Neighbor is Bad News

Episode 2: Home

Two Weeks Later

Jenna stared at her t.v., and watched whatever was airing. She missed her friends and the fact that she couldn't go on social media didn't bother her too much, but she wanted to know what everyone was up to back at home.

There were a few nights when she was lonely and she lied in bed and cried but she remembered that it was for her own good. If not she would have been trapped in a marriage popping out Mob litter left and right. And her husband might have been twice her age at that.

She missed her sister and her little brother and many times she caught herself sitting outside just staring at nothing.

After a few days of sitting around, she told herself it was time for her to get a job. Maybe that would ease the loneliness and not make her rethink going back home.

"Alright, let's do this!" She said as she brought up her laptop to look at jobs she could apply to but became stumped. She had no real experience or job history. Hell she never worked a day in her life, who was going to hire her?

She thought to be optimistic and was sitting in her favorite little mom and pop diner when the waitress popped by to offer her more coffee.

"Are you new around here?" She asked her and Jenna had to think before she answered. "Yes sort of."

She nodded and stood there as she watched Jenna. "You're not one of the regulars, but you're in here often enough for me to remember you, can I get you anything else?" She asked her.

Jenna wasn't used to random acts of kindness. In her world there was no such thing. It was either f**k or get f****d. So when the older woman looked at her as if there was an underlying hint of concern on her face, Jenna felt that she missed her mom. She felt her throat tighten but she swallowed hard and blinked the tears away. "Look, if you hang around for a bit after the morning rush hour. We can have a nice little chat." She told her.

Jenna could only nod unless she betrayed herself to her emotions.

It didn't take longer than an hour before the woman came back again and she had a plate with pie on it. "Here sweetie." She says pushing the plate towards Jenna and she looked at the devil's temptation on a plate.

Just for her to stay a certain way, her mother would chide her on the sweets that she ate so that she could continue to have her figure. When was the last time that she had apple pie? "It's baked here." The woman told her as she took a bite and moaned from the delicate, warm, and sweet taste that melted right on her tongue.

"I'm Lonnie." she said as she smiled at her and extended a hand to Jenna. She shook her hand and took a sip of a water she received when she realized that she couldn't keep refilling her coffee or she'd be on her fifth cup.

"Jenna." She told Lonnie. The older woman nodded and then look towards the counter then back at her.

"Are you running away from someone?" Lonnie asked upfront and she almost choked on her pie. Coughing, she tried to clear her throat. "I'm sorry, that was too personal. It's just that I know that look on you. I was there and I just wanted you to know that if you need help. I can help you somehow." She placed her hand over Jenna's and there was a warmth in her eyes.

"Is it a boyfriend? Husband?" She asked her again and Jenna couldn't reply. She couldn't lie about being an abused girl but she couldn't tell her that she was running away from the mob either. What if she got caught in the crossfire somehow or what if they found her.

"I'm not ready to talk about it." Jenna replied putting her fork down.

"I understand honey, I'm sorry for pushing you." She told her and Jenna felt horrible for leading her to the wrong conclusion. She stood up and placed a twenty on the table. "Thank you for the pie, I need to go." She said feeling the need to leave. The feeling of being constricted and a cage closing in on her was becoming too real. She needed air.

Jenna had made her way back to the apartment when she was blocked by the way up to her room by a girl knocking on her neighbor's door. "Cade, open up. I know you're in there." She said knocking again.

She went around the female to her own door. "I wouldn't bother. The guy has a track record." Jenna told her and the female, a busty blonde looked at her. "Eww, no one is talking to you." She hissed at her and knocked on the door again.

Jenna shrugged her shoulders and entered her room. It wasn't any of her business anyways who her neighbor wanted to screw. She just didn't need these random girls being nasty to her so they could all go screw themselves she thought as she took her sneakers off.

She was getting low on funds and even though she stashed a few grand in a safe place, she needed income to come in before she had her money going out. That was one thing her father had taught her was to not waste too much money and always have a plan B. After she had spent a few hundred on items she didn't really need, she got over the freedom of buying whatever she wanted.

She put her keys in the dish and stretched her arms over her head when she heard movement. Turning to look, a shadow passed over her before a hand came down to cover her mouth.

Jenna screamed into the palm before she did a maneuver that one of the guards had taught her to bring any assailant down. It was as if the intruder knew what she was doing and somehow they both tumbled to the ground and she was under the weight.

She realized that it was her neighbor. She glared at him and he held a finger up to his mouth. "When I remove my hand, promise you won't scream." He whispered and Jenna nodded her head.

"What the hell are you doing in my home?" She hissed at him and he had her arms pinned over her head. "Hiding." He replied back to her and Jenna felt the panic subside.

"How the hell did you get in?" She wondered knowing that she had locked her doors and windows, right? She felt the air entering and noticed that her sliding glass door was open. She could have sworn that it was locked before she left.

"Get off me. You're heavy." She moved under him and he smiled at her, his tanned face scrunching under his beard and his eyes were a light brown and he had a mole on the left side of his cheek. "I happen to like you in this position." He said and Jenna felt herself blushed and slightly angry.

"I will scream if you don't move."

He did a thing with his lips that she wondered if it was him pouting before he moved off her. "Now why are you in my home?" She asked, fixing herself.

"Told you I was hiding from someone."

"Oh you mean the mean person at your door? Maybe you shouldn't be such a tramp." She told him and he laughed. "Or answer."

He shook his head. "I'm a one night type of man. It's clear that I don't want anything more. You really should be careful with your door though." He said moving away from her to look around her living area. Jenna followed right behind him. He was broad shouldered and today he wore a white t-shirt, his biceps as usual bulging, her eyes following the sleeve tattoo that he had.

"You keep doing that eye f*****g thing of yours and I might not leave." He told her and Jenna felt her face warm. "You're rude." She told him and he laughed, his voice a hearty chuckle. "Why are you walking around my home, get out." She told him and he watched her with his brown eyes.

"No need to be so touchy, you know where I live. We are neighbors after all." He told her and was making his way out the back door. Jenna walked him all the way to the balcony before she said behind him, "Use the front door next time and don't use me to hide from your female companions jerk."

He smiled at her and did his infamous mock salute before he entered his own home.

Jenna closed her door, locked it and closed the curtain before she walked back inside. As frustrating as the guy was, this was the first time that she had ever been alone with another man.