CHAPTER FOUR
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Geoffrey POV
“You’re sleeping in your cereal bowl agaaaaiin” sang Kent. He really did sing when he said that. He sounded like a bird. A bird getting tarred, that is.
For someone so smart like Kent, he could be really oblivious at times. He did find me sleeping out on the street, slumped against a mailbox. (He took pictures and posted them on Facebook. Idiot) Of course I was going to fall asleep at this ungodly hour! It was only 11:45 in the morning!
I looked blearily at Kent. “It tastes better this way,” and I dunked my face back into my Cheerios. Kent sighed and said, “You have a party to go to, you know. You were mumbling about it to me on the walk home from the mailbox. Maybe you should start getting ready?”
“Do I look like a girl? Who gets ready at 12:00 to go to a party like nine hours before?!”
“Me. That’s why I’m so good looking and you’re not, my little cabbage!” Kent was squealing. I swear, he really was a girl. He even gave me a back hug before hopping away.
Alas, my peace and quiet was short lived, because Kent came back into the kitchen holding up two pairs of jeans.
“Jeffy jeff! Which pair of jeanie-jeans?! The slim fit black ones would look really good on your figure, but super tight blue skinny jeans are so cute right now! And they pretty much go with anything, so no worries about matching there. But if you do chose the black ones, make sure to wear it with a black v-neck or something, girls LOVE it. But I can also really picture you with a trenchcoat with the blue jeans, I’m not sure-”
I cut him off right there. No need to let him get into his inner diva zone. God forbid that. I put my cereal bowl in the sink and grabbed the black jeans and made a beeline for the bedroom. “Jeffy jeff! Which pair of jeanie-jeans?! The slim fit black ones would look really good on your figure, but super tight blue skinny jeans are so cute right now! And they pretty much go with anything, so no worries about matching there. But if you do chose the black ones, make sure to wear it with a black v-neck or something, girls LOVE it. But I can also really picture you with a trenchcoat with the blue jeans, I’m not sure-”
...But of course Kent followed me in and flopped on the bed. “We’re gonna have to do something about your hair, and maybe even some waxing! And then we could go shopping and get some lunch together, and-”
“OKAY KENT THAT’S FINE,” I yelled at him. Didn’t want the poor guy to have a spazz attack-he gets uh, excited easily.I pulled on a shirt after getting on the jeans. I didn’t brush my hair, which upset Kent. But at least I brushed my teeth.
We hopped into Kent’s car-I owned only a bike- but he let me drive. Actually, I made him let me. The guy really could not drive for his life. Last time he drove, I think he managed to drive through one of our neighbour’s house...and land on the roof. Don’t ask me how, I haven’t quite figured it out myself. Idiot. TOTALLY helpless.
Suddenly, Kent squished his face against the car window slammed his palms onto the pane and screamed, “GEOOOOFFREEEYYY! BLOW OUT SALE! OH MY GOD WE JUST-WE HAVE TO, OKAY?!”
“No. Oh my god, no.”
“Oh, you are so unfun. Fine. Drive me over to Wendy’s, will you?”
“Excuse me? WHO IS WENDY?"
“Oh, you are so unfun. Fine. Drive me over to Wendy’s, will you?”
“Excuse me? WHO IS WENDY?"
Kent looked at me, annoyed. “She’s my girlfriend, stupid!”
“YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND SINCE WHEN-”
“Since the last couple of mo~oooonths....” he sighed.
“YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND SINCE WHEN-”
“Since the last couple of mo~oooonths....” he sighed.
I rolled my eyes, but I drove him over anyway. Poor Wendy.
After I dropped Kent off, I looked for something to do. I still had about 5 hours to kill, and that was after eating some lunch. The library, I guess?... There was a really big one near where I was. Kent said it was “awesome”. Apparently the library attracts some “really cute squirrels”. Whatever.
