Author's Note: Welcome to my 20th story! I'm excited to write this one because it's a little different from the others I have written. I hope you enjoy it!
Hyde follows Chrissy out of the beat up van and is thankful to finally be able to stretch his limbs. After multiple hours on the road and going from one cheap motel to another, they have finally reached their destination. They stand in front of a tall, gray building, gathering the few belongings they have. Hyde takes a look around at his new home, and is quickly reminded of how low on the totem pole he is. Garbage bags are in a huge pile on the left side of the building's entrance, loud obnoxious music is blaring from every direction and there are many gum wads stuck on the floor. Guess it's true what Kitty said, people in New York do spit on the ground.
"Welcome home" Chrissy says, a smirk on her face. She grabs her duffel bag from the ground and leads him inside and up five flights of stairs to a red door. The red pain is chipping and a sticker indicating the apartment number: 1D. Chrissy knocks loudly on the door and is greeted by a tall guy, his hair is long and frazzled and his brown shirt and tattered brown hair lets Hyde assume that he's either unemployed or too cheap to buy decent clothes.
After leaning over and giving Chrissy a hug, the guy steps aside and waves them into the apartment. Once inside, Hyde scans the room, taking in every detail about the small apartment he will now be calling home. Every wall is nearly covered in posters, from Led Zeppelin to Bob Dylan. Ashtrays sat on top of nearly every surface of the room, many of them nearly filled to the rim. The one thing Hyde immediately picks up on is the haziness in the air. It's a familiar haze and he can't help but think of home. As he takes in the rest of the place, he comes to the conclusion that he will like it here. Over by the living room, five people sit on a long couch passing two blunts among them. Chrissy and the tall, frazzled haired guy walk over to them and they take turns introducing themselves to Hyde.
Sitting down with them for a few minutes, Hyde discovers that these people are his roommates. He's taken aback at first, not understanding how so many people can fit in the small apartment. Not wanting to seem like a square, he decides not to question it and instead get a feel of their personalities. Besides being obvious dope heads, he finds out three of them are unemployed, and two are a couple who apparently do nothing but fight and have loud sex.
Chrissy and Hyde are then shown to the bedroom, a small, blank space not bigger than his apartment back home in Point Place. A twin size bed takes up most of the space and an empty dresser stands just far enough from the window to allow a bit of light to fill the room. Chrissy walks into the room first and throws her bag aside. She jumps on the bed, laughing historically as she bounces on it. Hyde smirks and follows suit, making sure to land on top of her.
"We should have a protest to christen this new bed" she says, not so subtly.
"Hell yeah" Hyde responds and hungrily starts kissing her neck. A mix of perfume and sweat fill his taste buds and he can't control his urge to take her. He has finally met a girl who is just like him, rebellious, spontaneous and not wanting to get attached. Even though they will be living together, they have established their "single-hood."
Thinking about how easy she gives herself to him turns him on and he is quickly pulling up her t-shirt and working his hands down her body.
An hour later, they throw on their clothes and walk outside of the bedroom to join their roommates for a few joints. As they claim a spot on the couch, they quickly become part of the circle. Hyde listens on as these people talk about their shit jobs, or lack of one, the corruption in the government and all things anarchy. He nods his head in agreement and occasionally chimes in. He tells them about life in the Midwest. From the conformists and lack of opportunity for the poor working man, he fills them in on the struggles of his teenage existence.
His friends back home never understood his ideologies. Donna came the closest, but even she went home to a beautiful home and none of his ideas applied to her. Then, to come across the country and meet these strangers who truly get him, makes him feel good.
Later that night, while Hyde and his roommate Joey are sitting around talking, someone who Hyde hadn't seen yet walks in. Joey immediately introduces him as Zeke, the person who leases the apartment and rents out the rooms. Zeke takes a seat on a nearby chair and instantly joins the conversation. Hyde quickly bonds with him over their love of Zeppelin and hatred of the "man."
It doesn't take long for Hyde to realize that Zeke is more radical than the rest of his roommates, or anyone he's ever met. Zeke engages Hyde and Joey in a conversation about civil liberties and expresses his dislike of pacifist leaders and shows a strong devotion to Malcolm X's early philosophies as well as the Black Panther Party.
"We can't have equality when pansy ass people are in power. The only way to get things done is to say fuck the government and get rid of as many people as you need to" Zeke forcefully says.
Hyde sits back and is impressed by Zeke's political stance.
"The white man only wants to keep us suppressed man. And I'm not talking about you 'cause you seem like a cool cat, but the ones who walk around in their fancy suits acting all uppity and shit. Man, fuck them, you know?" Zeke continues, bringing his fist down on the table.
Once again, Hyde nods in appreciation for finally finding someone willing to stand by their position, no matter how controversial it is.
After a few more minutes of discussing radical ideas and what solutions are available to change the way things are, the three men start their own circle. As the haziness around them increases and their words become more slurred, Hyde can't believe everyone was so against him coming to New York. This is where he belongs. This is where he'll prosper.