Friday morning came swiftly with the promise of another busy work day. Tori got out of bed grudgingly and turned the TV on to the news so she could listen in while she got ready, but the local newscast for that morning was unprecedented. A deep voice that was obviously not the normal, bubbly blonde anchor filled the room and caught her attention so she stopped and turned towards the flatscreen to see what was going on.
" (...) and more riot-like gatherings have broken out in some parts of the west coast. President Jennings addressed the nation again last night and reminded viewers to 'be vigilant in these times and to prepare for the worst.' The stock market hasn't crashed like this since 1987 and the fear of losing everything has brought out a madness in many people."
Tori felt a little ball of panic burn hotly in her stomach at the images on the screen. Large groups of people were descending on the downtown areas of their cities, looting stores and setting car fires. Many people were fighting in the streets and gunshots were heard more than a couple times. A camera crew had witnessed a woman stabbing a man in broad daylight to take his car after hers had seemingly been torched or stolen and no one around her even hinted at making a move to stop her.
"More pockets of violence are springing up every day and the growth rate doesn't seem to be slowing down any. This network would like to advise viewers to stock up on provisions ASAP and stay inside if at all plausible. We're very realistically on the verge of a full scale, country-wide riot and everyone here at KLIP wishes for your safety and the return of the market in a timely manner. Stay tuned for your local forecast."
The images of street brawls and looting quickly vanished and left Tori standing shaken in the middle of her living room. Apparently the stock market had bottomed out and people were starting to panic and cause disturbances. What had happened to cause this in the first place? There wasn't a whole lot of information on the subject other than what the CNN ticker at the bottom of the screen held, saying that the DOW had closed down two thousand points and not a single other stock had closed with a profit. The odd video clip here and there showed business executives like those of Goldman-Sachs leaving their posts and flying out of the country with their families in tow, most likely heading to some tropical island where the fate of the US was out of their worry.
Time was running short and Tori knew that she couldn't let the news scare her so she threw on her jacket and headed out. Her phone beeped softly, reminding her that she had forgotten to charge it the night before so she plugged it into the car charger to give a boost on the drive to work. When it turned back on it beeped again with the notice of a new text message so Tori grabbed it quickly to check.
You see the news? I hope our families are OK. -D
The text suddenly made Tori fearful that her family could be in real danger. Surely if something big was going on it would burn white-hot in a place like Hollywood. A lot of people from the surrounding areas would flood in to loot the stores in the area and put the residents in danger, meaning her family could be injured or possibly worse if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Being thousands of miles away didn't really help her anxiety but Tori managed to calm herself down with the reminder that her father was a police officer and would be well equipped to keep them safe. A quick flick of the wrist and her car roared to life, kicking cold air into her face since the heater hadn't warmed up yet. Outside a few dumpster dogs, rats the size of which you wouldn't believe unless you saw with your own eyes, scurried from behind one dumpster to another. No matter where you lived in the city these critters were a part of the landscape same as buildings.
Tori pulled forward, careful not to run over any of the rats, and headed towards work once more. She thought of texting Diana some words of encouragement but every time she thought of what the message she'd received said she couldn't help but get lost in thoughts of her family being hurt. It wasn't Diana's fault of course, she had actually done Tori a favor by opening her mind to that part of the reality of the situation, reminding her to call her parents and keep an eye on the developments on the west coast. It's easy to forget that your family isn't easily accessible after you've been away from home for a while. She grabbed her phone and recorded a voice note to remind herself to call her mom that afternoon and set the time for five o'clock.
As usual Matthew was already at the store and setting up for the day when Tori arrived. Another man in tan khakis and a black collared shirt was standing next to him with a clipboard and a scanning device, and Tori assumed he was a delivery man. A few large boxes sat unopened next to the counter in the middle of the store so she decided to clock in early and get to work. Matthew finished signing for the stock and grabbed a box himself, heading towards the entertainment section to shelve some DVDs.
"Hey lady, did you get lucky last night?"
"Seriously? We just met, who do you think I am?"
"Obviously I had you mistaken for someone mysterious and exciting." Matthew smiled at his joke, knowing Tori was giving him a dirty look on the other side of the store. "So if you didn't get tongue twisted, what did you do?"
"It really is no wonder why you don't have a girlfriend." said Tori while she restocked a few copies of Mariah Carey's greatest hits.
"Answer the question, harlot."
"We went to the theater on Holton and watched Seven Samurai and then we went to Highland Park for a little bit."
"Did you hold hands in the theater or at least make out in the park?" Matthew asked, poking his head over the racks like a kitten.
"You need a hobby or something. Your interest in my sex life is crass and exhausting." Tori finished her first stock box so she broke it down and tossed it on the floor by the staff room door, rounding back to the counter to grab the remaining box.
"Your sex life is my hobby" said Matthew, reaching up on his tip-toes to slide a DVD into the top shelf. "I mean, if I was a gorgeous teenage lesbian I would be interested in my own sex life, but alas."
Tori was used to the way Matthew spoke and smiled at the purposeful compliment. "Well thank you for that, but I promise you, nothing interesting to you is going to happen, at least for quite a while if at all, and when and if it even does, I won't tell you about it anyway."
