since you’re busy. I’ll be around your neck of the woods this weekend. Did you want to get lunch?” Just then, a text message comes through. u still coming? girls showing up Ricky reads it and starts to get excited so he gets up and turns the tv off, phone pinned between his ear and shoulder. He winces from the pressure on his ear so he switches to the other side, barely any better. “Rich? I’ll be with Kelly, she said it would be nice to see you so just letting you know. We should go to that one BBQ place with the bull in the front.” His dad said with a sigh. He never came around on his own, like Kelly wanted to see him more than his own dad did. “Yeah that sounds good. I gotta go.” Ricky said as he threw on his jacket and checked for his keys. He pats his pockets for his phone too, but realized it was on his shoulder. “Okay. Talk to you tomorrow son.” Ricky hangs up almost immediately without saying bye. He stuffs the phone into his pocket as he locks his apartment door. He quickly goes down the stairs and lights a cigarette as he crosses the parking lot on foot. The air is thick, almost humid. There’s no wind as he continues. Maybe the jacket was too much but it's comforting right now so he continues. He grips the cigarette with his lips as he checks his watch, it's only 7:40pm. He wasn’t late, are you supposed to show up early for a party? Was fashionably late not really a thing anymore? The street before him slowly becomes a neighborhood. He’s driven around there before, but it's different at this pace. He passes a house with a big front window. A child is standing before TV as a woman chases him to grab onto him. Laughter is almost heard as he thinks to himself that it's an intimate moment, one that was so easy to see. There’s another house across the street. No lights, just a man on a couch with flashing lights of varying colors. Then another house. A man and two kids get out of a car with ice cream cones in hand. A woman holds open the door. It looks like she’s scolding the man, but she warmly smiles as he reveals a sundae in a clear container from behind his back.Nice neighborhood, he thinks as he sees the street sign from Santiago’s address. Turning the corner, there's a yellow dead end sign. At the end of the street was a small cul-de-sac. A few cars were there already. A car passes him, playing loud music, and pulls into a driveway. Two guys get out of the front, and a girl gets out from the back. She’s wearing boots. She pulls up her skinny jeans and tugs on the collar of her leather jacket to straighten it out. Runs her hands through her hair and pulls some strands away from her jacket. Her long blonde hair almost glows from the street light. She gathers it and puts it to one side and makes eye contact with Ricky for only a moment before following the others inside. The two guys yell out some names as the three of them enter the house. There’s two other guys on the steps to the porch. The guys are fit, maybe in their late 20’s, maybe a little older than himself. As Ricky gets closer, a girl storms out of the house. A brunette on her phone sounded almost angry. The two guys eye up Ricky, like two military checkpoint guards. They stand up and Ricky clears his throat, hoping they let him through. They stand closer to each other without enough space to pass through them or go around.Damn it, what do I say? “Sssup?” Ricky says, his voice unsteady. He clears his throat again. “Sssup? That supposed to mean something?” the bigger guy says as he steps down a step to stand just before Ricky, looking down at him. “You walk up to a house with a bunch of people, no beers in hand, no food, no nothing. And all you have to say is ‘Sup?’” The other guy puts a hand on his shoulder, “Bro, chill out.” “I’m here for…Santiago. Maybe it's the wrong house…” His voice trails off as he starts to feel small in comparison to the buff man before him. “Eyy, alright! I’m just fucking with you man! He’s inside!” The big guy says, suddenly bright with a joyful smile and a hearty chuckle. He moves aside as his friend does the same. His hand pats Ricky on the back. They’re heavy pats, even stinging. He passes between the two. “Ha, thanks. See you later I guess.” He’s nervous, especially with an encounter like that which halted the momentum from the walk. “Dude, I never know when you’re fucking kidding.” the other guy says quietly to his friend. Ricky barely heard it but the two started laughing. He wonders if they’re laughing from fun, of if he was the target of the entertainment. Trying to shrug it off, he takes a deep breath, only to be hit with a wall of noise as the door opens. Ricky steps through the door, hearing some music coming from different rooms. The air is still thick, but with smoke and the heavy scent of pot. He never enjoyed the smell, too much like the skunk that sprayed his dog when he was young. As he starts to make his way through some people, he looks around, desperate to find a familiar face. There must be dozens of people here in such a small house. A living room is seen, a few people sitting around a circle. A big speaker plays some eclectic music, almost tribal in sound. In the middle of the circle is a small table with a hookah set up. One person takes a long drag, then coughs deeply as he exhales. Their friend cheers him on and pats his back. Ricky looks back down the hall to see only a glimpse of blonde hair followed by the guys from the car earlier. He squeezes past a few more people and hugs the wall as two girls make their way through, hand in hand, and rush upstairs as they both laugh. He continues into the kitchen. The blonde girl sits on top of a counter, having a cigarette while kicking her feet slightly. She doesn’t really