the doorman » a.i au

one; "you're the weird girl who tiptoed away"

If I were to be paid a cent each minute I spent untangling my earphones, I’d have enough to pay for my college fees with. It wasn’t rare for me to fling my earphones into angry strangers’ faces on the streets, and just when I apologized, I’d bump into another. And then another. Which was why the nickname ‘Klumsy’ couldn’t be more fitting for me. Well, other than the fact that I had written it on many of my assessments since my name’s Kara Lumsy – literally ‘Klumsy’ for short.

“Klumsy! You there?” my best friend, Sara, snapped her fingers in an attempt to get me to listen to her boy issues. I reluctantly nodded as I sipped on my hot chocolate. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Sara, but she was always a tiny bit overexcited when it comes to boys. For example, in 7th grade, she came running to me, squealing, just because her lab partner brushed his arm against hers. Accidentally on purpose, she had said.

As she continued rambling, I couldn’t help but notice the group of girls who were previously sitting at the table next to ours. See you, one said to the other, and only about a hundred hugs were shared among them.

You see, there was something about the phrase that lacks appeal to me, whether it’s ‘see you tomorrow’ or just ‘see you’. See you tomorrow, assuming I would really be there tomorrow. See you tomorrow, assuming you would really be there tomorrow. See you tomorrow, assuming ‘tomorrow’ will even come.

So later that day, I scurried off before the doorman of Sara's apartment buiding could utter the said phrase to any of the exiting residents. He only gave a confused look and tilted his head upon watching me, as if silently questioning.

I waved him off. After all, who’s a doorman to judge me?

 -

“You’re the weird girl who tiptoed away,” he tapped my shoulder as i waited for my boyfriend to pick me up later that evening.

“And you’re the doorman who looked at me weirdly. Although I must say, I didn’t think you’d remember,” I furrowed my eyebrows, “How many faces do you see each day? Like, a hundred? A thousand?”

He brushed his sandy blonde hair back and laughed. “A thousand people but only one walked like you do.” I fake a laugh, hoping he’d understand that I’m not in the mood for small talk. “Need me to call you a taxi?”

“No, my boyfriend’s picking me up.”

“I’m guessing he’s one of those boyfriends who readily picks you up at this time of the night in his shining BMW? Lucky you.” He chuckled.

As I saw my boyfriend’s car – which, by the way, wasn’t a BMW but rather a more classy one – turning around the corner, I took a last glance at the doorman and said, “Yeah, well, not to worry if you can't afford one. Any girl would be lucky to have you greet her by the door each day.”

-

HELLO

this isn't a very well-written chapter but i was hoping it'd give you guys an idea of what Kara's like. she sounds like a spoilt and unnecessarily sarcastic bitch - which is true, she is - but i swear i have great things planned for her character and she's gonna go through a lot of changes SO YES

i hope this chapter's decent enough for you to vote/comment/add to your library/etc THANK YOU