Matthew slumped his shoulders and waved a dismissing hand towards her. "Well phooey."
"Love you too, buddy."
Matthew had had a girlfriend when Tori first started working at the shop but their union wasn't exactly the strongest. A few times she had stormed into the store looking for him, demanding to know if he was there or not to prove if he was lying about his work schedule to go out and see someone else. Matthew would walk in from the back and huff out a defeated breath, knowing that he would be in for a fight when his shift was over. Chelsea, that was her name, would cross her arms matter-of-factly across her chest like she was waiting for him to say something but Matthew would just shrug his shoulders blankly, not sure what she wanted to hear.
Obviously by finding him at work she had proven herself wrong that he was out gallivanting with some other woman, until she decided that he was probably working more to be with Tori. Tori looked her square in the eye one day and told her that she was gay but Chelsea assumed in her naturally negative nature that she was lying to cover it up. A few days after that incident Matthew came into work with the news that he had finally mustered up the gusto to break up with her, news that was happily accepted by Tori.
Lunch time came around and Matthew and Tori decided to punch out together and close the shop up for a half hour, making a quick run to the other side of the strip mall to a Subway that sat on the far left end. They ordered a foot long veggie on 9 grain wheat to share and Matthew paid, after much insisting that Tori let him. Back on the other end they were a couple bites in when Marie made her appearance out back, lighting up a cigarette as soon as the door shut behind her. She looked a little worse for wear and Tori suddenly realized that she hadn't bothered to text her the night before to ask how the club went. The makeup she wore yesterday was still on her face, albeit a little smudged and worn off, and she was wearing presumably the same outfit. She shook a little as the cold bit at her bare legs and Tori and Matthew both looked her over and then at each other, not sure of what to say at that moment.
"I know I look like shit, trust me." said Marie, not looking up from the ground as she spoke.
"What happened last night?" Tori asked, setting her food down and smacking her hands together gently.
"Well, I went to the club and everything like I told you I was going to, and Chad was there, the DJ, but things didn't really go as planned."
"Did he hurt you?" Matthew asked, taking a slow sip from his water afterward.
"Not physically, no. I went up to the podium and fought my way through the crowd of sluts that were already jammed up there to get to the front so I could see him. When he looked up and saw me he just kinda looked away real quick and went back to what he was doing, but I just figured he was engrossed in the mix and would be better once the next song started." Marie took a long drag of her cigarette and flicked the ash, then blew the smoke out and licked her lips. "A few minutes later he took a break and stepped down from his setup but when I walked up to him he kind of side-stepped me and opened his arms up to another girl. She ran up and kissed him on the cheek and then they walked off together. All of the other girls were staring me down or laughing at my obvious diss, it was so embarrassing."
Tori held a hand over her heart and chewed on the inside of her cheek. "That's awful, Marie. I'm so sorry."
"Fuck that guy, then. Not literally of course, but in tons of figurative ways. Horrible ones." Matthew donned a disgusted look and turned his head to spit, rubbing his hands together to keep them warm.
"It's OK, can't win them all I guess. It just sucked that it had to be in front of a ton of people, you know?"
"Yeah that does make it worse." said Tori, finishing up the last bite of her sandwich quickly so they could get back to work. "Do you want to stay in tonight? We can watch movies and do our nails or something girly like that to get your mind off things."
Marie smiled as she stomped the last of her cigarette into the pavement. "Yeah, that sounds good. You should invite your new friend, too. I'd like to meet this girl you were so quick to abandon me for."
"You gotta let it go. It's not like I left you in a cell at Auschwitz."
"Yeah yeah. You'll make it up to me at some point. I gotta get back, call me when you get out."
"Kay."
Marie headed back inside and Matthew and Tori grabbed up their trash to do the same. They tossed the papers into the trash can next to the door and made their way through the hall and staff room into the store, stopping at the counter to clock back in. A CD that Tori wasn't familiar with was playing over the speakers and the beat had her unconsciously swaying her hips. The song had a familiar feel to it, almost like summer nostalgia. It reminded her of the days in California when she would leave early in the morning and head to the beach with her group, arriving before it turned into a zoo so they could get good spots close to the parking lot and up by the water. Beck and Andre would set up the boombox and get some music going while Cat would lay out the blanket and Tori would set up the umbrella and position the cooler underneath it. Robbie and his puppet Rex would mostly sit in the sand and argue about some sci-fi TV show from the night before and Jade sat under the umbrella the whole time, when she actually showed up.
Jade was a complicated part of Tori's history. When she first started school Jade was always in her face, trying to make things as difficult as possible and just generally be a bitch any way she could. Tori tried to stay out of her way but after a while it seemed like Jade could always find a reason to torment her, something that got old very quickly but didn't stop. Jade was dating Beck at the time and while he tried to wrangle her Jade wasn't one to do what she was asked, or told for that matter. When the two of them broke up Jade showed up at Tori's front door a sobbing mess, and Tori being the kind of person that couldn't turn anyone away, no matter how mean they'd been to her, invited Jade inside and helped her through the ordeal.
