Summary:
Amy's friend Sarah returns from the US and goes to check in on her. She finds a changed Amy, and soon she may be changed herself...
The New Housemate Ch. 02
She took a moment just to enjoy the noise before she set about her task.
To most people, the aggressive car horns of rammed streets and the general hustle-bustle of London life wouldn't be that appealing, but those people simply didn't realise how lucky they were. At least, that was the way that Sarah Curtis saw it.
The young saleswoman had been back in London just over 24 hours now, and she hadn't realised how much she'd missed it. Sarah had been sent to middle America to conduct a routine business deal for her company, and she'd only expected to be gone for two months max. But minor deals had extended the contract negotiation, and so she'd wound up stuck in the backwaters of America for five and a half months.
It was worth it - she got the deal done and then some. After a good bit of rest, she'd gone into the office and received a hell of a reception. Her bosses were very impressed - there was even talk of a major promotion - and her friends were there to greet her on her return.
Well, all but one of them.
About a month into her time in the US, Sarah lost all contact with her friend Amy Jennings. They'd got on well, having started around the same sort of time and being almost the same age (although Sarah was the oldest at 25). They shared similar interests and often met up outside of work, sharing a casual drink in a cute bar on a Friday night and often attracting the attention of a man for a bit of fun.
Which made the radio silence all the more curious. She got a new housemate and then, as far as Sarah knew, Amy vanished off the face of the earth.
Sarah had asked about Amy when she returned to the office that morning, and was surprised by the reaction. Everyone liked Amy before Sarah went to America, yet mentioning her name now drew disgusted looks and a swift change of subject. The very few people who told Sarah anything came out with a story so unbelievable, she thought they had to be kidding - tales of an Amy changed beyond recognition, nothing like the girl that Sarah used to know.
But these were serious people, and she couldn't see them making up something so bizarre.
Sarah had to know herself.
So she'd steeled herself for a confrontation that both intrigued and terrified her and, after work, she called a taxi and made the journey to Sarah's house.
That was where she was now. She'd been standing over the road for ten minutes now, weighing things over in her mind. She wanted to see her friend, but a gnawing voice in the back of her mind told her otherwise - if the things she'd heard were true, how
could
she confront Amy? And if the people in the office were wrong, then why had she stopped all contact? Did Amy even want to see her?
She smiled briefly at the sound of a horn blaring and a curse word screamed in the distance. But she realised that her mind was searching for something - anything - to distract her attention from this internal conflict. If she didn't move now, maybe she never would.
Sarah crossed the road and made her way to the front door of Amy's house.
Nothing seemed amiss - the house was just as she'd remembered. She didn't know it
that
well - on reflection, she'd maybe been there twice - but there was something about it that still seemed familiar. Reassuring, almost.
And yet, as she raised her hand to knock, another pang of incertitude struck her. Was this the right idea?
She knocked.
What am I worrying about, she thought? The worst that'll happen is Amy tells me to go away, and I can deal with that. Get a grip.
The door opened.
Sarah didn't know what she'd expected, but she supposed she'd been warned.
The door was answered by a girl, roughly Sarah's age, who definitely fit the look Sarah had been warned about. She had long black hair which framed her face piercings, and pale skin which only really boasted any colour on the many tattoos that coated her arms and chest. She was dressed fairly casually, Sarah thought, in a pair of grey plaid trousers and an oversize T-shirt with the logo of a band she didn't recognise.
"I'm sorry to bother you," Sarah was conscious that she hadn't said anything, and so she tried to filibuster, but she couldn't get over the state of the girl in front of her. Amy had mentioned a flatmate who looked like this, she remembered - surely this had to be
her
.
As Sarah momentarily panicked, the girl gave her a once-over. Sarah was young, with a face that was full of warmth - she had long brown hair and a vague hint of something Hispanic in her features (although, for the record, Sarah claimed not to have foreign ancestry that she knew about).
She had come from the office, and it was obvious - she had mastered a form of smart-casual chic that looked stylish and professional in equal measure, especially as it hung on her thin frame. Today, she wore a blue blouse and a pair of black business trousers. The look was finished off with a pair of black brogues - simple, businesslike and fashionable all at the same time.
Sarah's eyes met the girl's.
