Tension's Like a Fire

“Why are we putting her in my room?” Alex argued about the girl for the millionth time.

“Alex why are you fighting this so hard? Don’t you remember who you were before this?” Rian asked incredulously. “The horny kid we all met in high school. You’d be fighting to have any girl in your room.”

“Damn it! I’m not in high school anymore! I’m not a kid anymore!” Alex shouted back running his hands through his dark hair.

“No you’re a big baby.” Jack retorted. “The girl needs you Alex. She’s really unstable with all that’s been happening to her and you’re the only one who can help her. Plus your room’s the biggest.”

Alex let out another aggravated breath and through clenched teeth muttered out, “Fine.”

He walked back into his room where the girl was lying under the covers sleeping soundly.
All of the events that lead to her being there had worn her down in the past few hours. She slept trying to escape her life that had become a nightmare.

He decided to try to be nice to her knowing her day was going way worse than his.

He sat next to her on the bed and touched her cheek. “Jazz, wake up.”

She rolled to her other side and pulled his pillow to her face trying to block out whatever tried to rouse her from her slumber.

He chuckled lightly at that. He was hard to wake up too. The difference with him though is if you keep bugging him he’ll shoot fire at you.

“Jazz.” He shook her shoulder lightly. “Wake up.”

She moaned sleepily and rubbed her eyes as she turned to face him.

The first thing she saw upon waking was Alex smiling down at her. Something about him smiling at her eased her back into the idea of being awake; of being alive.

“What?” She moaned out as she rubbed her face trying to wake herself up.

“I’m gonna help you unpack and after that we’re all gonna scrounge up something to eat, sound good?” He asked still playing as nice as he could.

She just nodded as she rolled out of the bed, Alex moving out of her way so she could get out and they both moved over to the bags.

“I have four drawers empty in my dresser and some space on the left side of my closet that you can use.” He said kindly as he lifted the bags and tossed them onto the bed so they’d be more easily accessible.

She looked at him totally surprised. “Why are you being so nice to me?” She didn’t dance around what she thought.

He laughed. “I figured I’d give you a half an hour without me giving you hell. Don’t get use to it.” He was being honest.

She could tell but she laughed anyway.

Everything was going smoothly -There were even inappropriate jokes about her undergarments tossed about- until he stumbled across a picture that really got his attention.

He held the picture gingerly in his right hand as he caught Jazz with his left. “Who is this?” His voice had the old harshness back.

He didn’t move his gaze from the picture of the blonde girl and the girl that was in his left hand.

He swore he knew that girl, after all they both had the same nose. Well except her’s was more feminine of course.

Jazz was startled by the sudden change and looked at the picture carefully afraid of the response she could receive. “My roommate Sally?”

He finally lowered the picture and looked at the girl in his grasp. He suddenly adjusted his grip on her so it was lower on her arm so he wouldn’t hurt her as he drug her out to the main room where the guys were standing around the island talking.

He stomped right over and threw the picture on the island in the middle of them all.

“Who does that blonde look like?” He demanded from all of them.

They all stared down at the picture in shock but Jack snatched the picture up looking at it with wide eyes just like Alex had.

“Sally.” He breathed out almost as if he were relieved to see the face in the picture.

Alex returned his attention to Jazz now trusting his original thoughts. “What’s her last name? You live with her you have to know her last name.” He spoke rushed and hopeful.

He was practically grasping at straws for all these years with the hope she was still alive. In crowds he’d see a mass of blonde hair, a small girl who sounded like her, or just fully imagine her face on random women in the street. He missed his little sister; his best friend.

Jack waited as eagerly as Alex but tried to hide it.

“Gaskarth.” She spoke, voice wavering afraid of what was happening around her again. She didn’t know why they all knew Sally.

“She’s alive!” Alex cheered as tears almost came to his eyes.

Of course he could only enjoy this realization for a moment before the cynic he’s grown to be took over. ’She left me on purpose. She could have come back, called, let us know she’s alive but we get nothing.’ She might as well have been dead to Alex at that point.

“We have to find her!” Jack said again. Now more sure than ever before.

“What’s the point?” Alex growled. “All these years she could have found us but she obviously doesn’t care.” He turned and went off back to his room but not before lighting the one house plant that still lived in that apartment on fire.

For the effect he slammed his door behind him.

Rian had already rushed to the plant with a glass of water extinguishing the fire.

“Third time this month.” Rian muttered walking with the now dead plant in hand to the kitchen trashcan dropping it in with dismay.

“I’ll go deal with him.” Jazz said bravely. He was kind to her earlier, she felt she had to return the favor even if it meant putting herself in the line of fire... Literally.

She knew tomorrow he’d treat her like dirt either way.

The guys looked at her like her brain just flew out of her nose.

“Haven’t you had enough close encounters with death for two days?” Zack asked with a chuckle.

She laughed. “Obviously not. Plus my stuff’s in there.” She reached out and grabbed two apples and headed to the room opening and closing the door quietly.

“What do you want?” He spit.

She ignored him. “I brought you an apple. Seeing as you probably won‘t be going back out for dinner.” She held the apple in her left hand out to him as she moved closer until she was within arms length.

He looked up he looked grateful. “Thanks.” His voice was softer as he took the apple from her hand.

She sat down next to him taking a bite out of her own apple letting the silence remain for a while.

The only sound in the room was the crunch from when their teeth tore chunks from their apples.

“So, you wanna talk about it?” She asked mouth half-full of apple, not caring about proper etiquette.

He hardened again. “No.” He spit the word before taking some of his anger out on the apple biting and ripping more viciously than before.

She finished her apple and tossed it in the wastebasket at the side of his bed him doing the same right after.

“Come on.” She nodded her head toward the bed before crawling all the way in and holding her arms out to him, knowing even if he wasn’t willing to talk he still need her comfort.

He turned looking at her raising an eyebrow for a moment like he was trying to find her motives but gave in and followed her allowing himself to be wrapped in her waiting arms.

His body was radiating more heat than normal but she hardly noticed.

She just held him to her chest running her right hand through his deep brown hair while her left gently rubbed his back.

He just buried his head deeper in her chest inhaling the subtle smell of her soap and her shampoo that mixed with her own natural smell that the chemicals in her created. The pheromones that her body created as chemical markers of her body’s natural strengths. That smell coupled with the green apple of her shampoo and the smell no man could place of her soap smelled amazing to him, calming even.

They both fell asleep like that. Tangled together -fully clothed- one in search of comfort the other doing what they felt was right.

That was the end of day two of their adventure.