Immediately following that weekend Jade started being nicer to Tori, but only in private. Any time they were around their group of friends Jade maintained the intolerable bitch facade she was so great at, but when they were alone on the weekends she turned into a harmless kitten that liked to, above all other things, cuddle. Tori found this out after a few Friday nights of movie marathons in her room when Jade started sleeping over, saying she was 'too tired to drive home safely.' It was obvious to Tori that something was going on but she had always held on to the small part of her that crushed on Jade in the beginning, letting the hurtful treatment she received during the week take a back seat for a couple days worth of pleasure.
When they finally kissed for the first time it was both shocking and not surprising at all to both of them. Jade had come over on a Saturday night with the excuse that she was going to the library to pull an all night study session with some friends, code for her actually going over to Tori's house to watch TV in their pajamas and eat popcorn. She made up the excuse so her parents would have something to say in case one of their friends showed up at her house without calling first, something Cat was good at doing with her impulsive behavior. Tori started some random horror movie on Netflix, knowing Jade liked them, and settled into her spot on the couch. Trina wasn't home and her parents were in bed, leaving the house to her and Jade. Half way through the movie, during a scene where the protagonist thought he was going to die and was confessing his love for a coworker Jade made her move, swinging one of her legs over to straddle Tori's lap, taking her face in both of her hands and locking lips with a fever she wasn't even aware of.
Tori gasped and Jade used the opportunity to introduce tongue to the situation, making Tori squirm in her seat. After the heated kiss broke the two of them sat and stared at each other for quite a few moments before Jade got up and settled back into her seat, a smile plastered on her face that didn't go away even in sleep. Tori slid her eyes over Jade's sleep-softened features, wondering why she couldn't be that nice all of the time instead of just when no one was watching. It would certainly have made things a lot easier, and probably forced a much different outcome to the story.
Of course, Jade made Tori promise that she would never say anything to anyone about their nights together. She went to great lengths setting up cover stories in different areas just in case someone went looking for her, an exhausting task that usually involved Tori since she needed to be versed in the excuses to make sure she didn't say something wrong and blow their cover. After a while all the work and secrecy got to her and she decided that the next time Jade showed up she would sit her down and they would take about what was going on between them, and she would make her feelings clear; she didn't like being an afterthought, and if Jade wanted to continue what they were doing she needed to be OK with that. Tori had come out and was living open with her friends and family, and her behavior with Jade was damaging to both of them.
The next weekend Jade showed up with a hidden bottle of Whiskey in her bag, pulling it out and waving it in Tori's face when they got safely up to Tori's bedroom. The girls smiled wickedly at each other and Tori grabbed some shot glasses out of a box in her closet, gifts from different airports around the world. She hurried into the bathroom to rinse them out and made her way back to set them on the desk so Jade could pour the first shots of the night. They held the small glasses filled with caramel colored liquid up in the air, kissed softly just for a second, then clinked the glasses together and threw the alcohol back, toasting to a night of sin.
Not two hours later Tori was liquored up and ready to talk so she brought Jade downstairs and out onto the side deck, shutting the heavy glass door behind them. The deck overlooked the valley and had an amazing view of the Hollywood skyline lit up in all its glory, an awe-inspiring vision that had both girls staring into oblivion for a few minutes before Tori turned to Jade with a soft hand on her shoulder. She softened her features and ran a hand through her hair, tangling it in her fingers. Jade looked on curiously as she swayed to the side a little as the booze started to affect her coordination.
"Jade, I'm tired of being in your closet. I came out of my own last year and it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. I agonized over the decision for years before I actually did it, and being stuck in yours now is suffocating me. It's unhealthy for both of us, but especially for me. I worked really hard to get to a comfortable place with myself and the people in my life, but being stuck in the dark with you on this is bringing me down.It's making me feel bad about myself and I don't think I can do it anymore."
Jade's eyes narrowed and her expression hardened. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the railing of the patio with a twisted scowl on her lips. "I don't know what you want me to do about it Vega, but I do know we're not gonna have some big gay pride ceremony where we come out to our parents and friends together and tell them we have this big happy lesbian relationship. I don't even know what I am. Lesbian, bi, neither. I'm not in the same spot as you. I guess I can understand how this is bad for you since you worked so hard to get to where you are but I'm not ready to do something like that."
Tori hung her head and stared down at her shoes, the realization of what was going to happen washing over her little by little. After she didn't speak for a few minutes Jade started fidgeting, apparently getting antsy about what was going to happen between them. Tori thought Jade could tell what was going to happen, maybe because it was written all over her face, or maybe because common sense said that they wouldn't be able to continue this way when they were both going different directions.
"Well obviously this isn't going to work then" said Tori, clearing her throat to make sure her voice didn't crack and show her insecurity in the moment. "I like you, Jade, and I really enjoyed all the time we've spent together lately, but I'm just not going to force myself to take a step back. I'm sorry, I really am, but I can't do it." The words came out slow and calm with a very firm backing. Tori knew what she wanted and she knew that this wasn't it, and her conviction passed through in her decision.
"Fine then Vega, have it your way. But I swear to God if you tell a soul what we did you will regret it every day for the rest of your life." Jade spat the words out with such venom that the space between the girls almost lit up a neon green, the color of poison. Traffic sounded below as the world continued to turn around the moment on the deck that was seemingly frozen in time. Neither girl moved or spoke, barely breathing.
