Bombshell

Times Have Changed And I'm Not Sure I Like It

It was still summer. The summer of hell. I've been earning money on the side, as you know, by doing fight clubs. I usually won. Occasionally I would back down and forfeit if I predicted that I would come home half-dead. I don't think that Danny and Brian would actually care if I came home beat-up, but either way, I always cleaned myself up in a dingy bathroom before I left the club.

I haven't heard from Sina at all. It's been over two years since we last saw each other. I turned 17 this summer, meaning Sina would be about 16. Since a two year gap isn't a giant gap, Sina wouldn't have changed that much, right? I was wrong.

The doorbell rang at my house. My blood ran cold. Almost no one came over, and if they did, it was probably one of Danny's buddies.

"RACHEL!" Danny yelled out from his room. "GET THE DOOR!"

I sighed and left my bedroom. I quickly made my way over to the door and slightly opened it. To my surprise, Sina and Ni were standing there. Sina smiled brightly once she saw me. Dread filled my body. She had never come over to my house before. We've always met up at Evelyn's, mainly because my house was a mess all the time and I was worried about what Sina would think if she saw it.

"Hi Rach!" Sina said brightly. She bounced on the balls of her feet and gave Ni a nervous glance.

"Hey Sina." My voice cracked and I forced a smile. My gaze shifted over to Ni. "Hi."

Ni nodded. "Can we come in?"

I glanced back inside. Bottles were littered on the floor. The carpet was filthy with stains. Even the tile was discolored from years of carelessness. I sucked in a breath and contemplated the question.

"Please?" Sina asked, stepping closer to the door.

I sighed. "Alright, come on. Just... be careful." I opened the door wider and then they stepped inside. "Follow me. And be quiet." I gingerly led them to my room. I glanced back several times at the pair. The expressions on their faces were almost undecipherable. One look at the room and Sina looked straight ahead, not paying any attention to her surroundings. Ni on the other hand, took everything in. He looked at everything my filthy house had to offer. I couldn't tell if he had a smug look on his face or he was pitying me.

I pushed my bedroom door open and they both walked in. I invited them to sit down on my bed and they did. Sina took a seat and Ni sat close to her, resting his hand on her leg. My bed squeaked as Ni sat down. Apparently my bed didn't like the weight of two people on it. I closed my door and leaned on it.

"So, how did you know where I live?"

"Evelyn. We, uh, stopped by her apartment before coming here." Sina glanced over at Ni. He nodded to confirm her statement.

"Okay... So why are you here?"

"Because I missed you, Rach! Isn't that enough of a reason to visit?"

I nodded slightly. "I guess I'm just wondering why you came after these years."

"I missed you."

"Yeah..."

"So... what do you want to do?"

"You're the one who came here." I said, making eye contact with Sina. "You must've thought of something."

"Hmmm... how about we get a hotel and do a movie night?" Sina offered.

I agreed. I was more than happy to get both of them out of my room and my house. Mainly because it also meant I could get away from everything at home as well.