Dead by Tomorrow

Chapter 15 | Hello Neighbor

Taking a walk in the park means freeing your mind of terrible thoughts, and that is exactly what I need right now. Lately, the weather is usually all gloomy and windy, and I tend to enjoy it just like that. After yesterday's fiasco in school with both Damien and later with Jaden, I've decided to clear my head and stop messing my life up because of other people. Damien is my friend, and I forgave him probably as soon as he started apologizing, but Jaden didn't hurt me- he hurt my sister, and I have no idea how to approach that situation. He made it clear that we would not fight in the pits or anywhere else for that matter, but I need to get a closure of my own, and for that, I need to see somebody who I don't really like at the moment. As the wind blew and my mind cleared for a moment, I decided to end my walk. I'm not going home though, I need to visit a person that can maybe, just maybe, give me some answers that  I desperately need.

Looking at my house across the street, I hope that Brie isn't home and that she won't see me here, because I am honestly tired of trying to defend myself and making up different excuses just to make her satisfied with my answers. I ring the bell and wait. The storm is about to come, and luckily I live just a few meters away. It won't scare me out of my skin this time.

"Hello?" A confused and rather sleepy Ace is trying to decipher why I am standing at his door.

"Can we talk?" Not wanting to beat around the bush, or to beg him to let me inside, I give him a pleading look and Ace understands it. He comes outside, wearing only his black shabby jeans, and a black shirt. He must be cold right now, but I don't bother to ask.

"Can you please tell me what went down between my sister and your friend?" I ask him, turning around and looking at my sister's window, checking if she was there. Luckily, the room seemed vacant. 

"Who?" Ace asked while rubbing his eyes, being woken up by me didn't really sit well with his body.

"Jaden. I know you know something. Please Ace, I need answers." I say and give him a look of desperation.

"Oh, that's why you went crazy on him yesterday?" He seems to be getting out of his sleepy zone and realizing why I was actually here. " They hooked up Mia, kinds do that. Let it go." He said and my heart twisted in a messy knot.

"Ace, I know that there is more. I also know that you know it, you're friends." I can't get angry when I'm looking for answers, so I start playing with the rubber band on my wrist. Snapping it constantly, my wrist turns red, but my anger doesn't vanish.

"What's your problem anyway? It's your sister's thing, let her deal with it!" He kind of snaps at me, and I retreat.

"She is broken, and it's him to blame. I just want to know what happened in order to understand my sister." I say and step a little closer.

"Why don't you ask her?" His tone gets dark and spiteful as if I asked him who did he kill last night.  I figured that I will not get answers here, so I turn to leave, but before I take my first step, a loud thunder marches up the gray sky. It surprised me, to say the least, but it also scared the hell out of me, which is why I immediately ran inside Ace's house. He followed after me with a face of disinterest, yet he didn't say a word about me being inside his hallway. I've been in his house one time before this, and I never realized that it smelled like home. I didn't feel it before. But the mix of homemade cupcakes and the vanilla scent was spreading all around the place, entering my nose and making me remember all the wonderful times that mom baked cookies and had us all sit around the kitchen table to try out new receipts. Those were the times I'll never get back again.

"Are you deaf?" Ace was standing right in front of me, looking me straight in the eyes. His pupils were dilated, and it looked like he was focused solely on my face, probably waiting to hear why I zoned out.