Tori felt like she'd been punched in the gut. For months she'd been spending time with this girl, participating in such body melting intimate moments behind closed doors. They'd gone from one-sided rivals to secret lovers in the span of a weekend and the same amount of time was all it took for them to learn all of the little tricks about each other. These things flooded into Tori's brain, each one causing her physical pain. How Jade liked to be tickled behind her knees. How she thought it was cute that Tori still slept with a teddy bear and how her left breast was more sensitive than her right. Tori wrapped her arms around her mid-section as each memory landed a punishing blow, bruising her insides as well as her heart.
"If you really felt like you had to say that to me then I am incredibly stupid for thinking you actually had an emotional stake in this. If you said it just to hurt me, same thing applies. I've never done anything to hurt you Jade, not a single thing. But now that I'm doing something for myself, trying to make myself feel better and get back to a place where I'm comfortable, you make it about you." Tori turned and walked to the opposite side of the deck, leaning over the edge a bit while she took a few deep breaths. Once the feeling of vomit went left her throat she continued. "If you cared about me at all you would understand and support my decision, even though it is hurtful. You're not the only one losing out here, but you don't seem to grasp that. I won't tell your precious secret to anyone, so you can just go back to being the bitch you were a month ago and it'll be like this never happened. From the way you're acting right now, I probably will regret this for the rest of my life."
Jade drilled her eyes into Tori's as hard as she could, taking a few steps forward to close the gap between them. Her head swirled a little as Tori's intoxicating scent mixed with the drink that already had her a little floaty, making her unsteady on her feet, but you'd never know it with the immense amount of effort she put into standing up tall. Tori looked hurt and defeated but Jade couldn't make herself care at that moment. All she was worried about was Tori spilling their secret and making her life difficult, something that she would never be able to forgive her for. "Sounds like a plan. Too bad you couldn't just go with the flow Vega, I'm gonna miss what we had."
"Get out of my house, Jade."
And that was the end of Tori's first relationship. Not surprisingly her little spout at Jade ended up being exactly what happened from that point on, except it was much, much worse this time around. Jade wasn't just bitchy towards her, she was downright mean. She didn't miss a beat when it came to pointing out Tori's mistakes or laughing when something bad happened. Even the rest of the group seemed to notice Jade's change, but they were all too scared to ask her about it. Andre ended up cornering Tori at home about it one day to get the full story, and since he was her best friend she told him the whole story, beginning to end. Andre brought her into a hug and held her for a while as she finally got a chance to properly cry it out. After she had period of mourning with Andre Jade's offensive went from a-bombs to pin pricks, something Tori was very grateful for. Over time the novelty of putting Tori down wore off and Jade stopped talking to her altogether, leaving a bit of a void in their group that was never really filled again, and any hope of repair was gone when Tori announced she was moving away.
The rest of the afternoon at the music store went by pretty quickly since Fridays were usually pretty busy. Tori stayed in motion for the better part of the second half of the day by running the counter and changing the flyers on the windows and door while Matthew continued to stock shelves with new product. By the time Tori had finished redoing the main window of the store she realized it was four fifteen and Shalane and Danielle were coming in for the afternoon shift. They squeezed through the door side by side and separated to let a customer walk between them, rejoining immediately after without any effort at all. Danielle waved at Tori with a wide smile while Shalane continued to talk, walking with her eyes down on her cell phone.
Matthew hopped down from a step stool and hurried to the counter, punching out with record speed. He disappeared into the staff room and came back seconds later with his jacket on and keys in hand. Tori looked at him curiously as he made a mad dash for the front door, in which he spit out a quick "I'll explain later" before bursting through the door so fast he almost knocked someone down outside. Tori watched him fast walk down the strip until he was out of sight, wondering what was so urgent that her pint-sized coworker would move that fast for.
When Shalane appeared from the staff room and clocked in at the counter Tori finally made her way up to finish out her shift, counting down her drawer and clocking out in a matter of minutes. As she put her till in the bank envelope for the night drop Shalane perked up and decided to try striking conversation.
"Hey Tor, what's up?"
"Not much, how are you?"
"I'm good, just worried about passing my shift leader stuff." Shalane shifted from one foot to the other nervously.
"Oh that's right, you're gonna be the big cheese eh?" Tori held up a finger and dashed to the back room to grab her coat, putting it on as she came back into the store.
"Yeah" Shalane continued, turning her laminate around so her name would be right side out. "Well, at least I hope so. The pay bump will be cool but I'm more looking forward to getting to deal with the distributors and stuff, that seems pretty cool."
Tori laughed. "Yeah, Jay is a cool guy for sure. Most of the time if you chat him up a bit he'll give you a free copy of whatever's coming out. I think he just likes to talk."
Shalane's face lit up at the tip. "Thanks Tor! I'm learning new stuff already."
"You'll be fine, just remember what Matthew went over with you and take it slow."
"I will, thanks again. See you around."
"I hope so." Tori waved and headed out the front door towards her car.
