When I'm Gone (5 page)

Chapter 8-August 28, 2001 (Claire)

“Where is he?” I groaned, glancing at my watch for the fifth time. It was already 11:30 and I was starting to get annoyed. Sighing gruffly, I picked up a few boxes and tried to balance them on top of one another.
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon. He’s probably running late from his job.” Mrs. Trinity opened the door for me and smiled.
“I’m sure,” I said as I rolled my eyes. She laughed and held the door open for my brother. He was struggling under four boxes, probably all filled with my crap.
“
Ungh
,” he grunted and shifted his weight.
“Why are you carrying that many boxes?” I asked, smothering my laughter. Alex peered around the tower and glowered at me.
“Just in case,” he said and went back into hiding.
“In case of what?”
I slid into the elevator with him right behind me. Mrs. Trinity was helping bring in the other boxes one by one. The doors closed and Alex set the boxes down with another grunt.
“In case of girls,” he gasped and tried to catch his breath. I gave him a nudge with my boxes and smiled. He glanced up at me and let out a laugh. “You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”
“Nope,” I laughed at the expression of doubt he gave me.
“Just desperate.”
“
Well, that makes me feel so much better about myself. Thanks,” he said
sarchastically
as the elevator doors opened again. He picked up the boxes again and sighed under the weight.
“Oh, Alex.”
I shook my head and laughed.
We made it too the room and set the boxes down in the living room. I had to pull Alex out of there before he could wander off to do some exploring.
“Later,” I promised as I dragged him out into the hallway again.
“Where are you going?” he called out as I headed for the stairway.
“I need exercise,” I told him and continued my way. Soon enough, I heard his footsteps descending the stairs right behind me.
When we reached the bottom, only seven boxes were left. I shot a strange look at Alex who volleyed in back.
“Mrs. Trinity?” My voice echoed in the empty lobby. Mrs. Trinity came outside of her little room and smiled.
“
Mikey
is here,” she sang and smiled her toothy smile at us.
“How did he get all of those boxes up there so fast?” Alex inquired, amazed.
“
he
took a cart,” she explained as if it was obvious. She gestured to a rolling cart situated by the elevators. I smacked my hand against my forehead and looked at Alex.
“Why didn’t we think of that?” I asked him. He shrugged and grabbed the cart.
“We should fill this,” he commented. I nodded and together, we stacked all of the boxes on the cart.
As we finished, Alex drug it over to the elevator. He pressed the button and soon the elevator
reached the bottom floor again. We drug the cart in and I flattened myself against the far wall.
“He had to fit, like, three of these in here with him. How did he do it?” I wondered aloud. Beside me, Alex shrugged.
When the elevator reached our floor, I rode the cart to our room.
Literally.
Alex was the one who pushed me.
“That was so much fun,” I
eclaimed
as I climbed off. Alex responded with a laugh and I noticed that our front door was open. My heart raced increased, until I realized it must have been
Mikey
.
“Sweet home, Alabama,” sang a voice inside. I swallowed my laughter and walked inside. Facing away from us was a tall man with pitch black hair, dancing around the room. He was still singing. His voice was actually really nice; it was deep, yet soothing to my ears
.
“Trying out for American Idol are we?” I laughed cynically.
Mikey
froze and turned to me. When he did, my breath left me and I stared at him.
There was absolutely no way he could be here. Not after what I said to him. I mean, I was cynical, rude and
sarchastic
. Who would come back after that?
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from those liquid hazel eyes.
“Hey Claire,” Michael Herring said easily. I continued to stare until Alex nudged me. I shook my head and coughed.
“What are you doing here?” I gazed critically at his jeans and faded tee. Michael actually had the nerve to laugh at me.
“Helping you move in,” he explained.
“Welcome to 2B, neighbor?”
“Neighbor?”
I repeated, staring at him
increduously
.
“Yep.
Apratment
2A.”
He patted his chest as if this proved anything. I rolled my eyes and started pulling boxes off of the cart. I set them beside the couches and when I was finished, I looked back up at him. He was still staring at me, a crooked grin softening his expression.
“Your nickname’s
Mikey
, huh,” I laughed and placed my hands on my hips. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex ducking into one of the bedrooms.
