Stuck at the Galleria

Act 1: The Fall (part 2)

I made the turn into the garage under my apartment building.

The Griffin Tower is Greyson's tallest and most populated apartment building, and it's been my home here for 4 years. I like it, it has a good view.

Anyway, after the long, loooooong elevator ride up to floor 48, I headed down the main hallway and into Apartment 4808, aka my place.

"I'm home!" I yelled into the blue living room and loft around me.

"Oh, hi, Tre."

It was a low, uninterested mumble from a spiky-haired guy staring at our television with some random first-person shooter game on the screen.

"Hey, Jake, guess what?"

"You finally learned how to win against me in something?"

"No, but I did get a date for the dance on Friday."

"10 bucks says it's a dude," Jake said, snickering.

"Ha, ha, ha," I muttered as I went into our kitchen. "That was sarcasm, by the way."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, it's the new thing. Everyone's doing it."

Jake's my adopted brother, in the near-loosest sense of the term. He's sixteen, and just so happens to be... ahem, of a different color.

Okay, he's white and the rest of us are black, but how was I gonna phrase that without it sounding weird? And if you're wondering why, it's a long story that goes way back past my birth and I don't really think it's all that important. So you can just continue wondering, 'cuz I'm not explaining.

Anyway, I took a can of root beer out of the fridge and cracked it open. Root beer's the best and I probably wouldn't be able to live without it, but it's here and I love it.

"So, who is this girl, anyway?" Jake asked. Not two seconds later I heard an explosion from the TV, and he made a loud groan of frustration.

"Her name's Lilly Everdeen," I said as I sat on the couch next to him.

"Is this the same Lilly Everdeen that apparently is in charge of the "hot chicks" or whatever?" he muttered.

"Yep."

"Impressive. Gotta be careful with their type though. They can get... feisty."

"One of them broke up with you?"

"Nope. I broke up with her. But she still wants me."

"You mean Karina?" another voice asked from behind us. "Cuz, uh, she broke your little thirteen year old heart way-back-when."

I looked up and found our older sister watching us from behind the couch.

"Hey, Dev," I said.

Jake muttered something under his breath. I couldn't make it out. I guess Dev speaks Jake's growling language though, because he bonked him on the head afterward.

"Okay, ow. Sorry."

Dev rolled her eyes and walked off. I snickered.

"Shut up, dude."

"But it's funny!" I said, trying not to get all loud.

"Whatever. The scene's over anyway." He sighed, then went back into his game.

----

and now it's that friday. (long and boring week skipped for boringness.)

the guys' locker room.

(right before the dance.)

Cale and I were sitting on the bench outside of the only stall that wasn't rank or had someone's, ahem, business still left in them. The reason why we were out there is... well...