Kim drove with the small sound of the car's radio keeping her company. She was so exhausted and the ride to her small apartment seemed like it was taking forever. She mindlessly tapped her fingers against the steering wheel to the tune on the radio. Anything to keep herself from nodding off while the car was in motion. Finally, she thought as she pulled up to the building. She rushed out of the car and was barely able to walk upstairs, but she mustered all her strength and got to her floor. I hate those stairs, she told herself.
She could hear the hallelujah chorus in her head singing when she finally got inside of the apartment. She quickly undid her shoelaces and kicked off her shoes. A powerful yawn rocked through her as she made her way into the bathroom. God, she just needed a nice, hot shower. If the hot water was even working this evening. She turned on the shower and climbed inside, sighing at the comforting feel of the warm water. Just what the doctor ordered, she thought to herself.
Work had been a complete bitch today. Well, her boss was a complete bitch today. Kim believed he actually enjoyed making the employees suffer. Tom was crazy and there was nothing they could do about it considering his father was the owner of the store they worked at. She would just have to suck it up and deal with his little power trips until a better opportunity came along. Work had completely wiped her out and she wasn't even able to see Anita, who seemed to be wasting away.
Kim hadn't even lathered up her favorite body wash when she suddenly heard a noise coming from somewhere in the apartment. Her imagination? No, because she suddenly heard it again. What was that? Voices? Maybe it was her neighbors. No, because the noises sounded closer.
"Hello?" she yelled out, suddenly feeling like she was in some slasher flick. She heard some more noises coming from a room close to the bathroom. She turned off the shower water and quickly reached over to grab her large towel. She wrapped it securely around her body and slowly opened the bathroom door. She felt like the stupid victim in a horror movie who went somewhere to investigate a strange noise.
"Hello?" she asked again but quieter. Suddenly her throat felt really dry. She crept cautiously out of her bathroom and walked down the hall and into the living room. Her eyes suddenly bulged out when she saw the figure sitting on her couch like he owned the place.
"Hello there, sweetness. You don't look so happy to see me," he chuckled, tilting his head and inspecting Kim's wet body.
"Reaper?" she said staring at him in disbelief. Why the hell was he here?
"In the flesh," he replied, raising his arms and pointing to his body.
Kim walked into the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife from one of the drawers. She spun around and pointed it in his direction. She was breathing heavy, scared of what she would do with that knife in about twenty seconds if he didn't leave.
"Whoa, whoa, sweetness calm down." Reaper hurried to his feet, watching her closely. He held up his hands and waited for her to lower the knife.
"What the fuck are you doing in my apartment, Reaper? How'd you get in here?" she rushed out.
"Kimberly Monee Barns, I didn't raise you to use that kind of language, or to threaten our company," a familiar voice scolded. She looked behind the man with the doo-rag on and then at her mother. She dropped the knife and walked into the living room.
"Mommy?" She didn't even give her mother time to respond because she rushed into the living room and into her mother's waiting arms. She squeezed her mother tightly, fearing she'd disappear if she let her go. She didn't even realize she was crying until she felt her mother wipe her tears away.
"Hey, what's all this about. I've only been gone for a couple weeks," her mom said, rubbing Kim's back.
Kim loosened her grip and looked at her mother like she was crazy and whispered, "Mom, you've been gone for almost six months." She held onto her mother for a few more minutes before finally letting go.
"Isn't that sweet? Kimmy, Miss Independent, missed her mama," Reaper mocked with a small laugh. Kim looked at him and rolled her brown eyes.
"I bet you can't even spell 'independent,' Reaper," she spat back at him. Kim looked into her mother's eyes and asked, "Why is he here, mom?"
Kim's mother smiled and looked at Reaper. "Because I invited him, silly. Actually, he's moving in," she replied nonchalantly.
"What? No, he can't move in here. This is our place and the last thing we need is him bring a bunch of crack heads and junkies in here!"
"Kim, I'm sure we can work this out. I know we've never really gotten along…," Reaper started.
"Yeah, no shit Sherlock, it might have something to do with the fact that you treat my mother like your fucking doormat." Kim was pissed. She couldn't believe her mother was letting him move in. Not only would he bring junkies but he'd also bring cops.
Kim's mother slapped her arm, not hard but enough to make the flesh sting. "Watch your mouth, young lady."
Kim's little outburst had apparently pissed off Reaper because he took a few speedy steps and was inches away from her. He grabbed her face with his fingers and pointed at her. Kim tried to put up a good front and pretend like she wasn't scared, but her tears were giving her away. Reaper was a psycho and that was a fact everyone knew.
"Now you listen to me, I'm moving in whether you like it or not. We will be civilized to each other for your ma's sake and we will act like a happy fucking family. So, you keep your rude fucking comments to yourself, or I swear to God I'll beat your ass so badly you'll be feeling pain til your thirty. Clear?"
Kim looked at him with so much hate. If she could, she'd be like Carrie and crucify his ass mentally like Carrie did her crazy mother. If only she had telekinetic abilities or whatever Carrie had.
"Crystal," she said through clenched teeth. Reaper pushed her down to the ground and Kim knew that he could probably see her underneath the towel. She quickly closed her legs and got to her feet with as much dignity as she could.
"Go make me a sandwich, baby," Reaper commanded, slapping her mother's ass. "And you," he said, pointing at Kim, "can call me your new daddy," he said with a small smile.
Kim rolled her eyes and walked away in a hurry. She practically ran into her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. She quickly got dressed and sat down on her bed. She buried her face in one of her pillows and without holding anything back, she screamed. She screamed over and over again and finally cried. God, she hated him and she thought her mother was stupid for being involved with him. This night was the worst.
*********
Justin walked the halls leading to his dorm room, barely keeping his eyes open. He was so freaking exhausted and couldn't wait to get some shut eye. He'd been up all night preparing for an exam –that lasted until a quarter after noon– and got less than an hour of sleep. He was so tired that he didn't even bother changing his clothes before he left. So, instead he took his test in his Homer Simpson pajama pants and white shirt displaying someone's middle finger. His attire earned him a few snorts and giggles but he honestly didn't care. He just really wanted to go to bed.
It was only the end of October and college was already kicking his ass. The courses were tough and the professors were demanding. It was always assignment after assignment and he barely had time to himself. Sometimes he just felt like quitting and going back to Cali but he could always count on Kim to encourage him to stay in school and stay strong. She was his little motivational speaker. The thought of Kim brought a small smile to Justin's tired features.
When he actually had time off, he spent it with his new roommate, Cole, and some other people he met on campus. They would go to some of the parties that the upperclassmen were throwing or hang around any place that could keep them entertained. Justin found that most, if not all, the parties were mediocre compared to the ones back home, but they kept his stress levels down a few notches.
Justin walked into his room following his afternoon class and immediately kicked off his slippers. He got so excited at the sight of his bed that he breathed out an audible sigh of relief. He wasted no time in climbing into bed and under the warmth of his comforter. God, it was chilly in his room.
He thought about Kim and wondered if she was thinking of him too. It was probably ten o'clock back in California and she had the day off. Maybe she decided to sleep in like she normally did when she wasn't working. What was she dreaming of? Was she dreaming of him? Those were the last few things that ran through his head before sleep finally conquered him.
