Suite 103. (COMPLETED)

2. Neighbours

2. Neigbours

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The sound of music blaring through the walls woke me up. I was sleeping on a mattress on the wooden floor of my bedroom, and I had been rustling all night.

“What the hell?” I muttered and stood up from the uncomfortable mattress. Luckily today was Saturday, and I didn't have to go to work. I didn't have a lot to do today, all I had to do was buy a bed post, groceries, and unpack my things. I needed to eat before I did those things though.

The music hadn't stopped playing, it actually seemed to get louder. What the hell was wrong with this person? I was fully awake now because of the music, so I decided to get a start on my day and make breakfast. I didn't have a lot, but I had enough ingredients to make scrambled eggs, so I went with that. 

Halfway into beating the eggs I realized I didn't have any salt or pepper. 

“Shit.” I muttered. Now I had to put on appropriate clothes and head out to the store to get groceries. I had no idea where anything was around here. If I went to the store now I was just going to pick up something on the way. Ugh, my morning was all screwed up now. Thanks asshole neighbor.

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“This is my humble abode.” I said to Claire as we walked through the front door.

“This is really nice Nia. Look at you, moving on up. Have you talked to your neighbors yet?” I’d texted Claire asking her to come over and help me unpack. I was actually really lonely here by myself. Everything was so plain and blah. I needed some color, maybe I’d paint the walls blue or something. Also I wanted an animal. Maybe a snake. 

“No, but that asshole woke me up with his rap this morning. He was blaring Tupac at like nine in the morning.” 

“Haha, you wanted to move out and be a ‘free spirit’, so that’s what you get. They can’t be that bad though. Maybe they’re artists or something?” Whenever Claire got started it was hard to make her stop, so I decided to stop her now.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Now let’s unpack.”

A few hours, and a bottle of berry Ciroc later, Claire and I had finally unpacked everything in the apartment. 

“Do you remember when I slept with that one guy in college?” I laughed as we laid out on my plain mattress. 

“Which one?” She laughed. Okay, I was a little bit sleazy back in the day. I was going through some things though.

“Shutup. Isn't it time for you to go back to hubby?” 

“You’re right. I gotta go be a wife.” Claire sighed and stood up from my ‘bed’. Even though I lived half an hour away, nothing was going to change between us. We wouldn't let it. 

“Okay, I’ll walk you downstairs. I might as well go take pictures.”

I ran into my bedroom, grabbed my Nikon 63100 and started adjusting the many different filters. My favorite scenery was walking around Los Angeles, taking pictures of everything around me. People, the scenery, the palm trees, everything that could be documented, I wanted to capture. My camera came everywhere with me, it was my sidekick. I changed my clothes into more relaxed ones, and tucked my phone into my pocket before grabbing my camera and leaving my bedroom. 

“Okay, let’s go.” Claire and I walked down the emergency stairs to her Toyota Prius.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.” She waved and drove out of the parking lot. I waited until I couldn't see her car anymore before I started walking down the streets.

Ahh, Los Angeles in the summer, there was nothing like it. Seeing everyone walking down the streets in their luxury clothes, and sun kissed skin. Sometimes you’d see a celebrity. It was so magical. 

As I walked down the streets I took pictures of everything that words couldn't describe. This was my real passion, and I got a thrill from doing it. 

After taking a few pictures I headed to Starbucks and got a mocha latte. It was like my ritual. After I finished taking pictures I’d get a mocha latte and choose which ones went into my personal collection, which ones I was going to sell, and the ones that were gonna be deleted. 

It took me about half an hour to choose the pictures, and twenty minutes to get to the condos. By eight o’clock I was just walking into the elevator. Even though I lived on the eighteenth floor, I still lived in suite 103. Every floor had a 103. 

“Hold it please!” A small female voice yelled. I quickly placed my foot between the door and the metal to hold the door. A small Asian and black hybrid girl jogged into the awaiting elevator.

“Thanks so much! These elevators are so busy I never know when I’ll get another one. Eighteenth floor please.” She laughed and pointed to the touch screen that had the numbers of all the floors. 

“Oh, you live on the eighteenth floor too? My boyfriend and I live there.” She smiled, and I nodded.

“Yeah, I just moved in yesterday.”

“Yesterday? Well welcome to the neighborhood honey! May I just say that you’re so pretty! Have you ever thought about modeling?” Damn, this girl talked a lot. This was why I take the emergency stairs.

“Thanks, you’re really pretty too, and no I haven’t. I’m more of a behind the camera kind of girl.” I gestured to the large camera in my hand.

“Ohh, you’re a photographer?”

“No, I work at a daycare actually. I just take pictures on the side.”

“Oh okay! Well I model. I also have a fashion line called The Kill.” Mhm, how nice for her.

“That’s nice, well I hope it works out.” I politely smiled.

“Thanks, I’m Mina by the way.”

“Nia.” Just then the elevator doors opened. Thank Buddha.

“Well, it was nice meeting you Mina, hopefully we’ll see each other again.” I waved and started walking down the hallway. Wow, she talked a lotttt. 

“Nia, we live on the same hallway!” Oh my God. I wasn't the type of person to be rude, I believed everyone deserved a fair chance, and Mina just seemed lonely. Poor thing. I stopped walking and let her catch up.

“It looks like it. What suite do you live in?”

“Suite 102. Chris really wanted an extra space to do his art.” She lived in Suite 102? What my luck.

“Your boyfriend’s an artist?” She had gotten my attention with that. I’d love to see his work.

“Mhmm, not exactly. Chris does a lot. He doesn't like to be put in one category.” 

“Oh okay, well it was really nice meeting you Mina. See you!” We had reached her apartment door now, and I felt so drained just from our conversation.

“Bye Nia! See you.” She waved and stepped into her suite. I literally ran into mine and locked the door.

Time to develop pictures.

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“Yes daddy! Yesssss!” Mina screamed from her condo. Her and her ‘daddy’ had been going at it for an hour and a few minutes, and they hadn't quieted down at all.  I was seriously debating going to their door and telling them to shut the fuck up, but I fought against it. That would've been awkward as hell, and I was too tired to get up. Were they not aware that other people lived on this floor as well?

“I can’t deal with this.” I groaned and crawled out of the bed and to the wall connecting our apartments, and banged on the wall a few times before yelling, “Can you keep it down?!” The yelling and headboard banging stopped immediately.

“Thank you!” I yelled before hopping back in bed. I looked at the red numbers flashing on my alarm clock. 4:26. I wasn't going to make it through tomorrow.