pay anyone attention, not even at the two guys excitedly telling her a story. He locks eyes with her again as her cold stare pierces through him. Her sharp blue eyes seemingly dimmed down the lights. He can’t look away, no chance against eyes like that. She takes a drag without breaking her gaze and exhales it slowly, shrouding her face but her eyes remain focused. A hand strikes his shoulder lightly and startles him as he turns around quickly. “Ricky! Who would’ve thought you’d be there of all places!”Holy fuck, thank god it’s Sean.He’s always been light on his feet. Even at work he accidentally sneaks up on people all the time. He’s short as well. Maybe that has something to do with it. Sean bumps his shoulder again with a fist. “Shit! You scared me dude!” he grasps his shirt over his heart. It’s pounding in his throat at this point. He looks back over his shoulder to see the girl is gone. The guys are now leaning at the counter where she sat. “Jayce is here somewhere too. Probably taking a shit. Nice to see you out! Last time was what, two years? Oh! How are you doing? Jeff had this thing at work. He had to tell everyone about hearing protection and shit. You alright?” he asks as he leads Ricky to an empty space by the wall to talk. It's a quiet spot in the corner of the kitchen. The noise of the party dulls a little bit. Still looking around, there’s no sight of the girl. “Yeah I’m good. Thanks. I had never been in that building before. I figured I just walk around and have a look. I didn’t realize the forges were about to start.” Sean hands him a beer from a cooler next to them. Ricky tries to twist the cap off the bottle but Sean pulls a bottle opener from his keychain and pops the cap off. They bump bottles with a soft clink and they both drink. “Its good to know you’re alright. I heard some of those guys back here have permanent hearing loss. Kinda like how the guys at the foundry have bad vision from starting at liquid metal all day. Its crazy that shit goes on at work. Oh Jayce! Over here!” he yells out as Jayce comes down from the stairs and enters the kitchen, looking around. His disheveled look is somewhat fitting to the atmosphere. His beard is spotty, must be growing it out. He spots his friends and joins them. “Ricky, what's up? Nice of you to come out dude. Cheers.” he holds out his beer and Ricky bumps it with his own before taking another swig. Beer has never been a nice drink for him. The bitterness of hops, the heaviness to it. He never found one that he’s liked but at least he can blend in with everyone else. In the past he would’ve gone without a drink, or with just a soda, but it's easier to talk to people with a beer in hand. As if people automatically let their walls down when you have a drink in hand. “Good to see you guys here too. It’s a relief, trust me. Have you seen Santiago? I should go say hi or something. I didn’t realise he lived this close to me.” Another sip, another moment to hide the grimace that he doesn’t enjoy the beer. “Yeah I saw him outside. Let's have a smoke.” Sean says as he leads the three through the dining room to a door that leads to a patio. The warm air inside the house is practically the same as it is outside. The breeze blows softly as the sky glows in red and purple ribbons in the distance. The air smells incredibly fresh and light in comparison to the kitchen. Someone says to turn on the patio light and a girl reaches next to Ricky without saying anything and flips the switch on. A light turns on at the corner, but it also lights up a string of lights around the patio door. Some even string to the corner post of the deck. It's a nice home, far too nice to belong to someone their ages. It must be Santiago’s parent’s house. In the corner of the yard comes a shadowy figure, his arms up with drinks in both hands. He comes closer, the light illuminating his face and Ricky can faintly see a pencil thin moustache, the curly locks on top of his head. “Boys! Its good to see you guys! Thanks for coming out!” he leans in closer, examining everyone’s beers. “Coronas, no limes huh? There should be some in the kitchen if you want em! Ricky my man! I’m so glad you’re good wey!” he leans in far too close, his lips almost brushing against his ear “Ey so what do you think about the girls?" His breath carries the strong scent of beers. His eyes are half lidded, clearly well past buzzed. “Heyy, thanks for inviting me. Yeah the girls are cute, man.” The words escape Ricky’s lips unnaturally. He’s not used to this kind of question. Who would be? “Yeah man, they’re all cool so take your pick. They’re crazy!” he replies with a loud laugh as someone yells out his name. Santiago leaves as quickly as he appeared as he walks through the three of them to come back into the house to hug someone. Girls at the outdoor table chuckle and roll their eyes. Sean leads the way again into the grass, taking careful steps down the deck stairs. The three of them reach into their own pockets and pull out cigarettes, light them and they stand in a circle. They’ve practiced this formation countless times at work. It's common for workers like them to smoke. After all, you have to keep working unless you take some quick smoke breaks. A strangely accepted poor practice, supportive to unhealthy habits. They were all hard workers, each had been around for years before Ricky started. Santiago was the newest one. It's nice to have these guys as friends, he thinks to himself as he takes a drag, then turns around to look at the others in the yard. Some people are sitting at the patio table, chatting and smoking. A girl sits in another girl's lap as they share stories with the group. A couple sits in the grass, holding hands and