Across from the strip mall was a Target superstore and a few other businesses in a little circular pattern, and today the Target was completely overrun with people. Cars were lined up all the way to the street trying to pack in to the too-small parking lot, while the line to get in the door was almost as long. People stood in formation wearing coats and scarves to beat the wind for some reason unknown to Tori, but she would try and find out by switching to the local news station on AM radio. In the car she turned the key and revved the engine once, pushing some buttons on her steering wheel to tune the radio to 1490 AM.
A live broadcast was streaming through the car speakers and it sounded like there was some kind of sporting event in the background. After a few minutes of listening Tori learned that the news crew was at O'Hare where thousands of people were attempting to storm security to get on last minute flights out of the country. Planes were taking off left and right without people even being securely fastened into their seats due to the riotous situation unfolding on the property. It seemed as if the news over the past couple of days was getting worse.
"As you can see here the Delta Airlines terminal is completely blocked off. Employees ran to the luggage claim area through the back and grabbed all of the lost luggage they could find to barricade the entrance when they realized that hundreds, if not thousands, more people would be filing in one after the other. The situation is mostly the same for all of the other airlines as well with Southwest and AirTran grounding all flights completely. The police have been trying to clear out this area for hours now with no luck, but whispers of SWAT help have been spreading over about the last ten minutes so we'll see what comes of it then. We'll bring you more information as it breaks."
Rioting and looting at first, now hijackings and other desperate attempts to flee the country? Tori wasn't sure exactly what was going on but she knew that if thousands of people were really trying to storm the airport something serious was about to happen and that she should make plans to head home and be with her family. As soon as she thought about leaving, though, the faces of Matthew and Marie swam to the front of her mind, as well as Diana's. If something this bad was going down she didn't want to leave her friends, but she also didn't want to take the chance that something could happen to her family and she wouldn't be able to see them again.
As soon as she pulled into her parking lot Tori's phone rang, showing a very pretty picture of Diana's diva pose from their antics at the park on the screen. Tori answered quickly, hoping she would have some wise words to help calm her down.
"Tori?"
"Yeah I'm here, what's up?"
"I felt kinda bad throwing that text message at you earlier. I realized that you would be thinking about your family and stuff at work and that would make things difficult and I apologize, but with the stuff I've been hearing all day long I'm getting really worried."
Tori got out of her car and headed inside, kicking her shoes off and discarding her jacket on the table before sitting on the couch. "I heard what's going on at the airport right now on the radio but I don't know much else. Is it getting worse?"
"The military has been moving into some of the bigger cities like Seattle, Portland and LA. Vegas is pretty much completely shut down and from what I hear there's a mad dash to hit the center of the US." Diana tried to sound brave but Tori heard her voice waver when she mentioned both of their hometowns.
"Why the center?" Tori asked, closing her eyes as she laid back on the arm pillow.
"I guess because of all the open space. Farmland, not many people and stuff. The big cities are dangerous because of all the riots and the looting but I guess if you're out in the middle of nowhere there's not as much of a chance of getting hurt or something."
"Makes sense I guess. Have you thought about trying to make your way up to Seattle?"
"I called my mom earlier and she said they've left the city and drove to Alaska. A lot of people thought about doing that I guess but they were turned off by the extreme cold."
Tori felt like an idiot at that moment since she realized she hadn't even thought of calling her family, like phones didn't exist. "Man I need to call my parents and see what they're doing. I'm sure LA is a panic zone right now."
"Well I'll hang up so you can call them. Text me when you're done and let me know if they're OK?" The end came out as a question and even in the simplicity it made Tori's heart swell. This brand new friend of hers already cared about her family and she hadn't even met them.
"Absolutely. I think, uh, maybe we should..." Tori trailed off for a second, chewing her lip out of nervousness.
"Maybe we should stay together tonight? Since we're both alone and all. Marie has a roommate and Matthew lives with his brother so they're OK, but I think we should at least have each other in case something happens here."
The line was quiet for a minute and Tori grew more insecure with each moment that passed before Diana finally spoke up. "Yeah, I think so too. I'll stop by the store and head over now, you can use the time to call your folks and do whatever else you need to do. Is that OK?"
"Sure, sounds good to me. Don't rush though, I'm sure the cops are on high alert with everything going on."
"I won't. Do you need anything?"
Tori thought for a second before answering. "I don't know if you like coffee or not but I'm just about out, so if you want some for morning you'll want to grab a can."
"OK, I'll see you in a little bit."
"OK."
The snow that had piled up over the last couple of days was melting during the day and freezing at night, causing the familiar mud-covered chunks of frozen slush/snow mixture on the edges of the road and sidewalks. Little patches of flat green grass were starting to show in the spots where snow had melted, giving the first signs of spring approaching. Tori looked out the living room window behind the couch for a few minutes, watching cars trickle by at a snail's pace due to work traffic not having let up. Exhaust billowed up into the sky and created mini gray clouds that hung low like fog, obscuring the view any further than the other side of the street. A man walked casually around the corner with a little girl hoisted up on his shoulders, and she covered his eyes jokingly as they trudged forward. The man laughed loud enough that Tori could hear it through the small cracks in the window's insulation and the sound warmed her insides a bit, reminding her that she had a phone call to make.