After the encounter with Anjali this morning, I really felt like I knew her. If I were in a movie, I probably would know her. She would probably be my long lost fiance or something and then we both got amnesia and we had some “~thwarted love~” and blah blah blah. But I mean, this wasn’t a movie. This was real life. But what if?...Weird. Well, libraries were for research, right? It wouldn’t hurt just to humor the thought.
...Aaaaand, as soon as I got there, I felt like an idiot. What was a silly idea like mine doing in such a serious, somber place? The library was absolutelyly massive. It wasn’t all new and shiny and sparkly. Haha, nooo. It was gloomy. It was stuffy. It was dark. And I loved it. It had this grandiose feeling and it was so...old fashioned. Sure, you could almost smell the denture cream and prunes, but I don’t think anyone had died there. Yet.
I walked up to the front desk. Alas, there was no stern, butthurt old woman. But there was a highly obnoxious looking teenager. She had stringy light brown hair and rectangular, bright red glasses. Which didn’t necessarily make her obnoxious seeming. But the loud laughing and texting sure did.
“Hi...could you tell me if you keep records of the paper here?”
Surprisingly, she was nice. “Hm? Oh yeah, we do! How far back are you looking for though? We only have back up to the last ten years, the rest got eaten by moths or something. Sorry!”
I shrugged. Ten years, yeah I could start there. “May I have a look at them please?”
“Mhm, no prob! Follow me,” she said, flouncing away.
The girl led me to a thick door behind the front desk, into a hallway (which, unlike the rest of the library, was white with some faint tinges of blue green from the lights. It almost had a ..detached, clinical feel to it) and stopped in front of a door on the left.She swung inside and a moment later reappeared with about three boxes of (presumably) newspapers.
“Oh geez, you’re gonna fall over let me help you with that,” I said, stooping down to pick up the boxes.
“Nah, it’s fine I got thi-NOPE NOPE NOPE MAN GOING DOWN MAN GOING DOWNNNNNNN!” and she toppled over. Sigh. There were a lot of newspapers to put back in order...I picked some up and shuffled them back in order, placing them back in the boxes.
“Geez, I’m so clumsy, I’m sorry. Like I trip a lot and stuff it’s sooo embarrassing. Aaaah!” she cringed, laughing.
I wasn’t really listening. “Right,”
It took awhile, but finally, all the papers were stuffed back into storage. The girl brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“So uhm...thanks for helping me-?”
“Oh. It’s Geoffrey.”
“Well, thanks Geoffrey! It’s nice to meet you. My name’s Jessica. Any chance I could maybe see you again?”
I blinked and stared. After clearing my throat I said, “I-I don’t think that’s legal.” And I rushed off, leaving her with the boxes. Maybe not the smoothest parting, but I was not expecting that. I felt a bit bad. Poor kid.
I checked my watch. Only half an hour had gone by. And I was still perplexed (and maybe frustrated) because I couldn't figure out how exactly I felt like I knew Anjali
Maybe I should ask a doctor to check out my head? Meh. Nah. Too expensive.
Well, looks like I’ll be paying Anj a visit.
It wasn’t until I got back into the car that it occurred to me that I had no idea where she lived. And I already came off as a stalker, why keep the impression?
...But ooh, this was gonna be good. I could almost picture what her face would look like when I showed up unannounced. Come to think of it, I could probably find her address via the workplace. Yeah, the boss sent out a text message with everyone’s phone number, email, and address.
Everyone’s, that is, except Anjali’s. Figures. I sighed. I would just have to see her at the party.
So I found myself in the park, feeding pidgeons. I bought some bread from the grocery store a block down from the library. It was on sale because it was stale. The city has such a nice park. They’re all old; the newest one was built at least twenty years ago. Some of them are cleaner than others. But I love them all the same. They all seem to have a background. Cryptic carvings on trees, old park benches, cracked sidewalks...I love it. And that’s how I spent the rest of the afternoon. Feeding pigeons. The sky wasn’t blue (it was more like a white gray) it was a bit damp (whatever) and the park was a bit more depressed looking than usual. All the same. All the same...
The face of Callie Whitworth turned about three shades redder.
