Zadia chuckled, opening the door to her building. "That's the last thing I'd ever lie about." She said as she wheeled her bike in. Once they were inside, the door shut behind them.
"It's hot as hell in here. Aren't they supposed to have like an a/c in the lobby?"
"The landlord here doesn't fix anything, which really isn't that bad seeing as how rent is cheap... in a way." She nodded towards the stairs. "Come on, my apartment is on the fifth floor."
Abel sighed. "Fifth floor, that's a whole workout."
Zadia rolled her eyes. "It really isn't. Grab the back of the bike so we can carry it up."
Abel quickly put the bag of nuts in his pockets and left the empty can of grape Arizona on the ground. He lifted the bike by the back wheel as he saw Zadia move up the stairs. "I've got it." He said moving forward. He was trying to show off how strong he was, which made Zadia smile, unexpectedly. Zadia had to admit, the kid was a character.
"As I said before, if you guys don't have a warrant or are not associated with any type of law enforcement, I cannot give that type of information out!" Zadia's landlord, Henry, yelled out loud. Her eyes traveled from the stairs to the opened office door in the lobby. It was the first time Zadia ever heard him sound so serious.
It kinda worried her a little. "Umm... is he usually loud like that?" Abel asked, staring at the door as well.
"Never." She whispered with raised eyebrows. "He's a chill guy."
"Get out!" Henry shouted and soon after that, two men dressed in baggy clothes walked out of his office. One man had on a pair of dark shades that covered his eyes, along with the number seventy-four Jersey of the Arizona Cardinals on. He looked the scariest out of the two. He was very tall, about 6'3 if Zadia had to guess. His mussels were bulging and he had tattoos all over his body. The other guy looked more approachable. He was skinny but very fit and had way fewer tattoos, than his friend. His hair was braided back into cornrows and his jawline was sharp, which made him look... cute.
They were both brown-skinned, but not the same type of brown that reflected Zadia's skin, they were lighter, the same shade of brown as Abel. It was obvious that they were of Spanish Descent.
"Don't be fucking talking to us like that gringo?!" The tall one shouted, mean-mugging the hell out of Henry.
The other one leaned against the wall, with an amused expression on his face. He watched the scene before him, not even bothering to interfere.
"Get the hell out of here?!" Henry shouted. "There's no one here that matches your description. Now leave before I make you." He threatened. Zadia tried to pry her eyes away, but she couldn't. She couldn't help but be nosy... sometimes. Being in Henry's office more than once, she knew that he had two shotguns behind his desk. That's probably what he'd use to get them out. "Or better yet, I'll call the cops."
The amused look on the other guy's face quickly disappeared once he heard the word, cops. His posture straightened as he stood up. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it once he felt eyes on him. Turning his head around, he caught sight of both Zadia and Abel. "We don't want any trouble. We were just leaving." He announced, but instead of walking out the door, he walked in the direction of the stairs. "What's up youngin." He addressed Abel. Abel stiffened. "This yo girl?"
Whatever response Abel was steering up, it got stuck in his mouth. Zadia, on the other hand, noticed this, which caused her to frown. "No, I'm not his girl." She answered snidely.
The man chuckled at her response, he smirked at her. "Damn, my fault for assuming chicka. I didn't mean to offend you or nothing like that. I just wanted to know." He walked up a step. "While I have your attention, is it cool if I ask you a couple of questions?"
ChApTeR - 2
Start from the beginning
