Chapter One: The New Neighbor
Another boring night, I thought as I entered the elevator. I had just returned home from the gym; it had been a long day at work, and I always felt better after working out.
"Hold the door!" I heard a female's voice yell.
I held the door open, and a brunette woman slipped inside. "Thanks," she smiled as she hit the button for the floor above me.
We stood in silence for a while as the doors closed.
"Lauren," she said, introducing herself.
"Nick," I smiled. "New to the building?"
"Yeah," Lauren smiled. "Just finished unpacking everything yesterday."
"Now you get to relax," I nodded.
"Nope," Lauren said as she stared at the bags in her hands. "Throwing a small party, some coworkers and a few friends."
"Ah, breaking the place in huh?" I nodded as the elevator stopped at my floor.
"Hey, Nick," Lauren said as I started to exit the elevator. "If it gets too loud, promise you will come up and let us know, last place they were a bunch of dicks, and kept calling the police."
"What number?" I asked.
"Four-twenty," Lauren said.
"I got you," I nodded.
I went into my apartment and settled until it was time to make dinner. I had lived in this tiny apartment for three years since my divorce.
Charlene decided that she would be better off with her boss than me, she told me she had broken it off with me before anything happened between them, but seeing how close they got and how fast, I had my doubts.
We had been together for seven years, then one day, I came home, and she was already packed and waiting for me. After seven years of marriage, she left me for a man older than her father.
That was water under the bridge now. We had sold our house, and I was happy. It was a small apartment, but I was saving good money. Eventually, I would have enough to get another place, but I was content now.
It didn't take long after I had eaten dinner and sat on the couch for the music above me to get louder. Lauren's party had started.
It was just after eight, and she had warned me that it might get loud, so I tuned it out and watched my show. After a few more hours, the music got even louder. I could hear the lyrics to every song as they came on.
"Okay," I nodded as I couldn't hear my television anymore.
I walked out of the apartment and went upstairs.
'A few people,' I thought as I got off the elevator and saw more than just a few people standing outside in the hallway.
Lauren's door was wide open. The music was loud enough to fill the hallway.
I walked past the people and went inside the apartment. It took me a few moments to find Lauren. She was dancing with a few friends.
"Nick!" Lauren said, obviously drinking already. "Shit, it's too loud?"
I nodded slowly. "And old man Dorsey might have a problem with the people in the hallway."
"Damn," Lauren nodded. "Sorry, we got carried away, you're right, thank you."
"What's going on?" another woman said as Lauren turned the music down.
"Neighbors," Lauren shrugged.
"They call the fucking cops already?" the other lady said.
"No, Nick here, was very polite and came up to warn us," Lauren said. "I am going to tell some of them to leave, it got out of hand as usual," Lauren said, shaking her head.
"Fucking hell, can't throw a party without someone ruining it," the other lady said, pushing past me.
"It's an apartment building not a frat house," I said.
Lauren laughed, but the other one gave me a look that could kill.
"Sorry about my sister," Lauren said as she walked outside the apartment. "She still thinks she is eighteen, not twenty-three."
"She would have fit in with my ex-wife," I smiled as Lauren slowly explained to the people outside in the hallway that they had to go.
"Sorry for being the party killer," I said as Lauren walked back to her door.
"No," Lauren smiled. "Better you than the cops, I don't have the money to look for another apartment."
Lauren's sister pushed past us in the hallway with some friends.
"Where are you going?" Lauren asked.
"Somewhere, adults can party and not be bothered by old people," Lauren's sister said as she stared at me. "Have a good night, gramps!"
"Thanks, I appreciate that, but I think Chuck E Cheese might be closed," I replied.
Lauren stifled another laugh.
Lauren's sister started to say something.
"Before we keep going, you must know I teach at one of the local high schools, I can do this all night," I said.
One of her friends pulled her back as she stared at me.
"Be back at a reasonable time," Lauren said as she looked at her sister get on the elevator.
Lauren shook her head. "I really have to apologize for her," she said.
"No, I am sorry I was mean to her," I nodded.
"No," Lauren said as she walked inside. I followed her inside as she closed the door behind me. "She has been a bitch since our father passed away two years ago."
Lauren sat on the couch and offered me a seat next to her.
"I had to drop everything and come back home and be the big sister I hadn't been in years."
"What happened?" I asked.