“Only Joy calls me that,” he said. “She has known me for a while now. I’m like her own son.”
“Okay.” I waved his statement off as if I didn’t care
.
“I see you read my note,” he commented, trying to make small talk.
“Yeah, I did,” I noted obviously. “And I wouldn’t have taken this place if I knew you were my neighbor.”
Michael raised his eyebrows and his grin flickered. I shook my head and let out another laugh.
“And honestly?
I don’t like you. You’re just a jerk who leads innocent girls around and then when they finally are ready to love you, you toss them in the trash. I despise guys like you. All you care about is yourself. I’ve dealt with enough of your kind, you stupid, arrogant, self-centered jerk.”
When I finished my rant, I realized that I was standing in his face. My fists were clenched and calming down, I relaxed my stance. Fire glinted in my grey eyes and I glared into Michael’s hazel ones. He was now frowning and after taking a step back he sighed. I could hear my breath coming and going in short angry bursts.
“You don’t know me at all, Claire,” he muttered and took one last look at me before walking out of the room with the carts trailing behind him one by one.
“Ugh,” I groaned and sat down, placing my head in my hands. “I hate him.”
I don’t know how long I sat there, but after a while, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and forced a smile at him.
“You
gonna
be okay?” Alex asked, taking a seat next to me.
“I guess,” I replied and leaned my head against his shoulder. He placed his arm around my shoulders and comforted me.
“You
wanna
start unpacking our boxes to get your mind off of him?” He tugged on a strand of my hair and jumped up. He spun back around and held his hands out to me. I took them, smiling, and let him pull me to my feet.
“Okay, but we have to listen to music this time,” I insisted. Eyes gleaming, Alex nodded and gestured towards the
sterio
sitting beside the television. I sauntered over to it and turned it on. A blast of static nearly knocked me off my feet until I was about to turn the volume down
.
“Dang Claire,” Alex moaned, taking his hands away from his ears. I laughed, a real laugh, and shrugged.
“Wasn’t my fault,” I admitted and started changing the stations. I finally found one that had rap music playing and turned it up. Alex had already started dancing and I joined in, laughing.
---------------------------------------------
After four hours of unpacking, dancing, and listening to rap music, we had gotten my room, Alex’s room, and the kitchen all ready for use.
I walked into the living room where Alex was shimmying around, while stacking movies on the television stand. I laughed and ripped off the tape of another box, which held our Xbox 360 and games. I slid the box over to Alex who looked inside and grinned.
“We’re going to need to see if that Michael character can play some Halo. I bet we can whoop his butt,” Alex shouted over the music.
“I bet we could,” I said and nodded numbly. He mouthed an apology to me and I shrugged. I could get over him. I turned to another box which held our DVD player. I picked it up and placed it below the T.V.
After
plugging it in, I started to help Alex put our games in alphabetical order.
I was OCD and so was he, but we liked different things in different order. Alex liked to arrange things by color, size, and grouping. I liked things either in alphabetical order or arranged by date. We had to compromise with everything, so he got to do the DVD’s, while I got to organize the video games.
As we were organizing, another Eminem song came on.
My favorite.
I pulled Alex to his feet, who groaned in response.
“Sing it with me,” I pleaded. Alex glared at me.
“No,” he stated.
“Please?” I pleaded.
“No.”
“
Just the chorus?”
“Fine.”
When he gave up, I grinned in triumph. I enveloped him in a hug and started to sing,
“And when I’m gone, just carry on. Don’t mourn; rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice. Just know that
everytime
I’m
lookin
’ down on you
smilin
’ and didn’t feel a thing. So, baby, don’t feel my pain. Just smile back.”

Chapter 9-August 29, 2001 (Michael)

Her stormy grey eyes flickered and I sucked in a breath. Smiling, she ran a hand through my shaggy black hair. Wherever her fingers touched my skin, a trail a fire was left behind.
“Michael,” she
whispered,
her lips against my hair. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled. I sighed and I could feel her breath next to my ear. Turning to her, I could see her eyes brightened with excitement.
“
Cl
-” I started, but she pressed a finger against my lips.
“
Sh
,” she murmured, mocking me. My lips slipped up into a crooked grin and I reached out to
grap
her wrist. She tried to yank it free, but I held on tightly. Panic flooded her eyes and the corners of her mouth dipped down.
