Run, Valor

Chapter 4: Making Friends... or not

That night, I din't sleep. And that night, something creepy happened. Again.

After the weird hair flipping, like a normal human being, I didn't have the courage to sleep. Even blinking seemed to long. It wasn't really something you'd expect to happen the first day you occupy an apartment in the middle of a town where people seem so... different.

When I opened my eyes, I did not see anyone, at all. I searched the room, under the bed, the kitchen, even in the cupboards for extra security. Just to prove that there was no one there (I don't know if that's honestly better), I also looked under the stairs. I checked all the windows and surprisingly, they're all locked. Then came the ghost hunting, then being afraid, and then fatigue.

As I was about to sleep, someone knocked on my door. Two in the morning, someone's casually knocking on a new tenant in an apartment which does not really appear on the map. So if I die here, then it wasn't a good life at all. I still wanted to at least try swimming on a lake even once. God.

I did not speak as I went to the door. The knocking did not stop, even increasing the intensity after each second passes. It was as if someone's getting impatient. "Impatient to kill me," I muttered to entertain myself.

I took three deep breaths, and only then did I have the courage to even touch the door handle. As I did, the knocking magically stopped. As if it knew when I laid my hands on the cold metal, and that I'm coming up their ass.

Silence followed after. Nothing happened then, and I got less than an hour of sleep. It would actually come up to about four if closing your eyes and overthinking counts.

Finally, the rising sun shined perfectly on my window. It sure did wake me up. That's the start of my normal day. Or so I wished.

Compensating for my zombie-like face is my carefully chosen outfit: sweats and shorts. They're not even paired. One's dirty white, not its original color, and one's green. Sure look presentable for my first meeting with my neighbors. Hopefully they won't be my neighbors long enough that I'd need to remember their birthdays.

The idea of the coffee shop and barista I saw yesterday was the first thing to put me in a good mood. Not a lot of good omens today, really. 

As I get out, luck literally flies away. I stepped on s**t. I mean, s**t. "What's s**t doing in my door?" I groaned, frustrated over my very white shoes and its new blend of color. I heard someone drop something, and I saw a girl not so far away from my place. Planning to say hi to me, I think. 

Thinking that way, I tried to initiate the conversation. "Hi!" I greeted her. And when I tried to wave, I leaned on my left side, which means my left foot, stuck on s**t, is now two inches deeper. 

"Son of a s**t! Whoever placed this s**t in front of my door will never see the sunset," I furiously said. It was almost a scream, thank goodness I'm still on low battery mode after that all nighter I pulled.

Not even seconds later, I heard sobs from my back. The lady, who's now holding her cat, is sobbing like a child. Literally.

"Are... are you okay?" Was all I could say. She ran after that question. Didn't really probe more as her slamming the door was enough evidence that she's really upset. Can't really think of good reasons to pry. Whoever made that girl cry, he's gonna see hell.

And now back to the s**t on my shoes. The problem is, it's not just the s**t sticking on my foot now. The whole container, (yes, whoever did this had the time to put it in a nice container), is sticking with it. I have no choice but to push the plastic away, even if it means killing my sense of smell. It's not really my best asset, so I won't be suffering that much loss.

As I lean closer to the problem, I realized something. It never smelled funny. Even with my faint olfactory functions, I would smell s**t 10 inches away from me. And this, literally, is on me. 

All my confusion went away when I smelled a very sweet, chocolatey flavor from the thing I've been calling s**t. So... it's just brownies. 

"Great," I muttered. "I mean, not great, considering my shoes," I continued talking to myself. And yet again, I heard someone from behind. What is it with my neighbors and why do they all seem to get up a little too early for a town without much going on?

"Geez, that's such a waste. I like brownies," someone said after laughing. Finally, I got the container away from my shoe, but I realized it would be better to walk on them while changing my shoes than walk using my dirty shoe. And so I returned it. 

"Bummer," that someone said again. This time, I looked back. And boy, oh boy, it sure was worth it. A hunk just graced my morning. Is this the heaven's way of calming me after all this mess? 'Cause it sure does its job well.

"Hey?" he asked and waved on my face. "Oh, sorry," I said. "You, uh, look familiar so I was shocked."

Excuses, Valor.

"Really? I don't think we've met before. You're the new tenant, right?" he asked. I nodded in response. "Cool, it's nice to have new faces once in a while," he said. I didn't know how to reply to that. It just proved one of my fears: isolation. 

I know I am hiding, and I know a place like Raven is the ideal spot since it's not really a tourist spot, but I'm an extrovert myself and I really like getting to know new friends. I just hope there's enough people here to keep me entertained. And by enough people. I mean people with substance, with personality. And less weird, if possible. Else, I might just start talking to the wall.

