Resonance

Music plays in the background as she walks through the living room, stepping over a person that’s laid out. She continues carefully to get to the front door where there’s obviously some commotion. She presses through some people that are crowded at the door. The buff dude is still on the porch, this time holding back a tall slender man. “Back off. This is none of your FUCKING business.” the tall man says as he pushes himself away. The buff guy and his buddy stand at the foot of the porch as everyone looks on. The tall man paces around, looking over the two that are playing guard. He tries to look into the living room, then yells out. “ALEX. TIME TO GO.” “Don’t yell my name. I’m right here.” She says calmly as she slowly descends down the steps. She leers at the people and takes the tall man's hand and pulls him to the end of the driveway. They stand under the street lamp, the only one with one of the bulbs busted. Kids in the neighborhood last summer were trying to play baseball one day and they knocked the glass cover off. The exposure has made the bulb go out, but tonight it flickers and stays on just as the pair stand beneath it. “Why are you being like this?” She asks. Her tone is flat, emotionless. Her eyes lock onto him as he continues to pace in a tight circle. He stops and steps up close to her, their bodies almost flush. His face is close enough to touch noses with her. “Baby, you know I can’t sit still for long when I’m waiting. HA, that bump you gave me is fucking clean!” he says while letting out a cackle of a laugh. He wipes his nose with his arm and sniffs sharply. She pushes him away but he gets right back in her face. “Why are you being like this?” He mocks her words. Her eye twitches and he begins to move away and face the center of the culdesac. “... I’m not ready yet.” She sighs before speaking, actively pushing her annoyance deeper down. “You take too long! Just talk to some poor sucker a couple times. You know, bat those pretty lashes at ‘em, smile real pretty and play hard to get or whatever the fuck you’re in the mood for.” He paces around again, this time snapping his head back and forth, cracking his neck. “It’s not that easy. My cousin doesn’t have any rich frien-” Suddenly he lunges for her and grabs her throat, pressing her against the lamp post. One of the lamps lights flickers and shuts off. “I never said it was easy, don’t give a fuck if it’s not easy! But you seem to have forgotten that you said you’d have money for me tonight. Funny how you’re always sneaking away from me after you need me the most” He tightens his grip as she reaches for his shoulder to push him away. His arms are longer than hers so she can hardly reach. Her fingertips barely scratch at his worn leather jacket. “I don’t have to remind you, do I?” he pulls away the edge of his jacket to reveal a knife on his side, tucked into his waistband. Her eyes can’t look away from the ivory cap at the end of the handle. “H-hey… HEY! What are you doing?” A voice comes from the house. Ricky steps through the people, even the buff guy and his friend try to hold him back. But he persists. “Here comes another boy toy to the rescue. I’ll find you. I’ll always find you.” he whispers as he lets her go suddenly. She catches herself against the base of the lamp post. She coughs, trying not to gasp, holding her own neck and rubbing it where his nails left crescent shapes in her skin. She takes a deep breath through her nose and glares at the tall man standing before her. A hatred heats inside her chest. A hatred only grown from knowing someone long enough that every second is torture. “Fucking asshole.” She says through her teeth, finally collecting herself. Calm down. “Fucking slut.” He spits at his feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He covers his knife, puts his hands in his pockets and walks away, down the street into the quiet neighborhood. He disappears in the distance with the lack of street lights. There’s a sound at the light above her. The lamp buzzes back on. “Alex? Hey, are you ok?” Ricky approaches her and helps her back to her feet. He dusts off her knees with his hands. She pats her hands together, ridding them of the dirt. “Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks.” Her brows are down and furrowed, still searing hot with anger, maybe fear. She shakes it off with a tug on her leather jacket and fixes her hair, still looking down the street. “Who was that jackass? Your ex or something?” He asks, the second question comes out quieter. “Sure, you can call him that.” She replies as she finally turns to face Ricky. He’s only a little taller with her boots on. “A jackass? Or your ex?” “What? Oh, we didn’t really date. It’s complicated, but we were together for a little bit.” She looks back at the house as people are starting to go back inside. Santiago is talking to the buff guy. Ricky’s friends are there too, probably talking over what happened. She shifts her focus to Ricky’s eyes again. A sound is heard in the distance, a loud V8 engine roars and peels out, shifts gears and fades into the night. He’s gone now. “I’d rather not go back in there. You feel like walking a girl around for a little bit?” she asks softly. “Yeah, uh sure.” he hesitantly replies. He turns back to signal his friends with a short wave. They shoot back confused looks. Sean holds up his hands and mouths the words, ‘What the fuck?’ “Leaving your boyfriends just like that?” She smirks, noticing the interaction. “Yes. In a heartbeat. Wait no, they’re not my boyfriends!” He replies quickly. She’s already taken a few steps so he catches up. “I mean, parties aren’t really my thing.” “Oh, so I must be lucky to see you today. Who do I thank for your rare appearance?” She giggles at his nervousness, but still teases his innocence. “Yeah you can thank Santiago. Kinda hard to say no to the guy. Do you come out often? Do you know Santiago?” “I agree, He’s my cousin.” “Huh? Really? But you’re blonde” “What, a girl can’t change her haircolor?” She smiles as she crosses her arms and continues walking to the corner. “I said cousin, not brother. Our moms are sisters. I didn’t get the blonde hair from her.” They step onto the sidewalk and turn the corner. The street is quiet, some of the houses already showing signs of residents retiring for the night. “Ohh, okay. Cool” “I come over sometimes, to get away.” She admits, surprising herself with a bit of honesty. “Yeah, I get it. Must be nice to have some family nearby. So, where do you want to walk to?” “I don’t care. I just want to get away from people.” They walk silently together for a bit. She presses the topic of people more. “So you don’t go out? What do you do with all that time?” He chuckles, “Yeah about that. I don’t really do much.” Silence is shared for some moments. She sighs. “You seem like a nice guy, Ricky.” She says. “No one came out to check on me. Not even my cousins.” “Ah,” He waves his hand in dismissal, “I’m sure someone would’ve stepped in.” “They haven’t before.” She slows down, eventually stopping. She turns to him squarely. “Nothing but jerks in my life lately. But you’re different. So, thank you. And don’t tell Santiago I said that. She points a finger into his chest, stopping him in his tracks. “Peeps the word. But you should really consider cutting those jerks out of your life or something. They can’t be good for you.” He says, brushing her hand away. His hands are warm against her smaller hands. “Easier said than done.” “That tall guy back there, your ex. Is he always like that?” “His name is Yung. He wasn’t always like that.” They continue walking, making some turns here and there. They come to what seems like a park. He seems to search for something to say, but stays quiet. There’s a path that they walk on that leads them deeper to a fenced basketball court. She sits on a bench and he does the same. Sitting together, she notices that he gave her ample space. He takes out his pack of smokes again and lights one. She watches him, raises an eyebrow and clears her throat. “Ahem, I’m still out.” She tilts her head to his hand that’s already putting the pack away. He scrambles again and pulls one out, lights it for her, and sets the pack between them. He sets the lighter on top, spending a little extra time to make sure it sits squarely, aligned. “Sorry, forgot already.” he says with the cigarette pinched between his lips. She takes a slow drag, watching the glowing tip light up. She blows a ring before exhaling through it. “You’re the kind of person who apologizes a lot, aren’t you?” “Yeah I guess I do, sorry. Ah, yeah. Bad habit.” He laughs as he relaxes a bit in her company. She smiles seeing his tension leave his shoulders. “Let me ask you this, Ricky Anderson. What would life look like if you stopped being so sorry and just lived for yourself? No one cares what you do. Is that hard for you to imagine?” She leans forward a bit, sitting straight on the edge of the seat while gripping the bench. Her hair cascades off her shoulder and she lifts a hand to tuck it behind her ear. Ricky is staring. “Well?” “I don’t know. I didn’t think it was a problem. But I think you’re right.” He takes a quick drag and inhales through his teeth quietly. “If I just lived... Probably wouldn’t worry about people all the time. Care a little less.” “Does that sound nice?” “A little bit.” “What if I could help you? Break out of that shell a little bit? We could start right now.” She reaches into her pocket and carefully pulls out a small baggie and a glass pipe. She opens the bag with her manicured nails, the pearlescent coloring shimmering under the lights. She packs the loose bud into the pipe and takes the lighter, igniting the pipe and takes a small drag. She holds her breath for a moment and exhales out the side of her mouth away from him, holding the pipe out. There’s a familiar burn in her throat, a tingle in her nose. “I don’t really like that, but thanks.” He says, looking straight ahead. “Cmon, take the edge off. With me? Live a little.” She shakes the pipe in front of him. “Don’t bethatguy. Everyone smokes a little.” She leans a little closer, tilting her head more to see his face. He’s cute. A little milquetoast, but handsome. She eyes him up and down again, observing the mismatching style of his shoes and pants. He sighs. “Fine, you’re lucky I like you.” He takes the pipe, a little unsure. He lights the pipe and takes a slow and long drag. He keeps the lighter there for a little too long. The ember glows brightly. “Easy there, handsome. What’s this about onlylikingme? You walk a girl by herself to a park and smoke her out. All she gets is a like?” She grins mischievously, already feeling some weight in her eyelids. He coughs, hands the pipe back to her, and continues to hack while facing away. She pats his back while giggling. Good. “Oh shit. That’s stronger than I expected.” he clears his throat a few times. His voice is strained. “You didn’t answer my question.” “Huh? What was the question? I was busy trying to stay alive.” He cracks a smile, a genuine one, despite trying to hold back a massive cough. “You like me, is that what you said?” She scoots a little closer, setting the pack of cigarettes aside. He straightens up on the bench, clearly tension returning to his shoulders. “Yeah, I think you’re nice.” “Mmhmm, what else is nice?” Her voice comes out calm and sultry. She leans her chest against his arm. She can hardly believe he gulps audibly. “You’re really close.” “Is that a problem?” “...no.” he whispers. She drags a finger across this thigh, agonizingly slow. Then across his lap. She sees his eyes locked onto her hand. She picks up her hand slowly, grazes her fingers along his wrist, then takes the lighter from his hand that he was gripping onto tightly. She slowly sits back up straight to light the pipe for another pull. She exhales