“
Sh
,” I repeated and pulled her to me.
“Let go,” she mouthed and closed her eyes. I watched her expression turn to grief and she struggled to get free. I
relased
my grip and watched her fall backwards. A tear ran down her face and she glanced at me.
“Sorry,” I said, but she was already running away into the darkness. “Claire, wait!”
“Claire!” I shouted and flicked my eyes open. I looked around wildly and noticed I was on the floor of my bedroom. My sheets were tangled around my legs and I could feel the sweat pouring down my face. As I
unwrapped
the sheets, Claire’s cynical smile entered my mind.
Groaning, I eased onto my feet and padded into the kitchen. I glanced at the clock; it was only five o’clock at night. I opened my fridge and tried to find something to eat. All I had was a bottle of water, a tomato, and a bag of bagels.
“Ugh.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust and shut the door. I wasn’t feeling like eating a bagel for dinner. I sat down in a chair at my table and held my head in my hands.
“Please?” A soft voice came from the other side of the wall. My head snapped up and I pressed my ear to the wall. I remembered that the walls were thin enough to hear through them. I had a loud neighbor a few weeks ago
.
“Teenagers,” I muttered to myself, but kept my face pressed up to the wall.
“No,” another deeper, yet teasing voice answered.
“Just the chorus?” the girl, I now recognized as Claire, pleaded. The boy, her brother I was guessing, laughed.
“Fine,” he
surrendured
and I heard Claire muffle a yelp. It was silent for a moment, but it was long enough for me to hear the beat of a rap song.
“And when I’m gone, just carry on. Don’t mourn; rejoice,
everytime
you hear the sound of my voice. Just know that
everytime
I’m looking down on you,
smilin
’ and I didn’t feel a thing.”
“So, baby, don’t feel my pain. Just smile back,” I found myself singing along. Smiling, I stood up and stretched my arms behind my head. I grabbed my wallet and shoved it in my pocket as I walked out of the door.
Once out of my apartment, the beat got louder and more pronounced. I bounced in step to the
rythym
as I made my way to the next apartment over. I knocked on the door, my knuckles
pounding against the wood to be heard.
“Alex! Turn that down,” Claire yelled from inside. Instantly the sound disappeared and the silence was almost deafening. The door opened in front of me and Claire’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, they hardened and I could see fire burning dimly in the dark grey.
“Hey,” I said and smiled easily.
“What do you want?” she snapped and placed a hand on her hip. Her brother, Alex, walked up behind her and leaned against the wall. He studied me for a few seconds; checking out my torn jeans, faded
tee
, and vans. Finally, his eyes met mine and he nodded.
“I wanted to see if you two would go to dinner with me tonight,” I invited.
“No,” she answered immediately. Behind her, Alex frowned and cast his stare down to his feet. Suddenly, he looked back up.
“We would love to,” he stated and took a few steps closer. Claire turned towards him, a look of anger on her face.
“But,” she stuttered. Alex shot her a look and she backed down.
“Where to?” he asked me. I
laughed,
a hint of a smirk on my lips.
“Surprise,” I said and gestured for them to go first. With forced anger, Claire grabbed her purse and pushed by me. Alex shrugged and closed the door behind him.
It was quiet as we took the elevator down to the first floor. Claire stood in the corner, not
waning
to speak to either of us and Alex tried to comfort her even though she didn’t want it. I stood awkwardly to the side, not wanting to interfere.
Once we reached the lobby, I led them outside noticing Joy in her little office.
“Good luck,” she mouthed and pointed at Claire. I rolled my eyes, but smiled.
“Thanks,” I said and opened the door. “Bye Joy.”
“Bye
Mikey
!” she shouted as the door closed behind us. I whistled for a cab, while Claire and Alex waited behind me. A young woman passed by in front of me, her eyes shining as she looked me up and down. I nodded at her and she smiled. A
cab
pulled up and I opened the door. The woman walked away quickly after stuffing a paper in my back pocket.
“I saw that,” Claire muttered as she eased into the cab. I threw on an innocent look as I slid in behind her.
“What in the world are you talking about?” I grinned and settled into the sticky seat. I told the driver the directions and he set off.
