CHP 10
Love and Hate
"Where are you going?"
I rolled over, stretching and caught a glimpse of Gar practically tripping over his own feet trying to get into a pair of oversized black shoes, while pulling his white night shirt over his head, exposing a lean muscular back.
"Gotta work today, and then I got class."
"Oh." I said flopping back against my bed, slamming a pillow over my eyes.
"Don't worry," He grinned. "I didn't forget. We're going apartment hunting when I get back and then... you owe me tonight."
I pulled the pillow away from my face revealing two hateful eyes. His grin grew eight times its original size.
"I didn't say yes."
"You didn't say no either."
I chucked a pillow at his head, but he was quickly out the door before it could make contact.
"Nice try." he laughed.
The hours raced by like an 8 cylinder Ford Mustang. They were filled with mostly anxiety and yesterday's headaches, nevertheless, they went quickly.
I was swamped with a cluster fuck of information with Dick's occasional text, Gar's constant random texts, and that letter from my psychotic father. I was right to avoid it until morning.
It read something along the lines of... Dear Rachel, Don't forget how I took care of your whoring pig of a mother. I can't wait to see you, we'll have plently of time to catch up, I miss you,
-Dad
Maybe it'd work out, my staying with Dick, if he was infact crazy he might kill my shit faced homicidal father, but I couldn't be so lucky.
"Rachel!"
My stepdad could be heard screaming over the banging washing machine in the kitchen downstairs.
"What!" I immediately hurried down the stairs as if the house had spontaneously burst into flames.
"Are you just going to sit in your room all day? Weren't you supposed to be going to a job interview or school interview or doing something with yourself besides sitting in my house all day burning up electricity?"
"Yeah, I'm going to that interview I mentioned..." I lied smoothly, turning my back to him as I grabbed a bottle of peach tea from the fridge and exited out the front door.
Behind me the screen slammed shut, as I clomped down the stairs and down the concrete drive way. I was defintely on my way somewhere, but it wasn't a job interview.
"How many tickets Miss?" The tall cashier starred down at his monitor while I was busy watching the two floating heads one line away from me.
"Uh..." I turned, "Just one second."
That ass hole. My eyes narrrowed into thin slits as I watched the two floating heads getting closer and closer. It was that brown haired girl again. The one I had saw Dick with the other day at the mall. This time she was laughing and twisting her hair and hitting him on the shoulder. Sickening. Seriously fucking sickening.
I turned away from them both, the corners of my lips drooping down a little lower than usual.
"Ma'am, there are others in line can you please just tell me how many tickets you need and what movie your seeing?"
"Oh," I nodded, shaking myself out of a stupor. "It's just one and I'm here for wicked scary three."
He handed me a ticket quickly, glad to get me out of the way, then several more customers bomb rushed him. All with screaming kids, loud, obnoxious screaming kids.
"I'm getting my tubes tied." I growled as a petite young mother spanked her wild tazmania devil who had thought it hilarious to run up behind her and raise her skirt in public. After his initial display, he had taken to other vicarious activities, spitting water on other paying customers while running around the lobby making monkey noises.
I thought about recycling the little monster, good for me and the environment, until I watched him spit water right in the face of Dick's not girlfriend.
With flaming eyes that would scare the devil, that sweet little brunette went off like a rocket. She cursed out Dick and then cursed out the mother of the kid. Fortunately I got front row seats as I waited in the concession line for a small bag of popcorn.
"He's a little kid, get over it, it's not that serious."
"THE HELL! That is disgusting, if he spit on you, you wouldn't be so nice."
"Like I said," Dick replied calmly, "he's just a little kid. Get over it Ashley."
Ashley sneered at him long enough to cause a seen. A few women turned around to gawk and of course, I pretended like I hadn't even seen him, and of course, he pretended like he handn't even seen me either. Taking my small bag of popcorn in one arm and my bottled water in the other I drug my feet toward theater 4. My movie wasn't showing for another 20 minutes, that and then there were fifteen minutes of previews... but at least this would eat up time. If I came back home too early my dad would ask questions and because lying wasn't necessarily something I liked, although I was good at it, he'd find out. It was amazing he hadn't found out about Gar yet.
Funny how as that thought popped into my head, his text lit up my screen.
Rache where ru ? Class was canceled, looks like we're going apartment hunting early.
I hit power saver mode on my screen when a large middle aged woman with bifocals and a blantanly obvious wig shot me a dirty look. Clearly she didn't understand there were still twenty minutes before the movie was supposed to start. She looked even more disgruntled when Dick and Ashley took a seat right next to her.
"I can't wait to see this." A near balding guy with a Dr. Who T-shirt said to her. She flared her nostrils turning to her husband.