“Um, I mean, hi! Come in! Do you want something to drink?”
“Uhmm...”
I glanced behind the door left ajar. The party wasn’t like one of those super loud ones in the movies, where everyone gets drunk or is getting laid in the weirdest, most uncomfortable spots. It was...an Asian party. And I wasn’t Asian...
I think I saw some people playing DDR. And then there was a clique of some really gossipy girls, and uhm...some really nerdy guys. They were all crowded around a computer playing Starcraft.
“Nice, uh, party,” I said lamely, gesticulating behind her.
“Hm? Oh yeah, thanks! Hurry up, get in, you’re gonna get cold!”
“Right.” I stepped in. Anj popped up.
“Hey, Cal, there’s a bunch of guys on the phone insisting that you stole their boxers,” she commented, raising an eyebrow.
“WHAT?! That is just CREEPY! HOW?! That was sooo not me, it was all Francesca’s idea!” Cal whined, exasperated. She went off to answer the phone. Girls are so weird...
“Yeah, too many admirers Cal,” Anjali grinned. “Hey Geoffrey!”
Hm? “Oh. Hey Anj.”
“How are you?”
I shrugged. “Tired.”
“Yeah? Maybe you should see a doctor.”
“Oh, sure, I guess.”
“Seriously! You look awful!”
Before I could say anything, some girl walked into the room. She had long hair, but it was pulled up in a braid (I think girls call it a fishtail- I see no resemblance whatsoever). She was obviously pretty. Long, skinny legs, big wide-set eyes... all that jazz and more. She looked at me scrutinizingly, but brushed it off in a smile. What was her name?..Oh yes. That was right. Kat, I presumed (I had heard about her from work-Cal was very loud).
Not sure what to say, I looked at Anj for a few pointers, but she simply had her jaw squared and looked akin to a grumpy garden gnome.
“Uhm, hullo!” I gulped.
She whipped around.
“Can I help you?” I asked
“Oh...oh yeah! Have you seen someone named Aiden? Kinda looks like a neanderthal?”
Anj snorted. I laughed nervously.
“Wow. He your ex?”
“Oh he’s more than just an ex. He’s dead...AS SOON AS I FIND HIM!” Evidently, she had found him, because she ran off in the direction of a guy who was unsuccessfully hiding behind a potted plant half his size. Almost felt bad for him.
“Wow. She’s, huh, feisty,” I said, half laughing.
I cleared my throat. “I’m sensing some bad blood between you two...”
Anjali didn't have any time to answer this either, because Kat came huffing back.
“Hey..guys...whew! Well that scared him away real good! Good thing I always keep a gun or two handy. Yep. That jerkwad was a lying, cheating, hor-” and then she burst into tears. I offered her a tissue (the box, conveniently, was placed right behind me on a little stand). Kat didn’t even want the tissue. She ended up shredding it to pieces and tossing it to the floor and sobbing even harder.
“I-I’m sorry,” she sniffed, trying to regain a bit of her composure.
“No problem!” Anj chirped, who was definitely enjoying this. I looked at her. She gave a little shrug and a “I am so not passing up this opportunity” look. All the same, I felt sort of bad for Kat, so I awkwardly patted her back.
“There...there...”
Anj snorted derisively. Kat didn’t notice.
“I just- I thought we were gonna have it all and- BUT WHATEVER I DON’T CARE ABOUT DIRTY PIGS LIKE HIM! I AM A STRONG, INDEPENDENT, BLACK WOMAN!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Anj silently mouthing “black woman?”, shaking her head.
“Right!” I chirped as cheerfully as possible. What the heck was I supposed to say now?!
“Awww, Kat, don’t cry! Me and Wendy’ll cheer you up!! Let’s go raid the kitchen because I smell some COOOKIIEESSS!”
I stumbled back. Ah of course, the person who had perfected his skill for bad timing. What the heck, WHO INVITED KENT?!
“GOD KENT! I’M HAVING A HEART ATTACK SOME ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE YOU POUNCE PLEASE!”