Her phone was lying face down on the table in front of her and when she grabbed it she hesitated, scared that her call wouldn't be answered. Truthfully she was completely in the dark on the situation in LA at the time so any number of things could have happened to her family and friends, and she wouldn't know anything about it. The worry built up in her stomach like a ball of heat and when she wasn't able to stand it anymore she dialed her mom's cell phone number, waiting as patiently as she could while it rang. Once, twice, three times and counting. Tori finally hung up after ten rings and decided to dial the house number, thinking maybe her mom lost her phone somewhere like she usually had.
"Hello?"
"Mom?"
"Oh God, Tori!" Her mom sounded out of breath and sick with worry. "We've been waiting for you to call. I can't find my address book that has your number in it and my cell phone was stolen a couple days go."
"Stolen?" Tori asked, curling up into a ball in the corner of the couch.
"Things have gotten really bad here, sweetie. The police have pretty much abandoned the area after people with guns started shooting anything that moved and the military is about to make an entrance into the city. The news has been kind of sporadic in the area but they've been telling everyone to stay inside if possible and draw the blinds."
"This is all because of the stock market thing, right? I don't even know what happened fully."
"Well, the market bottomed out." Mrs. Vega started, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Millions of people lost billions of dollars and their jobs. Companies have shut down and started liquidating assets the best they can to get out of the country and go somewhere safe. Silicon Valley is a ghost town just days after this whole thing hit the news."
Tori sat in awe at the news she was receiving. She couldn't believe that in just days the entire structure of America had started losing it's footing. "I saw some of the rioting on TV, how close to the house is it?"
"It's still a little ways out but people are expanding the boundaries every hour. Live coverage shows groups of people setting cars and houses on fire, people are getting mugged and beaten to death for the cash in their wallets or whatever they're carrying on them. It's a mess."
"Maybe you guys should pack up and come out here. I only have one room but the living room could hold a good-sized air mattress and we can figure some stuff out from there." Tori chewed on her thumb and stared out the window again, watching clouds pass across the sun slowly like the plight of humanity had gone unnoticed by the Earth.
"It's hard to even get out around here honestly," Mrs. Vega said, stopping to talk to someone else in the room for a second, "abandoned cars in the road and the threat of getting stopped and dragged out of your vehicle. A lot of people are scared to leave."
"At least keep the doors locked and use the basement at night so there's no lights on upstairs. Put some garbage bags over the basement windows and hopefully people will skip the house thinking it's already been looted."
Mrs. Vega smiled and chucked into the phone a bit. "You really are a smart kid, you know that? Your dad wants me to tell you hello and he loves you."
"Tell him I love him too, and Trina I guess."
Mrs. Vega went silent for a minute and when she spoke her voice was soft and quiet. "We haven't heard from Trina in about a day and a half. Her phone goes straight to voicemail and she hasn't been home at all."
Tori closed her eyes as a sickness spread throughout her stomach. "Where was she last?"
"With Melanie, but I talked to Melanie's mom and Trina isn't over there."
"I'm sure she'll come back, she always does." At least Tori hoped she would.
"I suppose you're right. What's it like out there?"
"It's fine out here, everything is still ordinary. Work is fine and the city hasn't gone crazy, yet."
"Make sure you call me if things get bad, OK?"
"I will. I love you mom."
"We love you too, sweetheart. Stay safe."
"You too."
Tori hung up her phone and held it in her palm, still chewing on her thumb. The apartment was completely silent aside from the ticking of the clock on the wall in the kitchen, until a soft knock on the front door echoed throughout the room. Tori got up and walked to the door to look through the peep hole, her sense of security taking the reigns in her mind. She looked through and saw Diana standing in the hall with a plastic bag in one had and her other in her pocket, looking down at her shoes like she always did. With a soft grip on the handle Tori opened the door and made eye contact with Diana who smiled instantly, waiting patiently to be invited in.
"Come in?" Tori asked quietly, standing back to extend an arm into her place.
"Don't mind if I do" Diana replied, taking a few steps in and stopping so she could slip her boots off by the rug.
The front door led into a big open space the housed the two main rooms of the house, the living room and the kitchen. There was a small bar that extended out from the wall with two chairs and an apartment-sized kitchen table on the other side that also had two chairs. The living room held a three person couch and a large circular chair with a blue pad on it. A flatscreen was mounted to the wall and an entertainment center sat below it, housing DVDs on one side and CDs on the other. A stereo tuner sat in the middle and two floor speakers connected to it on each side of the entertainment center. Tori's room was to the left of the TV and the bathroom was located right next to it, convenient for those nightly trips in the dark.
Diana made her way inside and set the bag she was carrying on the counter in the kitchen, pulling the items out. A small can of coffee and creamer followed by a cheesecake and a jar of strawberry sauce. She grabbed the creamer and the cheesecake and walked it over to the fridge, setting them in an empty spot on the bottom shelf. Tori took the coffee and set it on the opposite counter next to the coffee pot, then got the filters out of the cupboard and set them next to the coffee can so Diana wouldn't have to go rooting around for them if she woke up first. Diana held up the plastic bag and looked at Tori questioningly, who showed her the trash can was underneath the sink.