"Jeff, it is rather crowded in this theater, Jeff!"
"Oh...er um eh,"
Her husband immediately stuffed his phone in his pocket, but she was already miffed. It didn't help matters that Ashley had slid over to Dick's lap and they were making out.
I sat there calmly eating my popcorn, too disturbed to respond to Gar's text, but too stubborn to admit I was aggrivated by the sceen infront of me. So I kicked the seat. I kicked the hell out of it, must have been all that pent up aggression, I thought as a faint smirk slid across my lips when Ashely slid off Dick's lap and colided with Sci fi guy.
She got up and both her and Dick had turned to me.
"I'm so sorry," I'm not sorry you asshole, I gave Dick a stale look and refused to look at Ashley altogether. "I accidentally dropped my phone and I bumped the seat when I went to pick it up."
Dick raised an eyebrow, but the rest of his face was just as bland as mine. Then my phone started buzzing, loud enough to draw the attention of sci-fi guy, wig lady, and the two tools.
"Uhh... I think I better get that." I slid out of the isle leaving a string of angry glares behind.
"What Gar?"
"What do you mean what, you didn't respond to my text?"
"It's only been 8 MINUTES."
"Since when did it ever take anyone 8 minutes to respond to a text?"
"I'm in a movie, stop being irritating."
"Fine, meet you the theater? I'm down the street from the mall anyway."
I groaned, crossing my arms, "Fine. Hurry up." It was already 10 minutes into the movie when Gar showed up at the enterance in his work unifrom.
"You're making us miss the movie."
"There was traffic." He whined.
"I don't care, I payed for this movie and I don't have much money to spare these days."
He got silent as we took our seats, unfortunately nearly everything was taken, but my orignal seat and and a few seats next to it.
"Wait a second," he whispered to me as the lights began to dim. "If you're broke, where'd you get the money for this movie?"
"Your jeans, you owe me rent." I smirked chewing a piece of popcorn as he pouted next to me.
He snatched a handful of popcorn out of my bag as the previews erupted, Beaver Red and Scary,
as if they couldn't have come up with a more obnoxious title for the comedy. A picture of a red head in a bikini popped up on the screen next to the R rating and a few young guys chuckled at the end of the trailer. Five more trailers showed before the intro to Wicked Scary started. By then Ashley and Dick had gone back to kissing, and right infront of Gar's view.
He twisted his face in irritation before tossing a piece of popcorn at the couple. I just sat there quietly smirking when they both turned around.
"Is there a problem?" Dick asked in a stern tone.
"Yeah, dude, you and that chick are blocking the view. Can you guys get a hotel or something?"
"Maybe you should grow a few inches." said Dick.
Gar gave him the bird and got up, grunting as he attempted to squeeze past me, " Sorry Rache, gotta get around you for a second."
At the sound of my name Dick did a sort of double take and then he quickly turned back around tending to Ashley.
Gar's Dickies got caught between my knee and the seat for a second and he struggled to break free.
"You tryin to get a cheap feel or somethin?"
"Just shut up and watch the movie."
"Wadidcha think?"
"I think... I want a refund. Those were the cheapest special effects I have ever seen. The blood looked like ketchup. What about you?"
He pulled his lips back in an exaggerated grimace that fused into a mischevious grin. "I think... that I might need to sleep in your bed tonight, wicked scary might bite off a hunk of my ass in that closet."
"Yeah right, I wouldn't go to bed with you if you were the last guy on earth."
He looked at me sideways, "Who said anything about sharing a bed with you? I was thinkin you could play look out while I sleep." He laughed, stopping to pull up his pants as we walked toward the food court. Then stopped half way in his tracks and did a 180 turn in the other direction.
"What?" I scrunched my nose. "Why did you just turn around like that?"
"Uh, no reason." He scratched the back of his neck, a dead give away to his lie.
"Did you see someone you know or something? Is it Kori?"
"No, no," He shook his head trying to duck down as he slinked away. "Can we just go eat somewhere else?"
"Well I did want a tomato and mozzerala sandwich from Lala's Bakery but... if you insist."
"I insist!" He grabbed my hand, yanking me toward the exit, but a girl's voice screamed Gar at the back of our heads.
"Oh screaming fuck," he snarrled under his breath before turning to face her with a plastic grin.
"Hey babe."
"Babe? Cut the shit Gar, I haven't seen you for weeks. I know you're avoiding me I'm not stupid. And when I finally run into you, I catch you with some other girl."
"Who? Gar twisted his face in bewilderment. To this, the lanky blonde with hip-length pin straight hair folded her boney arms over her boy chest. "OOOOhhh, you mean Rache, she doesn't count as a girl." He snickered ribbing me. "She's my therapy buddy."