chatting. “Everyone looks comfortable. Have you guys been to one of these before?” Ricky asks while he continues to watch the people interact. “Yeah there's one every couple of months. I guess his parents work for an airline company so they travel all the time. Must be nice. All my parents do is nag me about moving out. Not in this fucking economy” Jayce says as Sean chuckles along. Whatever they’re saying isn’t heard anymore. A blonde girl comes out of the house, the one with the blue eyes. Ricky watches quietly as she’s followed by a guy, he looks a little older. She pays him no attention though he’s clearly trying to talk to her. The guy’s lip ring shines against the lights as he continues to get into her face. She takes a drag of her cigarette, her back leaned against the wall. She rolls her eyes and looks away as the man throws his hands up. Giving up, he angrily storms back into the house. She finishes her smoke after some moments. She looks down and flicks it away. She looks around for a bit, holding onto her arms. She spots Ricky again as he takes a drag. The taste is god awful as he smoked it down to the filter already. He recoils from the taste and flicks it away like it was poison. She grins, kicks herself off the wall gracefully and walks around the people.Oh shit, is she coming to me? She looks pissed.He thinks to himself. He nervously turns around and rejoins the conversation. “Dude there’s no way you can do that. You can’t just bet on both teams and expect profit! You’re losing half of your money for sure!” “Nah it's a net win. I won’t lose money.” “What do you mean you won’t?? Just bet on one!” Sean says excitedly, trying to prove a point to Jayce. Without an idea of how they got to that conversation, Ricky nods trying to play it cool. He turns around to see if the girl was still coming and she’s right there in front of him. He nearly jumps. “Hey. spare a smoke? I’m out.” She says plainly. “Ye-ure. Sure.”FUCK. Awkward every time. Chill out.He reaches into his pocket and hands her the whole pack. “Whoa there. I can only smoke one at a time.” She calmly removes one smoke. Not a single tremor in her hands, not a sign of any nervousness. The boys behind him get quiet as they observe carefully. He lights her cigarette for her. The flame highlights her cheekbones, her small nose. A nose piercing. Kinda like a cow but it looks so neat on her. Her make up is really tidy too. He observes the dark long wings of her eyeliner as she slowly looks at his eyes. Her eyes dart from one eye to the other. Entranced, he holds the flame for a moment too long then he pulls it away and shoves it back in his pocket. She returns the pack to him. He takes it, using every once of his will to play it cool. Their hands touch for a moment. “You’re a new face. What’s your name?” she asks while exhaling the smoke, her voice coming out smooth regardless. “Richard… Ricky.” He wanted it to sound so much better but he bites his tongue. Dad used to say ‘The less you say, the better off you are around a woman.’ “Richard Ricky? That’s your full name?” She smiles as she replies. There’s some amusement in her voice. Thankfully it’s not mocking or as tough as her appearance. “Uh no. Richard is my name, I go by Ricky. Ricky Anderson.” he tries to take a deep breath, brings his hand up to his face to take a drag but there’s no cigarette, so he scratches his nose instead, hoping she didn’t notice. He fumbles slightly to pull out another and lights it quickly. “Cool shirt, Ricky Anderson. You listen to a lot of metal?” She looks over her shoulder for a moment then back to him, eyeing him up and down. He catches her gaze for a moment. The sharp blue eyes remind him of the sky. She waits for his reply, crossing her arms holding the cigarette up by her face with it elegantly between her index and middle finger. “Oh yeah. I listen to a bunch of music.” he looks down and parts his jacket. “I love metal, music. Metal things are cool too.” He continues, trying to hold back his excitement, trying to not say too much. “Uh. What about you? You listen too?” He asks, finally finding the right pace of his breath. He takes a deep drag to calm his nerves. She’s way too good looking to be talking to him for this long already. “Yeah, I do. Lots.” She locks eyes with him. Her gaze is steady, knowing, observing. The corner of her mouth curls up, beginning to smile. “Alex! Come get your man! He’s flipping shit! I told you to not bring him!” It’s Santiago. He's yelling out of a window from the kitchen. “I didn’t fucking bring him!” she yells back. She takes a final drag, tosses it to the ground and stomps it out with her boot. “Fucking asshole.” she mumbles under her breath. “Everything alright?” Ricky asks out of genuine curiosity. Her man? Was that the guy from before? “You’re sweet. Thanks for the break.” she looks at the ground while she continues to dig her boot into the ground. She looks up at Ricky through her lashes for a brief second, then walks calmly to the house. Her stride is calculated, like she owns the place.Alex. Cool.The other two slowly approach him from behind. “Yo… who the hell was that chick?” Sean asks while Ricky continues to stare at the house. She slips past some people at the patio door and disappears. “I’m not sure yet. But I think she has a boyfriend.” “That tall dude? I think they broke up. He’s a trip, man.” “If that was my girlfriend, I would definitely not take her to parties.” Jayce says. Sean jabs his side lightly. “Bullshit, asshole. You couldn’t tame a chick like her!” The guys laugh as Jayce tries to defend himself. Yeah. If I was dating her. She could do anything she wanted to. He takes a long drink of his beer to finish it. It's oddly refreshing.