The World Is Ugly.

Did you know that New York City was a really huge city? Like, one of the biggest? Well, I had no idea until I ended up in the Big Apple. I have no real idea how I got here… By car, that’s for sure…

That car I heard, it stopped when I put my thumb up, pointing to where I thought I wanted to go. It was a woman, in her late 50’s. She asked me where I was going, I told her I had no idea that I just needed a ride to wherever she was willing to drive me. She told me to hop in, meaning that I threw my bags in the back of her car and sat on the passenger seat.

She asked me where I was coming from, I said that I was coming from a really small town that no one knew about and when she asked me why I was wandering alone in the middle of nowhere, I told her it was my destiny, I was meant to leave my home town to go somewhere else, but that I had no idea where to. We stayed silent after that, she gave me one of her sandwiches and a bottle of water. I fell asleep after that. For a long, long time.

Because when I woke up, the car was parked in front of a house. The woman was smiling at me.

“You can sleep through anything, can’t you?” she asked softly. I nodded, barely awake.

“Where are we?” I asked sleepily.

“In New York, I’m here to visit my sister. Are you sure you’ll be alright from here?” she asked, looking at me with worry. “Do you have anywhere to sleep? Do you have money to eat?” she asked, reaching for her purse.

“I’m fine, I’m fine! Don’t worry!” I quickly said, turning around and pulling my bags with me and rummaging through the smallest one. “Thank you so much for driving me. How much do I owe you?” I asked, taking out my wallet. She chuckled.

“Nothing dear, I’m just glad I could help. Just promise me you’ll not get yourself in trouble and you’re free to go.” She said. I blinked. Was she serious? I guess she was…

“Well, thank you very much for driving me, otherwise I’d probably still be wandering in the woods…” I explained, rubbing my neck. She smiled sweetly and reached out to open my door. Thank Lord she did, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten out.

“Be careful, it’s a huge city, and a dangerous one. Good Bye.” She said as we both got out of the car, her, to go to her sister’s house, me? To go wander in the Big Apple.

“Thank you. Good bye!” and with that, I was gone. My two bags on my back, and ready to explore the city.

That’s how I ended up on a bench in Central Park.

I sat there for a couple of hours at least, looking at the people walking here. I had managed to buy myself a hotdog and a can of coke. Not much but still, it calmed my stomach a little. It was interesting to watch the passers-by, trying to discover what was their history? Was he married? Was she cheating on her husband with that man? Was she expecting a kid? A boy, a girl? Who was his name? Does she live in an apartment?

Those questions weren’t of the most important ones, but it kept my mind busy with something else, and for once, I wasn’t arguing with myself.

I also noticed the way they were looking at me. Like I was some kind of badass kid they were afraid off. What were they waiting for? Did they really thought I was going to kill them?
Sometimes people are so full of prejudices. Just because you’re young, sitting on a bench and with two bags means, they immediately think you’re a delinquent. Morons.

I decided to move, I was going to freeze on my sit. I already couldn’t feel my ass anymore.
I wandered aimlessly for a while, turning left, then right, then crossing a street, and left, and right again until the sun started to go down a little. I spotted a coffee shop, and even though I wasn’t a coffee lover, I decided to enter in the shop and order something hot to drink, and probably something to eat?

The girl looked at me with narrow eyes, looking at me from head to toes before taking my order. I shot her a smile, looked around a bit, paid for my order and went to sit down by the window. A man arrived a couple of minutes later with my drink.

I wrapped both hands around the weird cup-thingy and enjoyed the warmth it was providing to my hands, warming them a little since I couldn’t find my gloves in my bag when I looked for them.
I took small sips, trying not to burn myself, and relaxed on my seat. I wonder how I looked to them now that I was sitting in that shop… Those morons in the park who were giving me weird glances. I had money, enough to stay at a hotel, take a shower and buy me food but I got some news for you people: there are no hotels, or restaurant in the wild! Those stupid dick heads that never left their cozy apartment…

I’ve been there, you know, sleeping outside. Now, I kind of felt related, somehow, to those homeless people living in the streets and pushing their carts with their belongings in it. At least, I had a home to return to if things where to go extremely bad even if that happened, I’m not even sure I’d go back.