"LIKE HELL SHE IS! WHAT KIND OF THERAPY GAR! SEX THEREAPY?"
"Eh he he, good one Terra, ha, sex therapy, ha ha..."
"I'm fuckin pissed right now Gar, you were supposed to have my money, then you disappear for three weeks. I want my money now."
"FYI Terra, I didn't disappear for three weeks I got put in drug rehab. And it wasn't your money it was our money, and it was drug money. I don't do that anymore. I'm trying to get clean, rehab, get it."
"I don't give a flying fuck, I want the money back that I gave you. All $500 dollars."
"I'll give it to you the first check I get, I swear."
She paused for a moment, thinking. "Fine." She turned to walk away, back to a table where a large group of 20 somethings sat eating burger king, but before she did she ran up to Gar and squeezed his butt. Then whispered, "skanky bitch." in my direction before twirking her saggy pancake back to her table.
"Well she's nice..." I deadpanned.
"Yeah." Gar grumbled, resting his head in his palm.
"Why don't you just break up with her?"
"Would love to, would be thrilled to, but you heard her, I owe her money. Let's just put it this way. Terra has friends that are my enemies. I piss her off, I get knocked off. Now, is not the right time to break up with her."
"I get the feeling you've been saying that a while."
He sighed. Can we just get out of here and grab something at that little diner I took you to the other night. We should hurry if we want to see a few apartments before it gets dark."
"Alright," I agreed, shoving my hands into my jean pockets as we walked side by side out the front door. "But just so you know, I still haven't agreed to move in with you."
We finished at the diner by 2pm and still had 3 hours to see the apartments. It was starting to get a little warm in the car so Gar decided to strip.
"Really, I do not enjoy seeing your boobs."
"Heeey! I don't have man boobs, I'm 100% muscle."
"Yeah, but your nipples are still looking at me and I'm not happy about it."
He rolled his eyes and rolled down the window at the same time as we pulled into the first apartment complex.
"Please, you're no virgin."
I glared at him before stepping out onto the asfault.
"So what do you think?"
I glanced around at the tall palm trees and small fountain infront of the leasing office. The apartments were all stacked neatly into three story units that extended at least two acres back. Each of the units were painted off white with olive green and beige accents.
"It's alright." I shrugged, in toe behind him.
My first impression of the leasing office was good. It seemed spacious and clean and the leasing agent had a smile on her face and tended to us immediately. We asked her all the typical questions, what's the cheapest 2 bedroom floor plan you have? When is the earliest move in date, and what sort of ammenities are available? Etc. She gave reasonable answers to all of our questions and everything was looking good, that is, until she showed us the unit we would be staying in.
Immediately we were hit with the smell of stale air and mold when she opened the door. Gar turned up his nose and asked about the smell, but she just laughed and disregarded it, completely oblivious to our uneasiness until 2 plump roaches tap danced across her feet. The woman went hysterical and nearly fainted. It was at that point Gar told her, "thank, but no thanks," and we left.
"Did you see that woman's face when that roach jumped on her foot?" Gar broke out into a hysterical fit laughing, banging a hand on the steering wheel as he pulled out of the parking lot.
I was completely phased out of the conversation, watching as streams of text from an unknown number began flooding my inbox. I looked up, stuffing the phone into my pocket immediately.
"This place is a definite no." Gar added.
I starred out the window expressionless. "Alright, so where to next?"
Gar raised an eyebrow, "What's with you? Can't take a joke?"
"I can, I just don't feel like laughing right now."
"What's a matter?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Is it the Penis? I mean Dick?" He bit back a grin.
"No."
"Then what?" He took on a more serious tone as we pulled into the next apartment.
"I can't talk about it with you."
"You haven't even tried." He said, shutting the door to his side. "Aren't we supposed to be "therapy buddies", he did air quotes.
"Tell you what, you save it for tonight. I told you I haven't forgotten about our talk. You're not getting out of it, specially since you bailed on me for the D last night."
"Shut up."
He laughed again as we walked into the leasing office and I grummbled under my breath. "I knew your voice of concern wouldn't last. You can't stay serious for more than two seconds. Pain in my ass."
"Is there something I can help you with?" The leasing agent gave us a worried look as if we were about to start a robbery. She was an older woman with platinum strands clipped neatly behind her head and a set of thick rimmed librarian glasses.
"Um, uh, we're just interested in seeing what types of two bedrooms you have available."
"Oh," She smiled. "Actually, we don't have two bedrooms here, just one bedrooms and studios, but our one bedrooms are rather spacious. Would you and your wife like to-
"Woa," Gar put up both hands to stop her. "She is not my wife."
"I see." The woman turned up her nose. "Would you and your... girlfriend like to see-."