“That girl who stuck her number in your pocket,” she fumed
nad
crossed her arms over her chest.
“I don’t know who you are talking about.” I replied defensively. Alex reached out and I felt his fingers close around the piece of paper and pulled it from my pocket. “Wait.”
“Her name is Rachael Adams,” he announced after unfolding the paper. Claire watched me with a curious look on her face.
“It has her number on it, doesn’t it?” she asked Alex.
“Yes, it does,” he said and grinned at me. “Nice going, bro.”
“Um, thanks. I guess,” I shrugged and slapped my hand against his. I could already feel the blood pooling in my cheeks.
“Told you,” Claire shot out, glaring at me. When I turned her way, she quickly looked out the window.
The rest of the ride consisted of Claire watching the city pass by. Alex admired the phone number scribbled on the piece of paper the girl had given me. I was the one trying not to make it obvious that I was watching Claire’s every move. I think Alex caught on at the last minute though. He kept giving me sly looks when I glanced at him.
“Waffle House?”
Claire sneered as the cab slowed down in front of the yellow building. I glanced at her and saw that her mouth was hitched up in a smirk.
“I was hungry for some waffles,” I admitted. Alex smiled and nodded his agreement. “Don’t you like waffles for breakfast?”
“I’ve never been to Waffle House before,” she sighed. Alex and I stared at her, our eyes wide with shock. She made a face at us. “What?”
“You’ve never been to Waffle House before?” Alex repeated. She nodded.
“I’ve never had a craving for waffles. I do pancakes,” she told us as we hopped out of the taxi. I paid the driver and turned back to her.
“Of course you haven’t had a craving for waffles,” I said as if was obvious. Claire watched me as I continued. “You haven’t had these waffles before.”
Claire had nothing to say after that. We walked into the restaurant and I was greeted by a few of the workers.
“Popular, aren’t we?” Claire uttered as we sat down in a booth by the window.
“Just a little,” I teased and handed her a menu. Alex slid in beside her and glanced at me. I shot a
wierd
face back and he just laughed.
“What can I get you guys today?” A skinny girl with bright blue hair walked over to our table. She looked at me and smiled. “How are you today, Michael?”
“Good, Sarah. And you?” I replied. She laughed and Claire looked over her menu at us.
“Waiting to catch a break,” she exclaimed and patted my shoulder.
“The usual?”
“
Sure,” I replied and looked at Alex.
“What about you two?”
“I want two waffles and a tea,” Alex stated. Claire noticed that it was her turn and coughed.
“I guess, I will take two chocolate chip waffles with a glass of water,” she muttered and pushed the menu back to me. I took it graciously and put it with mine. I set them to the side and smiled to myself.
“What are you so happy about?” Alex laughed and shot a glance at Claire and then one at me. I rolled my eyes.
“Just thinking about the face Claire is going to make after tasting these waffles,” I confessed. At the sound of her name, Claire glared at me.
“It’s just a waffle,” she waved my comment off with a flick of her hand, “not the second coming.”
Sarah came back with our food and I laughed at Claire’s expression as the two gigantic waffles were placed in front of her. I watched her swallow loudly.
“Scared Claire?”
I mocked and took a bite of my own waffle that was doused in strawberry
sryup
. Her eyes shot daggers at me as she poured maple syrup over her own waffles.
“Not one bit,” she said and cut her first bite.
I watched silently as she put it in her mouth. Alex turned to watch too and a smile lit up his face. I muffled my laughter as a bright light lit up her eyes and she glanced down at her waffle, which was oozing melted chocolate and syrup. She swallowed and I grinned in triumph.
“So?” I took another bite of mine and she was jolted back to reality. She glanced at me.
“So what?” she shot back defensively.
“You liked it.”
“It was okay,” she mumbled.
“What was that?”
“I said-” she started.
“I can’t hear you,” I taunted. She shot me a look and I silenced.
“It was great,” she finally said. I let out a shout of triumph and she went back to eating her waffle
.
“It’s not the second coming, but it’s close enough,” I said and watched Alex dig into his own plate.
“Sure is,” she agreed, looking down at her plate, her cheeks turning red.
Laughing, I tried to finish my dinner, but a thought was nagging me in the back of my mind.
The fact that I was getting through to her.