"What better way to get acquainted with someone's place than try to fill it with things?" Diana asked, sticking her tongue out a bit as she made her way to the living room and sat on the big chair.
"What better way to get in someone's good graces than to bring coffee and dessert on your first time over?" Tori asked in jest, taking her spot on the couch directly across from the chair.
"Yeah, I figured if we're going to be in here for a while we might as well have some sweet treats to hold us over."
"Now what would you do if I didn't like cheesecake or was allergic to it?"
Diana looked up at the ceiling like she was thinking. "Hmm, I'd probably blush so hard with embarrassment I would look like a cherry tomato, and then I'd I would apologize profusely and let myself out before you could get a word in edgewise." She laughed a little nervously, knowing that her 'joke' was the absolute truth.
"I'm insulted that you think I'd let you get away that easily." said Tori, crossing her arms over her chest. "The world is a dangerous place and it's gonna be getting dark soon, so even if I hated cheesecake more than anything in the world you'd still be stuck with me, at least for tonight."
Diana smiled gathered her hair behind her head, pulling it off to the right so it flowed over her shoulder, leaving the left side of her slender neck bare and enticing. "I'm sure I could think of some worse places to be than here. And thanks for suggesting this, I was starting to get a little freaked out being alone but I didn't want to just invite myself over, you know."
"You'll get over that soon enough. Hang around me and Matthew and Marie long enough and you'll be inviting yourself into strangers' houses and eating the food in their fridge before you know it."
"Well at least I have something to look forward to." said Diana, crossing her legs in the chair. "So how was work?"
"Same same, not a whole changes working at the record store, and I like it that way. I always know what's going to happen when I get up and get ready so I can have a routine. It's nice."
"I bet. I worked as a server in a hotel restaurant in Seattle before I came out here, now that was some serious bull. Real upscale place, five hundred dollar bottles of wine and such. We had to learn etiquette on how to serve foreign guests and everything."
"That sounds pretty intense." said Tori, fishing in between the cushions for the remote. "I almost took a job as a server before I started at the record store, kinda glad I held out. I'm not very coordinated and remembering details isn't really one of my strong suits." She turned on the TV and found the news channel, sliding the volume down to a low buzz.
"You get used to it I guess. I wasn't the best at remembering stuff either but by the time I left I could see someone in public that ate at the restaurant a week earlier and remember what they ordered to drink."
"Impressive. I don't even remember what I had for dinner last night."
Diana laughed and turned her attention to the TV, whose picture broadcast a live riot in Denver. Dozens of people fought back the riot squad while attempting to loot a mall, many suffering injuries from bean bag guns and mace hoses.
Tori watched the feed and was reminded of a local protest to end violence on people in Boystown. A human chain wrapped from Broadway all the way around the other side of the grid, brothers and sisters linked in strength. Opposite them hate groups used any means they could find to wreak havoc; guns, knives, water balloons filled with urine, mace, tasers, you name it. Police were hesitant to get involved due to the mass amount of people and weapons involved so they instead called in the National Guard. Truckfuls of soldiers showed up to calm the situation but the introduction of more law enforcement just served to make the situation worse.
The human chain started to break apart as people were killed or fled for their own safety. Some of the more hardcore supporters fell back to gather weapons of their own but they were outmatched by the opposition. This incident raged for the better part of three whole days, racking up forty seven casualties and hundreds of injuries that kept hospitals busy for the same amount of time. Tori watched the news coverage from her apartment and made sure to stay home during those few days, since Boystown was only a few blocks away from her.
The situation on TV now was sort of like what she remembered except the scale was much larger and seemed much more frightening. It was almost like an old war movie where one nation invades another and tries to take over their land, except in this fight it was brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. It really served to show how much of a hold money has on society these days, and how the slightest hint of anarchy can turn an entire city into savage beasts. It also seemed like the situation was progressing east quicker than it had a couple days before, and that was what worried Tori and Diana at that moment.
"What do we do when it gets here?" Diana asked, her arms wrapped around her tight stomach.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I would call Matthew and Marie and have them come over here and have all of us try to figure out something together. Strength in numbers and all."
"That's a good idea." Diana mused, looking up at the ceiling. "My parents are out in Alaska so it would be a really long trek to get out to them if something happened, I'm not even sure I would actually be able to do it, especially by myself."
Tori scrunched up her nose at the thought of leaving Diana by herself. She was so feminine and small that it seemed like if she was stuck in a situation where she had to fight that the outcome wouldn't be in her favor. Fact was, though, Tori had only known this woman for a couple days and the opposite could be true. "I don't want you to have to go off by yourself. If it turns out you need to make your way out there I'll go with you, it's too dangerous to be alone these days, especially going that way."
"But what about your family? What if something happens to them? I wouldn't want you to go alone either, and we can't both go both places."
"Well, you may be older than me by a year but I'm bigger than you, so I say if it comes down to it I will escort you to your family and make sure you get there safely."
Diana smiled and shook her head. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."