"Kristy has always been daddy's girl," Lauren said as she shook her head. "I was like our mom, so when our parents split, I went with mom and Kristy stayed with dad, only problem was she never left, never went to college, got a good job, or anything and dad just catered to her every whim."
"Spoilt her," I nodded.
"To the core," Lauren shook her head. "Mom was tough on me, I followed in her footsteps literally, she was a nurse, so I became one. She still curses me for coming back and taking care of Kristy. She says it's not my problem and Kristy is old enough to take care of herself."
"So, mom is still around," I said.
"Yup, living in a nice condo in Florida," Lauren said.
"Far from Detroit," I nodded.
"And a lot warmer," Lauren said.
"So, you came up here and taking care of your sister," I nodded.
"Yeah, trying to get into the nearby hospital, got my foot in, but it will be a while until I can make what I was making down there," Lauren nodded.
"What about Kristy?" I asked.
"Spoilt bitch doesn't want to work," Lauren shook her head. "Unless you call using my car when I am not using it to do the food grabs like door dash and the like," she said, slightly annoyed.
"Not really well-paying jobs," I nodded.
"Exactly," Lauren said. "I better get this place cleaned up. She won't do it."
"I will help, after all I was the one that cut it short," I said.
"Thanks," Lauren smiled.
We picked up the beer bottles and all the trash that everyone had left behind, then I called it a night and went down in the elevator to throw the trash bags away.
The chute was always hit or miss. Most of the time, it was either too full or didn't work, and everything just backed up.
"Still up huh gramps," Kristy said as she saw me.
"Forgot your quarters for the toy machine, or did they not have enough tokens?" I replied.
"Fuck you!" Kristy shouted. "I am not some kid!"
"Then stop acting like one," I responded.
"Better start being nice to me, or I will get us thrown out again, and you won't be able to date my sister," Kristy said as we walked into the building.
"Relax, I am kidding," I smiled. "We got off on the wrong foot, my name is Nick," I said as I held out my hand.
Kristy sighed and stared at me. "Okay," she nodded. "Kristy," she smiled.
"See, I knew there was a smile under there somewhere," I said as I pointed to the bench across from the mailbox.
Kristy wasn't like her sister Lauren.
Lauren was a brunette in good shape and had a great smile. Kristy was curvier or, as some of my students would call, a chubby woman. And she looked angry all the time.
Kristy sat down first.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"You a councilor too?" Kristy asked.
"When the time needs me to," I nodded.
"Well, I am not going to break down and start crying, and tell you all my problems," Kristy said, folding her arms.
"Didn't ask you to," I nodded.
In my experience, the ones that put on the most rigid outer shell had the softest insides. Something was burning at Kristy, and as much as she wanted everyone to believe she was a hard ass and that nothing bothered her, she wanted someone to tell her she would be okay.
"What?" Kristy said as we sat in silence.
"Nothing," I said.
"Fine," Kristy said. "She's being like mom, or what I remember of her, always telling me what to do, when to do it, and who I can't hang out with," Kristy said, shaking her head.
"What's his name?" I asked.
Kristy's eyes shot open.
"High school, remember?" I smiled.
"Derek," Kristy said. "The one with the red hair."
"Mohawk guy," I nodded as I remembered her leaving with a guy with red hair in a mohawk.
"Yeah," Kristy smiled.
"So, what's the problem?" I asked.
"Derek wants me to go with him to a club downtown next week," Kristy said. "His band is playing, and he thinks I can help them out by dancing onstage."
I shook my head.
"What?" Kristy said, turning her smile back to anger.
"What kind of dancing, and if you say anything but rock dancing, or mosh pit dancing I am shaking my head again," I said.
"He thinks I should take off my top," Kristy said. "When they play their songs, he said it would give them more followers."
She knew it was a bad idea as she held her head down as she said it.
"You know that's all he wants, right?" I asked.
Kristy nodded. "It's because I am fat," she said.
"If you do it, then yes," I nodded. "He will laugh and that's exactly what he will tell the rest of them, but if you don't," I said, picking her head back up. "The guy with the black hair and the skater shirt might be keener to speak up around you."
"Kyle?" Kristy smiled again.
"Aha, you do know his name," I nodded.
"But he is so quiet, and he just follows them around," Kristy said, shaking her head.
"Follows them or tries to be around you?" I asked.
"You must be a good high school teacher," Kristy smiled.
"What do you say? Give your sister a little slack?" I nodded.