"Not my girlfriend either."
"Well then." She snorted, giving me a raised eyebrow. "Would you and your friend like to see what we have available."
"Yeah why no-"
"Actually we're only interested in two bedroom apartments so no." I gave her a snotty half hearted smile before walking out. Gar just shrugged and followed me out leaving the woman with her hands on her hips, staring out the double wide glass doors as we left.
"We could make it work with a one bedroom if they are big like she said. You could have the room and I'd stay in the living room on a pull out couch, no big. I mean she could have at least showed it to us."
"I didn't like her and I don't like this place."
"You wouldn't even have to see her and you didn't even see the apartment."
"I don't care. I'm not in the mood for this apartment hunting thing anymore. I just want to go home."
"Really?" He squinted at me, pausing to lick his dry lips as we got back into the car. "You're ready to go back to your house and deal with your abusive foster dad already?"
"Shut up Gar he's not abusive. I yanked open the car door, getting in and slamming it shut. "You don't even know abusive. He's a saint compared to my real dad."
Gar became silent and his face stone cold. "Alright, fine. I'll take you back home. We can do this some other time I guess."
It got deathly quiet in the car for a few minutes as we drove past several empty fields. I watched the white lines on the highway until I started getting car sick, and when I looked up I saw a car I recognized.
"Is this guy stalking us?" Gar groaned.
"He's waving us down, I think he wants us to pull over."
"You've gotta be kidding,"
Gar jerked the car to the side of the road so that we were situated next to a corn field, luckly there was no traffic when he did it. Dick pulled right infront of us, the opposite direction.
"I just drove Ashley home and I saw you guys and I wanted to catch you before five. This guy I know, he talked to the manager at this apartment complex that's like five miles from here, Sunset boulevard, he said he'd lease the apartment to me for half price, but only if we put a hold on it by five today."
"What do you mean we?" asked Gar.
" I meant Rachel and myself." Dick sneered. "But since you're driving her, I guess you come to."
"Fantastic," Gar threw his hands in the air marching back to the car, "glad I could be your damn chauffeur!"
He sat in the car with his arms crossed over his chest waiting for my conversation to end.
"Alright." I shrugged. "I hope this doesn't take long."
"It won't." Dick said patting me on the shoulder. "thanks." He glanced back over his shoulder with a confident smirk.
Watching him get into his car, I wondered what made him think he could touch me? He was so confident, so sure of himself, cocky bastard. I hated his impassivity. He asked for things he already knew he could have and then simply moved on with mocking indifference.
"Ready to go?" Gar asked, his lips pursed like he's been sucking on a lemon.
"Yes."
Gar switched on the radio to drown out the bitter silence, while I stared out the window counting white lines again, five miles couldn't have seemed any longer.
By the time we got out of the car I felt like I'd need to puke from staring at white lines for so long, but I restrained myself. Straightening back up when Dick pulled in next to us.
All three of us walked into the leasing office in silence, noone wearing a smile. I sat down in a love seat near the window, while Gar sat in a single across from me, and Dick stood with his arms folded over his chest, brooding as usual.
"I'll be right with you." said a man's voice from behind a tall white pillar that blocked the view to his office.
He walked out to greet us five minutes later laughing and smiling as he escoreted a familiar red head to the door. I was dumbstruck and I couldn't resist the urge to sneak a peek at Gar to see if he was too.
The face I was reading was a mixture of uneasiness mingled with aggravation.
"Hello again," Kori smiled at us.
"Hi," I said blandly.
"Hi," Gar echoed me, but with a hint of irritation.
Dick just raised an intrigued eyebrow at her, scratching his stubbly chin.
"Ya'll know eachother?" The leasing agent asked smiling. He was a tall dark skinned man, with a warm and friendly demeanor. He looked about twenty four or so.
"You could say that." Gar grummbled.
"That's cool. hey, we have four bedroom apartments if you guys are interested. It's way cheaper and we're running a special. I have a model available to show if you want to take a look?"
Dick, Gar, Kori and I glanced at eachother with blank expressions before Dick responded.
"Yeah sure, I mean, might as well see what's available. " He gave a faint smile. "What's your name by the way?"
"Oh my bad man, name's Victor, and you?"
"Richard, but I just go by Dick for short. It's easier that way."
"Yeah, and I bet girls like it better too."
Dick smirked, "Man, you have no idea."
They both laughed and then Victor signaled for the rest of him to follow him. "Aren't you that guy I'm supposed to give a special half priced rate to? My uncle called me and said a friend of his had a friend that needed a special discounted price."
"Yeah, that's me."
"That's nice bro, that means you four would get two discounts if ya'll decide to move with eachother."