And then, the girl spoke.
"Oh my god, fuck me," she smiled, "I haven't seen you in ages, Sarah!"
The girl lunged forward and gave Sarah a big hug. Sarah winced and her body tensed up - she was in part disgusted by the smell of smoke hanging on the girl's every piece of clothing and her hair, but in part with the shock of realisation.
"
Amy
?" With the truth seemingly confirmed, she barely managed to force the question out of her mouth.
Amy let Sarah go, and stood back.
"Well, yeah," she laughed. "You came to my house, Sarah - who else were you expecting?"
Sarah didn't say anything for a moment - her mind struggled to even process what she was looking at. Before she went away to America, her friend was a normal, everyday girl - now, she was like something from a Tim Burton film, and she didn't even seem to care. This was not the Amy she knew.
"What," she couldn't articulate the words, "what happened, Amy? You look so - so
different
."
Amy laughed.
"I suppose you've been away a while, Sarah - you haven't seen the new me. Here, come in, and we'll catch up."
Amy wandered back into the house, and Sarah hesitated, unsure of what to do. In her temperament, Amy seemed just as she ever was - it was just that literally every other thing about her had changed. But that gave Sarah a leaping off point, she thought - at least Amy was still her friend, and that was something.
She followed her into the house, eager to speak with her friend - to figure out exactly what had happened, and to perhaps even change her back.
"Can I get you a drink, Sarah?" Amy called from the kitchen. Sarah made her way there, although she certainly noticed the change in decor - the walls were black, dark coats hung from the coat rack and a series of forbidding boots and shoes were sitting by the door.
"No, thank you, Amy," she entered the kitchen, and took a seat at the table.
"Suit yourself."
Amy took a seat, mug in hand, and leant back.
"So, America," she said, "what happened? Tell me all about it."
The sheer normality of the question caught her off guard, and Sarah did attempt to answer it, but her thoughts were so distracted by the changes in Amy. The conversation kept tailing off, and it was not missed by the goth girl.
"Are you alright, Sarah?"
Sarah blushed slightly, and was furious at herself.
"Yes, yes, of course. I'm sorry, Amy, but I can't quite get over your new look."
"I know," she smiled. "It's something, isn't it, but I think it looks pretty fucking cool. You should try it, Sarah - I reckon it would suit you." She gave her friend a once-over. "Yeah, definitely - oh my god, you'd look so fucking hot."
Sarah was embarrassed at the idea, and waved her hand in protest.
"Oh no, I know my look, thank you."
"Well, it's your shout, Sarah, but think about it, at least. I'd never have thought it would suit me, yet here we are, and I love it."
Sarah knew the aesthetic wasn't for her, but she was thankful that Amy had offered a way into the topic she really wanted to discuss, and she leapt at the opportunity.
"I went back to the office, Amy, and they told me that you'd changed. You'd turn up late, face full of metal, covered in tattoos and stinking of smoke, and then one day you just quit - is that right?"
I mean, she thought, I can see that it is, but I need to hear it from Amy. I need to understand just what the hell
happened
to her - I need to know how my ordinary friend turned into the bride of Dracula.
"Yeah," she smirked, "I could tell they were judging me and the lifestyle choices I was making, so I told them to fuck right off. I don't need any of them in my life."
"But you were on track to become a senior salesperson, Amy," Sarah said. "You'd have been making tons of money - why would you throw that away?"
Amy shrugged.
"Because I stopped giving a fuck, Sarah. Life's about more than money, and wasting my time in an office with a bunch of fuckers who don't know how to enjoy life. You've been away from it for a while, Sarah - why do you want to go back?"
Sarah didn't have a brilliant answer at that moment, and she didn't want to admit it, so she forced the topic back to Amy.
"Are you working now, Amy?"
"Yeah," she said, staring off into the distance, "yeah, Alice got me a job with some girls she knows at a clothes store nearby. It's a good day, I meet loads of fascinating people and it pays just as well as the sales company ever did. Black Rose - you may know it - swing in one day if you want to say hello."
She exhaled heavily, and her attention returned to Sarah.
"Sorry, I don't mean to be distant myself, Sarah," she smiled sympathetically, "I just really need a smoke."