Tori found herself staring at Diana's smile again. The way her eyes lit up like a sky full of stars and how the dimples in her cheeks spread from her jaw to her cheekbones. Her long, shiny hair falling in loose curls down around her right breast that sat perky and full, and her prominent collar bone that connected to the silky smooth skin of her neck and shoulder. "The harder they fall indeed."
Tori ended up closing her eyes for a little while and nodding off on the couch. She dreamed that she and Diana had left Chicago and were on their trek to Alaska to find Diana's family, but they'd taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up near the Canadian border. The border towns were especially hostile, with Canadian citizens patrolling the line with guns to keep the rabid Americans out. They spoke of how the American government was destined to fall someday and that Canada wouldn't be responsible for picking up the pieces. Tori saw two men and a woman try to sneak through a small encampment into the country but they were spotted, rounded up and hung from trees along the side of the road that led up the border as a warning for others who may have had the same idea.
Eventually they moved on away from the border when they got their bearings and tried once more for Alaska, stopping at a roadside diner somewhere in Wyoming that was miraculously still open. An older woman named Doris and a young kid named Dale were the only two people in the diner, server and cook respectively. Tori and Diana sat down but were not presented with menus, which they learned moments later were of no use since the food stores were running low and they didn't have the ingredients to make most of the items on it. The woman said they had spaghetti, hamburgers and some different soups left, as well as fountain drinks and water, so Tori got the spaghetti and Diana got a cheeseburger, each with Coke.
The plates of food came and the smell was so real that Tori started salivating, causing a weird itch on her chest. Moments later she awoke to realize she'd fallen asleep and was drooling on herself, and the smell was so realistic because Diana was in the kitchen cooking. She had cooked up some spaghetti and meatballs while Tori slept and had the table all set with glasses and silverware, ready to enjoy a nice meal.
"You did all this?" Tori asked, stumbling sleepily out into the kitchen.
"Oh, hey you." said Diana quietly, a hint of nervousness in her tone. "You fell asleep and I heard you say something about being hungry so I came out here and poked around a little to see if I could find something to make for us. I haven't eaten much today either and spaghetti sauce sounded good."
Tori smiled and walked forward, bringing Diana into a hug and resting her cheek on Diana's shoulder. They stood like that for a minute and Tori noticed Diana's hair smelled like sweet pea and her skin smelled like fresh cucumber, two of Tori's favorite scents. She felt herself slipping away again so she stood up straight and backed away, smiling lazily and heading over to the kitchen table to sit down. She was so drawn to the new girl that she felt like it would be difficult to control her feelings a lot of the time, something that made her feel a little on edge. Tori didn't like being not being in control of her emotions, mostly because it was one thing she was normally really good at but also because not being able to get a grip on yourself is scary. The worst thought of all, though, was if she screwed up and let her hidden feelings slip, possibly scaring Diana away and losing the friendship they'd started. She wasn't even entirely sure what her feelings were since their friendship was so new, but better safe than sorry. Being inside her own head for too long was starting to make Tori a little anxious so she decided to speak up and change pace.
"It smells amazing, I can't wait to eat."
"The meatballs should come out in a minute and it'll be ready." said Diana, leaning back against the counter. "I watched the news for another hour after you passed out, the violence is getting insane. The military has tanks now and they've been shooting at people that try to storm government buildings. Soldiers have been deployed in most of the major cities already and they said Chicago should be next, probably by mid-afternoon tomorrow."
"I can't believe this is happening. It seems so unreal, you know." said Tori, leaning forward on her elbows. "Like, we haven't seen anything in real life yet so it doesn't even seem like it's actually going on. I think when we see soldiers on the streets and people burning stuff down it'll hit a lot harder, so we should come up with some kind of plan while it's still calm."
"Yeah, I agree. I think maybe we should call your friends over tonight and see if we can brainstorm a little. Hopefully Marie's roommate can be with her family and Matthew can bring his brother with him or something."
Tori got up and went into the living room to retrieve her phone, sending a text to both Matthew and Marie at the same time.
Hey guys, me and Diana think we should all get together and come up with some kind of plan for when things go sideways. We're at my house, can you guys get here soon? -Tori
Diana fished the meatballs out of the oven and set them on the edge of the sink, scooping a few out with a spatula to put on each of their plates before covering them with sauce. She edged over to the table carefully carrying both plates, setting Tori's down first and then her own before making her way to the fridge to get out two cans of Coke. She popped open each and poured them into the glasses filled with ice, careful not to let them foam over onto the table. Tori watched with a smile as her friend moved so elegantly around the room, setting up this great meal for the two of them even though she wasn't asked to. A few seconds later Tori's phone buzzed again and she read the text message out loud.
Riot squad is already out by Navy Pier and police are gathering at points of interest in numbers. I'll be there in a little bit. -Matthew
Diana took a bite of her spaghetti and looked up at the TV, watching SWAT take down a naked man with Molotov cocktails in each of his hands. Most bystanders hung back a ways once they realized law enforcement had broken out non-lethal tactics such as bean bag guns and tasers, but some of the more brave ones continued forward in the face of pain and possible death. Tori's phone buzzed once more and snapped Diana back from the TV and she listened as Tori read the new message aloud once more.
My roommate went to her parents house a few hours ago, I'm on my way. -Jo