By now Anjali was shaking, unsuccessfully trying to stifle her laughter. Buttwipe.
“Sorry Geoff, thought you knew I was here,” without so much as glancing at me, he grabbed a wrecked Kat and his equally bizarre girlfriend, and sped off to the kitchen, calling back, “Toodles, Jeff Jeff!” Ugh. Was he even a man? I glanced at Anjali. She smiled. Huh. That smile- it seemed familiar. Like I had seen it, before, a lot. Everyday maybe. Which reminded me, I wanted to ask her something...
“Sorry. Er, Anj, not to be a prude, but you don’t remember me? At all?”
“Should I?” she looked at me quizzically.
I chuckled. “Really, though. Do you remember me?"
Well, looks like I’ll be paying Anj a visit.
It wasn’t until I got back into the car that it occurred to me that I had no idea where she lived. And I already came off as a stalker, why keep the impression?
...But ooh, this was gonna be good. I could almost picture what her face would look like when I showed up unannounced. Come to think of it, I could probably find her address via the workplace. Yeah, the boss sent out a text message with everyone’s phone number, email, and address.
Everyone’s, that is, except Anjali’s. Figures. I sighed. I would just have to see her at the party.
So I found myself in the park, feeding pidgeons. I bought some bread from the grocery store a block down from the library. It was on sale because it was stale. The city has such a nice park. They’re all old; the newest one was built at least twenty years ago. Some of them are cleaner than others. But I love them all the same. They all seem to have a background. Cryptic carvings on trees, old park benches, cracked sidewalks...I love it. And that’s how I spent the rest of the afternoon. Feeding pigeons. The sky wasn’t blue (it was more like a white gray) it was a bit damp (whatever) and the park was a bit more depressed looking than usual. All the same. All the same...
“GEOFFREY! KAT, KAT! LOOK WHO’S HERE!”
The face of Callie Whitworth turned about three shades redder.
“Um, I mean, hi! Come in! Do you want something to drink?”
“Uhmm...”
I glanced behind the door left ajar. The party wasn’t like one of those super loud ones in the movies, where everyone gets drunk or is getting laid in the weirdest, most uncomfortable spots. It was...an Asian party. And I wasn’t Asian...
I think I saw some people playing DDR. And then there was a clique of some really gossipy girls, and uhm...some really nerdy guys. They were all crowded around a computer playing Starcraft.
“Nice, uh, party,” I said lamely, gesticulating behind her.
“Hm? Oh yeah, thanks! Hurry up, get in, you’re gonna get cold!”
“Right.” I stepped in. Anj popped up.
“Hey, Cal, there’s a bunch of guys on the phone insisting that you stole their boxers,” she commented, raising an eyebrow.
“WHAT?! That is just CREEPY! HOW?! That was sooo not me, it was all Francesca’s idea!” Cal whined, exasperated. She went off to answer the phone. Girls are so weird...
“Yeah, too many admirers Cal,” Anjali grinned. “Hey Geoffrey!”
Hm? “Oh. Hey Anj.”
“How are you?”
I shrugged. “Tired.”
“Yeah? Maybe you should see a doctor.”
“Oh, sure, I guess.”
“Seriously! You look awful!”
Before I could say anything, some girl walked into the room. She had long hair, but it was pulled up in a braid (I think girls call it a fishtail- I see no resemblance whatsoever). She was obviously pretty. Long, skinny legs, big wide-set eyes... all that jazz and more. She looked at me scrutinizingly, but brushed it off in a smile. What was her name?..Oh yes. That was right. Kat, I presumed (I had heard about her from work-Cal was very loud).
Not sure what to say, I looked at Anj for a few pointers, but she simply had her jaw squared and looked akin to a grumpy garden gnome.
“Uhm, hullo!” I gulped.
She whipped around.
“Can I help you?” I asked
“Oh...oh yeah! Have you seen someone named Aiden? Kinda looks like a neanderthal?”
Anj snorted. I laughed nervously.