"So," I said to break the awkward silence. "What did you mean by bummer?" I asked. "Oh nothing, I just thought if you didn't realize you could walk with the container then you'd be cleaning the whole day. Isn't that a great start for a new house?" he teased. I rolled my eyes, but immediately realized it was wrong. I wanted to apologize for rolling my eyes at him, but it went awkward when his smile gradually disappeared after my unconscious body language. 

I roll my eyes at friends, for a joke, and I did it to him though we're not really friends, yet. I'll work on that, but I don't see much hope as I watch him go out after awkwardly waving to me. I hope I did not anger him, I have plans related to him after all.

After cleaning and fixing my new shoes, I finally had the chance to get out of the building. The landlady greeted me with a sour look, and whispered very loudly. "What a slacker, who wakes up after 8 AM? Kids these days will never know..."

It was not worth it to reply to her mutterings, so I decided to head to the coffee shop. The smell lingered in my mind as I enter. A mellow instrumental music is playing, and there's a bit of customers in here. Actually, not a bit. There's a lot. I can only spot one seat not occupied, and it's in front of the bar. That's cool, it's like a pub for caffeine. 

"Hey," I called the man I saw yesterday. He looked at me and smiled a bit. He finished taking his current customer's order and went up to me to greet. "How's your day? Is Revan getting in your system?" he asked. I laughed, not knowing how to answer his first question. "I'm not feeling it yet, haven't had any good things happen. You know, I was actually arrested first thing after I arrived in Revan. Hell of a new home, ain't it?" I babbled. He didn't seem to mind my shotgun mouth. 

"Well, that's one for the bucket list. Wait here, I'll make a coffee that will make you see the vibrant town called Revan. It's pretty strong," he said. I smiled and let him do his job. I looked around the coffee shop, and it's really small. No wonder it gets full easily. There's no space outside either. It would be a great place to just sit and read a book, as if there's no one after your life.

Come to think of it, I think I've been doing great since I came here. Yes, there were bad things like that hair dangling at 2 AM and the brownies I stepped on. But here we are, alive and breathing. Not even thinking of the thugs searching for me.

Wait. There's one more scenario I've left out.

"Here's your coffee," the barista said, interrupting my train of thoughts. "Ah yes, thanks. Are you sure this coffee represents this town? 'Cause well, I know a good coffee," I teased him. He just laughed and motioned the cup. I took a sip, and his confidence sure does stand up. It's a damn good coffee, one that I'd actually visit even for a a half hour drive. 

"Now that's some coffee," I praised him. His smile stayed. It didn't even falter, not a bit. Boy's very confident in his skills. "Where did you study? I bet your school is exclusive," I asked. "Not really, I'd say I'm homeschooled. My mom taught me, she's the true barista. I'm just here, doing coffee, wearing apron, and making people smile," he replied, looking away as if he remembered something. 

"Well, you're now my favorite barista in town, Mr.?" 

"Call me Reese," he said. "Okay Reese, sure did wake me up. Let's hope it stays that way for a long time, or I'd be here all day every day."

I enjoyed my coffee in peace while appreciating the interior of the place. The combination of wood, black, and green plants sure does calm me down. That's a good coffee shop right here. If I were a tourist, I'd come for this coffee shop every time I visit this place. Not really the best view outside with all the small buildings, but the solemn music and cozy interior is enough to keep me calm from what ever curse is put on me.

"Reese! Oh my gosh, you won't believe what happened this morning! The new tenant, she's a freak!" a lady barged in from the back and started rambling. The "new tenant" part seem familiar, and true enough, it was one of my neighbor. The weird one who cried for no apparent reason. 

I bowed my face, wanting to hear more. She's not speaking when she realized how jampacked they are, and with Reese fulfilling an order, I don't think he's ready to listen. 

"Okay, what is it again?" Reese asked after serving two customers. They went closer to my spot, near the machine, and she started talking again. "The new tenant on our apartment, she's very... weird! Freaky! Ungrateful! Uh, freak!" she basically shouted again. Reese shushed her and let her continue, "And why is that?". He asked her that question and I'm over her thinking, did he really forget I'm here? Am I that forgettable?

"Well, for starters, she ruined my brownies! They were freshly baked! You know I give brownies to newcomers, and she stepped on them!" she cried while limiting her voice. I can almost taste her despise from here.

"Then, she also called it s**t! She shouted s**t, s**t, and s**t! In my face!" 

"Hey, I did not shout it on your face!" I butted in, not being able to control my mouth. She looked very shock, her mouth even forming an O. She started getting fidgety and seemed nervous. She should get nervous when she's spreading lies about someone else. 

"I--" my sentence got cut off when she fainted, literally.