STALKED

CHAPTER 2 HELMINA

Tonight is the last party of the summer, and I cannot wait. The last few weeks there have not been many parties that I wanted to go to, but the one at Alpha House is supposed to be the party of the summer. I have been looking forward to this Alpha party for a while now. For the last half hour I have been staring at my dress and shoe choices. finally I have narrowed it down to two options, my short red dress or my pale green sundress that is the same color of my eyes. Finally I decide on my favorite pale green sundress paired with my favorite strappy heels. After styling my short bob into a mess of curls I swipe on some eyeliner and lipstick.

When I hear the banging on the door I know exactly who it is. “Coming!” I yell as I grab my bag and head to the door. Opening the door I am greeted by my besties Layla and Raul. “Hey guys! You ready for the party of the summer?” I say as I close and lock my door. “Hell yea we are ready!” says Layla and Raul at the same time both smiling. Heading towards the party we talk about what each of us has been up to for the last couple of days, which isn’t much considering we are still on summer break. We slowly make our way to Alpha House joining the growing crowd that is currently moving towards the house.

To be honest I’m not a big party person, it’s just not my scene. Don’t get me wrong I am a huge people person but big parties just tend to be too crowded and loud for my liking. Tonight though, I am excited to be a part of the chaos that is ensuing. We are less than a block away and I can already hear and feel the

6

music that is playing, its an up beat dance mix that is thrumming through my body and making me want to move my body to the beat. As we draw closer to the house we can see that the party is already overflowing into the yard and street, people drinking and grinding to the music. It’s a sight to be seen, everyone is swaying and throbbing like they are all part of one being.

Raul, Layla, and I make our way to the center of the chaos to get our first drinks of the night. When we all have a drink in hand Layla and Raul go their separate ways to find a partner for the night. Standing alone in a corner of the room with my drink, I spot a guy that is making his way to me. I am uneasy at this guys approach due to his appearance, don’t get me wrong I normally do not judge someone by the way they look, but there is something wrong with this guy based on how he looks. He is tall about six feet, he has long, greasy hair and it looks like he hasn’t had a shower in a while. The clothing this guy is wearing is baggy, dirty, and wrinkled, if I didn’t know any better I would think this guy was homeless.

“Hi, I’m Iain.” Says the homeless looking guy that has just walked up to me. I am a shy and quiet person by nature so I quietly introduce myself as I scan the room for Layla or Raul. “Hello, I’m Helmina.” “Yeah I know. So how was work today? That kid with the late fees didn’t give you too many problems did he?” Iain is talking like we have known each other for a long time, who is this guy? “Um, how do you know where I work? And how do you know about the kid with the late fees?” I ask as my fear builds. This situation is so strange to me and I do not know how to get out of this conversation. Iain smiles at me and shows too many of his crooked and yellowing teeth and says, “oh, Helmina, we have known each other for so long how would

7

I not know these things?” Now I am panicking because I have never met this guy before. “No we have not known each other for a long time because this is the first time I have ever met you.” I say this while I am trying to inch my way to Raul who is just a few feet away.

Iain now looks pissed, “I know how you like to play hard to get with all the other guys, but you don’t need to be that way with me. There is no reason to be shy with me I know you Helmina.” I finally make it out of the corner and slowly make my way towards Raul as I tell Iain, “listen, I am here with friends so I have to go now.” This strange man just smiles at me and says, “ok Helmina. Have fun with Raul and Layla. I’ll see you Monday in class.” He then waved and walked away, leaving me scared and confused. Who was that guy and how did he know so much about me?

Once I am by Rauls side I ask him, “hey Raul do you know some guy named Iain?” Raul ponders the name for a while then asks, “not that I can think of. What does he look like?” “Homeless” is all I respond with, because that’s really the only I can think of to describe this man. Laughing Raul says, “I don’t know an Iain, and I don’t know anyone who looks homeless. Why do you ask?” “Well, this guy just walked up to me and he knew where I work and what happened there today. He also seemed to know you and Layla and that I was here with both of you. Then before he left he told me he would see me in class on Monday. It was all really weird Raul, I am glad I found you when I did.”

Raul stopped swaying to the beat at that point and looked at me with a look I haven’t seen too many times before. Looking at

8

me Raul says, “Helmina, this doesn’t sound good. You need to be careful, I don’t know this guy and I know Layla doesn’t know him either. This sounds serious, keep your eyes open and stay vigilant, ok Helmina?” “Ok Raul I promise I will be careful.” Dropping the conversation we go back to dancing and enjoying the party. We dance, drink, and laugh throughout the night.