“Wow. He your ex?”
“Oh he’s more than just an ex. He’s dead...AS SOON AS I FIND HIM!” Evidently, she had found him, because she ran off in the direction of a guy who was unsuccessfully hiding behind a potted plant half his size. Almost felt bad for him.
“Wow. She’s, huh, feisty,” I said, half laughing.
Anjali huffed angrily.
I cleared my throat. “I’m sensing some bad blood between you two...”
Anjali didn't have any time to answer this either, because Kat came huffing back.
“Hey..guys...whew! Well that scared him away real good! Good thing I always keep a gun or two handy. Yep. That jerkwad was a lying, cheating, hor-” and then she burst into tears. I offered her a tissue (the box, conveniently, was placed right behind me on a little stand). Kat didn’t even want the tissue. She ended up shredding it to pieces and tossing it to the floor and sobbing even harder.
“I-I’m sorry,” she sniffed, trying to regain a bit of her composure.
“No problem!” Anj chirped, who was definitely enjoying this. I looked at her. She gave a little shrug and a “I am so not passing up this opportunity” look. All the same, I felt sort of bad for Kat, so I awkwardly patted her back.
“There...there...”
Anj snorted derisively. Kat didn’t notice.
“I just- I thought we were gonna have it all and- BUT WHATEVER I DON’T CARE ABOUT DIRTY PIGS LIKE HIM! I AM A STRONG, INDEPENDENT, BLACK WOMAN!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Anj silently mouthing “black woman?”, shaking her head.
“Right!” I chirped as cheerfully as possible. What the heck was I supposed to say now?!
“Awww, Kat, don’t cry! Me and Wendy’ll cheer you up!! Let’s go raid the kitchen because I smell some COOOKIIEESSS!”
I stumbled back. Ah of course, the person who had perfected his skill for bad timing. What the heck, WHO INVITED KENT?!
“GOD KENT! I’M HAVING A HEART ATTACK SOME ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE YOU POUNCE PLEASE!”
By now Anjali was shaking, unsuccessfully trying to stifle her laughter. Buttwipe.
“Sorry Geoff, thought you knew I was here,” without so much as glancing at me, he grabbed a wrecked Kat and his equally bizarre girlfriend, and sped off to the kitchen, calling back, “Toodles, Jeff Jeff!” Ugh. Was he even a man? I glanced at Anjali. She smiled. Huh. That smile- it seemed familiar. Like I had seen it, before, a lot. Everyday maybe. Which reminded me, I wanted to ask her something...
“Sorry. Er, Anj, not to be a prude, but you don’t remember me? At all?”
“Should I?” she looked at me quizzically.
I chuckled. “Really, though. Do you remember me?"
Unconsciously, I found myself staring down at her, closer then I had been a minute ago.A tad too close. She looked up, probably thinking I was some creeper. Well, I am a creeper. So there. What was this anyway, a cheesy romance movie? Was there someone up in the clouds, playing puppeteer?
“Boop.”
Startled (I was spacing out), I looked down at Anjali. She had a finger poking me away.
“Ever heard of personal space?”
“Uhm...”
She laughed and I backed away.
“Oh well, you know, maybe you don’t. It was almost a year ago anyway, and you were really drunk. I just came back to tell you I have a kid and it’s yours.”
She waved her hand offhandedly, not missing a beat. “Oh well, it’s not the first time it happened. You all just blend together.”
Anj bit her lip, tapping her fingers. Her face grew darker, and she looked like she was debating whether to tell me something. All right, she definitely had some answers.
“Go on,” I encouraged her, trying my best to look as open and innocent as possible.