high into the air, with a smile. She begins to laugh to herself. When he finally breathes, he laughs with her and she leans against his arm, with her temple on his shoulder. She takes a moment to settle against him. “You know, you’re fun to play with.” She feels him relax again. He doesn’t say anything, maybe the high is already getting to him. They both look into the park, seeing a few flickering dim lights along the path. Her eyes follow the lights to the parking lot across the way. After some time, the high settles into them. She looks across the trees and back to the parking lot, seeing a police car. “Is that what I think it is?” He says with a little panic. “Remember how I said no one cares what you do? They definitely care.” She quickly shoves everything back into her pocket and starts to get up. The police car’s spot light turns on, pointing around in their direction “Oh shit. Okay okay,” he looks around. She pauses, watching him carefully. “Follow me.” He orders, to her surprise. He takes her hand, leading them around the corner behind the cover of some shrubs and trees. The spot light shines over their heads. She looks back to see the police car driving onto the walkway. “They’re driving up this way. I hope you have a good plan.” “Good? I’m not sure. But a bad plan is better than nothing.” He says while he ducks low. She does the same, realizing how his grip lacks the sharpness she expected. It's heavier, almost nice. “As long as you don’t take me somewhere to take advantage of me.” She tests as they straighten up and walk quickly. “What the fuck? No! I’m not like that.” he stops and turns to her as she bumps into his chest. Her hands land on his chest. She looks up at him, seeing the determination in his eyes. “I was kidding.” She looks over her shoulder, then back to him as he continues to lead her again. They’re now couching through some brush. “It’s okay if you want to.” “Alex! I don’t want to get arrested and I don’t think you want to either.” “A little bondage never hurt anyone! Well it depends.” They both snicker as he stumbles and she falls onto him. Her eye lids are definitely heavier and can barely stay open. “I’m being serious! My apartment is nearby. We can hang out there if they don’t follow us.” “I thought you were against taking advantage of a pretty girl, and now we’re going to your apartment? You owe me a date after this.” She quickly replies. He nearly chokes on his spit as they break out into the open street. He brushes off some leaves from her shoulder, and dusts her knee. Then he dusts himself off and begins to walk towards an apartment complex. “That wasn’t a nice time together? I thought it was romantic.” “If you thought that was romantic, I can see why you’re single.” She hisses back and playfully pushes on his arm. “How’d you know? Is it how I dress? I totally over dressed, didn't I? Or do I look like a slob?” He replies while tugging on his shirt. She steps closer as they walk and she takes his arm to hold. “It's obvious but don’t over think it. Shame on you if you would walk a girl into the dark while you had a girlfriend!” She chuckles while tightening her grasp on his arm. “Yeah but what if you were wrong? What if I was just being nice?” “No, I’m always right.” She replies, finding a moment of sudden sobriety. She thinks about letting him go but the image of a knife flashes in the back of her mind. She blinks a few times and goes quiet. They cross the parking lot and climb the stairs. He slots his key into the lock and opens the door. He says something cheesy as she walks in. She looks around, walks over to the patio and parts the blinds to look out to where they came from. She spots the police car driving away while the spotlight crosses over the debris they left behind. “I might have to stay for a bit if you don’t mind. Looks like they’re still looking.” She exaggerates. Turning around, there’s sound from the kitchen. He comes back drying his hands with a paper towel. “To be honest, It’s kinda late for me.” He looks around quickly and straightens out some things on the coffee table and fluffs a couch pillow. “You’re more than welcome to stay, if that’s what you’d like or whatever.” “Maybe I will. I have nowhere else to go.” She says calmly, sitting onto the couch. There’s not much to his apartment, nothing on the walls, no decor besides the matching colored pillows for the couch. The table was plain and the TV stand was empty besides a few movies. It was almost painful for her to see such a purely functional way of living. “You can use the bed if you get tired.” “Then I’d be lonely. Stay with me on the couch, maybe watch something?” She says, her fatigue begins to reveal itself. She’s been up for so long. She slept yesterday for only a few hours at her friend's house before Yung came looking for her. The entire day was finding ways to get away from him, and yet he still found her at the party. Even giving him some coke only made things worse. Ricky steps away for a little bit around the corner, then returns with a few blankets. They smell a little bit like a stale closet, but it’s far from the worst she’s had to use. At least they’re clean. He returns again with some glasses of water and sets them on coasters on the table. There’s already a few water rings on the table, so he must be trying to seem polite. “Thanks again.” She says as they settle down. She slips off the jacket and slings it over the back of the couch, then kicks off her boots and tucks her legs beneath her. Taking a deep breath, and letting out a soft sigh, pulls the blanket into her while she watches the TV as he picks out some show. She looks over to him and he’s still quite high from the way his eyes are. She is suddenly aware of how tired she is. Her eyes are heavier than before, now with the pull of the long day. She lays her head on the armrest, curls up, and slowly drifts away to sleep while the TV’s glow paints their shadows on the wall.