Dark Eyes

Chapter Five: Are You Bleeding?

I squint my eyes against the bright sun.

"That guy is such an ass. I can't believe he would do that to you." Says Remington.

I just nod, holding back tears. What am I going to do for money?

"Hey, are you okay?" Remington touches my shoulder. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

We end up at a small park down the street. I follow Remington to a bench that overlooks a large pond with 2 fountains. We sit in silence for a little while, and I can feel him staring at me.

"Will you stop staring at me please?" I ask him without looking at him. "I'm not going to have a breakdown."

"Sorry. I'm just worried about you." He looks at his feet.

"I'm fine. I just have some stuff I have to figure out right now. Like how I'm going to pay my rent. My landlord has already threatened to evict me. Once he finds out I have no job, I'm definitely on the street." I say. My voice catching in my throat.

"You could stay with us.." Remington says slowly.

"What are you talking about? I can't live with you. I barely know you and you're in a rock band that is touring the country." I roll my eyes. Why would he even suggest that. I still can't figure out why he even cares. Why is he even here with me right now? Why would he spend his time with someone as pathetic as myself?

"So? Come on tour with us. Tour is fun." He smiles at me. I give him a look. A look that says 'I think you're insane'. A small breeze blows through the park. Rustling the trees and sending some stray leaves flying across the sidewalk.

Remington froze. Even though we were sitting down I could feel him freeze, like he stopped breathing. I looked over at him. He was sitting straight up, looking directly ahead, and he was completely still.

"Remington? What's the matter? Are you okay?" I asked, the sound of worry creeping through my voice.

"What.. what is that.. smell?" He asked, still facing straight ahead but now his eyes were shut tight. "Are you.. bleeding?"

I looked down at my arm. It had a small cut. When I fell and the plate shattered, a shard must have sliced my arm. I must have been too upset to notice it earlier.

"Oh, yeah I guess I am. I'm fine. Its just a small cut. Nothing a band-aid won't fix." I said.

He stands up. "I have to go." He says quickly.

I stand up as well. "What? Why? Did I do something wrong?" I always mess everything up. He glances up at me for just a second. His eyes were very dark. Almost.. black?

"I, I have to go." And with that he walked away from me. He walked quickly down the street and I watched him until his figure turned a corner and he was out of sight.

That was so strange. First, he shows up at the diner all by himself and comforts me after I lost my job. Then, he offers for me to live with him and go on tour. Then, he just freaks out and leaves. Maybe he's on drugs, he is a rockstar after all. I sit back down on the bench. I replay the scene in my head. Were his eyes black..? Things are getting so strange. I stand up and walk back to the diner to fetch my car from the lot. I put the key in the ignition and head home, those eyes still stuck on my mind.

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I finally reach my apartment complex and park in the same spot as always, the spot marked number 15. I head for the front door and push the button on my keys to lock my car. I hear the high pitched 'beep' behind me. I walk up the flight of stairs until I reach door 15 and put my key in the lock. I decide to fix myself something to eat. I open the fridge to see a half gallon of milk, expired, and some slices of cheese. I turn to the cabinets. I find a sleeve of saltines in the back of one of them. Seems like this is all I've got. I was supposed to go to the grocery today after work, But things changed. Now I don't know how I'm even going to have the money to buy any food. I sit on the couch and eat my saltines before heading to the bathroom for a shower. I stand in the shower longer than needed and let my mind think about my problems. I start to cry. I slowly sink to the floor and let the tears flow.

After my shower I head to bed. I pull back the covers and crawl in. My eyes get heavy as I drift off into a fitful sleep.