“Well...” she started, “don’t laugh. Promise not to laugh? Okay good. Um. Well I’ve been having these dreams. Well, they feel more like memories than dreams really, but that can’t be right, I mean this stuff doesn’t even happen in real life, I’ve got a hyperactive imagination anyway and I really maybe too much coffee I dunno but you were in uhm it and you er well you shot me you see maybe it’s all just crazy but if that’s the answer you were looking for-”
I froze. Shot her? Suddenly, I felt very aware of everything that was going on. Anjali was still talking away, the DDR game had some 8-bit 70’s music playing, there was the sound of people talking and glasses clinking and people yelling at the computer angry because of something Starcraft related and someone was having a fight and another person had knocked over a glass dish and it was so hot and yet so cold at the same time and the lights were so bright and-
I had to get out of there. Slowly, I turned away from Anjali and walked away. When I heard her trying to catch up to me, I broke into a jog, then a run. I was already out the door and three flights of stairs down from Cal’s dorm when she gave up chasing after me. Man, I was so gone. I exited via the side door and ran off into the muggy night. Forget the car. Geez, what idiot thought to put so many street lights out here? I mean, the whole place was orange from all of the streetlights! Ugh, no. There was a deserted little alley not too far from where I was. Well, now, wasn’t that just perfect. A dark little corner where I could be by myself and most probably get brutally murdered. All fine by me.
Actually, there wasn’t so much of a creepy psycho lurking on the side as there was a creepy couple making out. Like honestly, really going at it.
“There’s always tomorrow kids! And don’t forget to use protection!” I yelled, walking past them and moving further down the constricted path. They gave me a brief glare and walked off somewhere else. Now I was all alone...and I liked it. I could revel in the darkness. No one could see me, no one knew me, and I liked that too. Most of all, and most importantly, I couldn’t see anyone. I sniffled and wiped my nose, because even if it was hot and humid out here, I was still cold. My mind was still buzzing and numb. I stood there for a while, not thinking, not hearing, not listening. Just standing.
“Hullo,” a person to my left murmured. I hadn’t noticed him. Wow. He was pretty quiet. Was I supposed to be scared? Probably. Whatever.
“Hey.” I answered gruffly.
“What’s up.”
I looked at him. I couldn’t really see his face.
“Dunno.” Didn’t feel like answering him. He walked ahead two paces, so that his back was turned to me. He swiveled around.
He smiled in a sort of knowing manner, looking at his shoes. Then he looked back up at me.
“Should I, ah, put you out of your misery?”What? What was that supposed to-
“GET AWAY FROM ME!” I choked, too scared to scream. The guy-HE HAD A KNIFE! A FLIPPING KNIFE! God oh god oh god geez-
I was pinned to the wall in half a heartbeat, like a shot rabbit in its death throes. His hands gripped my hair and tilted my head back. The psychpath grinned insidiously, slowly cutting a thin line under my throat. I struggled to breathe, I was too scared too feel anything yet, I was going to get-
“Don’t worry, I won’t make this...too long,” he chuckled, pressing just the smallest fraction of an inch harder.
“Oh god,” I said, groaning, “God. What do you want? I don’t have any cash, any thing of any value-I don’t have anything! There’s no one you could get a ransom from-”
“Oh, stop complaining! I don’t want any money! I just wanna see you squeal!” he licked his teeth, pausing over each grime coated yellow nub. Oh, where was the justice in such a cruel world?
By now, I was cursing creatively in my head (couldn’t risk moving my throat and getting cut any deeper) and my heart palpitations were no more than fluttery beats inside my chest, even though I had enough adrenaline to keep me going for days (good use that went to though, I was too scared to do anything). The guy was twice my size too. Oh god. This was how I was going to die. I was going to die I was going to die I was going to die-
I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping it would be over quickly. But suddenly...something clicked in my brain. I kneed him and although he didn’t double over, he let go of his grip on my hair and neck, giving me enough time to punch his head and his stomach, which did (in fact) make him double over. I snapped into position behind him and grabbed his wrists, twisting them so he dropped the knife onto my shoe. I kicked it back up into my hands and shoved him to floor, placing a foot on his chest. Slowly, I leaned in and said, “Any last words?” and slit his throat before he could let out a sniveling mew.
It all had happened in a matter of seconds.
Justice had been served.
…I had killed a person.
Moreover, I had killed Anjali. Read chapter four here! -->
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