Finally around three in the morning all three of us make our way back to my house, keeping our eyes open the whole way home. About half way back to my house Layla leans over and whispers in my ear, “hey, there is someone walking behind us. Could he be your homeless looking creep from the party?” I take a glance over my shoulder, and sure enough on the other side of the street there he is. He is walking the same way we are and I have no choice but to be suspicious of his motives for walking this way. Looking back and forth between Layla and Raul I say “What the hell? Yeah that’s the guy from the party. Why is he walking this way?” “Maybe he lives in this area too.” Raul suggests. I consider this and realize I have never seen him out this way. “I don’t think so Raul. I don’t remember ever seeing him out this way before.”

We make our way back to my place, I let Raul and Layla in first, as soon as I close the door I look out of the nearby window. Standing across the street Iain is staring at my apartment, then after a moment he turns and walks back the way we just came. What the hell is going on? I look at Raul and Layla and say, “this is freaking me out! That man from earlier just stared at my door then turned around and walked away. What is going on?” Raul and Layla look at each other for a long moment before either turns back to me. Layla says “ sweetie this all seems too strange.

9

If he keeps doing this crap turn him in to the police. Promise me you will do that if this continues.” “Ok I promise” I say as I make sure my door and all my windows are locked.

In the morning I get up and get some coffee in me as I check my text messages. After coffee I hop in the shower and get ready to head across town for my weekly dinner with the family. I wonder if dad is in town this week, I haven’t seen him the last few times I have been over because of his work trips. Before I leave I leave a note for Layla and Raul reminding them to lock up when they leave for the day. They both have keys to my place so I don’t ever bother waking them when they crash at my place. Heading to the bus stop I keep my eyes open for anything or anyone that might seem out of place. So far so good nothing seems out of the ordinary as I step on my bus.

When I get to my parents home using my key I let myself in only to find Iain sitting on the couch across from my mother. Stunned, I just stand there not knowing what to do. I look like a fish out of water with my mouth hanging open, because why the hell is this man in my parents house? “Oh, hi honey. I am glad your here, your friend Iain got here about a half hour ago. You finally invited a new friend home for me to meet.” My mother says as she gets up to give me a hug. Stuttering I say “b-b-b-but” However Iain is a step ahead of me and cuts me off saying, “I am so glad Helmina finally felt comfortable enough to have me over also.”

Today Iian looks different, he is in clean clothes, has showered, and his hair has been brushed and pulled back in a low ponytail. His skin is still pale and broken, and his hollow eyes have dark circles under them like he hasn’t slept in a few days.

10

Why is he here? Iain has made a good impression on my mom and I don’t know what to do about this situation. Trying to find a way to get this guy out of my parents house I ask mom “so hey where is dad? Is he home this weekend?” “Oh, no honey he is in New York this week.” she says shattering all my hope. Damn it! Since I cannot get Iain out of my mom’s house I secretly snap a picture of Iain and send it in a group message to Layla and Raul letting them know that this guys has made his way into mom’s house.

Mom wanders into the kitchen to make coffee for everyone so I take this chance to confront the stranger standing in front of me. “Dude, how the hell did you know where my parents live and why are you here?” I whisper yell at Iain. He gave me another one of those too toothy smiles and says, “I told you last night, we have known each other for so long how could I not know these things. And I am here because you invited me last night at the party.” “What do you mean we have known each other for a long time? Last night was the first time we met. And I never invited you to this house not last night or any other day.” Iain tilts his head to the side and says “oh, but you did invite me. I knew you wanted me here every time you looked for me last night. The invitation was there in your eyes the whole time.”

As mom makes her way back to the living room to escorte us to the kitchen the conversation between Iain and myself dies out. Mom leads Iain into the kitchen as I follow behind them trying to figure out what this man is doing. All of us sit down at the kitchen table and drink our coffee then eat dinner, all the while Iain and my mom are deep in conversation and I am just observing the whole thing. Every so often one of them will ask me something and I will respond but other than when I am

11

required to speak I remain quiet. Soon dinner is done and Iain makes his way home after he leaves I walk with mom to the living room. “Hey, mom, please don’t let Iain back in here.” Mom looks at me with a puzzled expression and asks, “why?” So I sit her down and explain the situation.

In the morning mom drops me off at my place on campus and waits for me to get into my door before she leaves. After I get inside and lock the door I look out of the window and sure enough there he is, standing on the sidewalk across the street staring at my door, then he walks away. This morning I have no time to worry about this creep that is following me, I have to get ready for my first day of my creative writing class.