Now, I started feeling bad for my parents and for Kevin. But let’s face it, I was too reckless for him. He knew it was just a matter of time before I would ran off to explore the world and make my own opinions on things.

I leant back into the seat, bringing my drink to my lips and taking a sip from my hot chocolate. I placed the drink back on the table, and closed my eyes, resting them from the bright lights in there. They weren’t used to it anymore, just like my ears weren’t used to the sound of the cars, sirens, and everything else of the kind…

That was the last thought to cross my mind before it drifted off to dreamland.

**

Warm..
That’s the first thing that crossed my now awake mind. Wherever I was, it was warm and quiet and dark.

I slowly but surely opened my eyes, looking around me. A ceiling. Alright… I slowly turned my head and saw a dark red wall… All right… Wait, no… Not all right… Last time I checked, the coffee shop’s wall weren’t a dark red… I blinked and sat up, realizing I was in a bed. I lifted up the covers and sighed in relief when I noticed that I was still dress, the only things missing were one of my hoodie and my Chucks. I threw the cover away, and walk to the other side of the bag, making sure I still had my bags with me and sure enough here they were, in the corner. I frowned, clearly confused by the situation and walked towards the door.

I twisted the knob slowly and opened the door, walking out of the bed room. I ended up in a large room, looking strangely like a living room. I blinked, not used to the brightness and lightly spin around, trying to see if there was anyone. I spot 5 men. One was in the kitchen, he had reddish/blond hair, chubby, from what I could see and he had a beard. 3 were sitting on a couch, one was playing guitar, one was daydreaming, and the other one had a small sketch pad on his lap, probably drawing. The last one was sitting on an armchair, reading some kind of comic book I guess.

“Hey…” I said, trying to sound casual, catching their attentions. “Does any one of you know how I ended up here? Can you enlighten me?” I asked, really confused. I mean, have you ever seen 5 men, around 30’s living all together in the same apartment? Because clearly they were all living here…

“I brought you here after you fell asleep in the coffee shop… I saw someone putting some kind of powder in your drink” one of them explained. “I actually tried to wake you up after I kicked the guy out but you were mumbling things about trees… I asked my friend here” he said, pointing to the guy in the kitchen, “what we should do, and we agreed that we couldn’t let you in the street like that. Now that you know, who are you?” he asked.

Now, that was a little weird… Someone tried to drug me, I drank the beverage, fell asleep and that guy brought me home instead of leaving unconscious on the street, that guy was a fucking hero… And also now to forget the fact that I was standing in the middle of a living room, 5 guys starring at me, and me, standing in my dirty clothes, bed hair, without make-up on and in socks, with holes may I had. A complete disaster. That’s why I shrugged it off.

“Name’s Jaelynn.” I said after a few seconds. “And no I did not make the name up, my mum’s choose it for me. I guess she was still in high from the epidural…” I added with a shrug.

I think I saw one of the guys smiled. That little story always eased the tension…

“And you, who are you?” I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets. I know, I should probably be scared to death and make a run for the door, but they seemed friendly. Well, at least they kept me with clothes on while I was asleep, and that was something, believe me…And one of them also rescued me in a way… Maybe those guys were gay? That’s why they didn’t try anything while I was ‘sleeping’… Maybe I really was drugged… Or knowing my luck, I probably had just knocked myself unconscious against the window… I’d have to check my forehead next time I came face to face with a mirror…
The same guy as before spoke up, “That’s Bob in the kitchen, Ray, Frank, the guy on the armchair is my brother Mikey and my name’s Gerard.” He explained.

“Nice to meet you all!” I said, taking one hand from my pocket and waving at them shyly before shoving my hand back in the pocket where it had came from. One of them chuckled and waved back, I think it’s was the Frank guy. No reactions from the others…

“All right, so…” I started, dragging out the ‘O’ like they do in the movies when the situation is awkward… “I think I’ll just grab my bags.” And to show them what I meant, I took one hand out of my pocket and pointed my thumb at the room where I had gotten out. “And keep on going… Like, you know… the city is big and stuff…” I trailed off, waiting for them to move, or just blink… Anything to show me that they didn’t die… “Okay… Well, it’s was nice of you to drive me here instead of throwing me in the street…” I said, taking a few steps backwards, “Thank you.” I added before disappearing in the room, taking my two bags, my hoodie and shoes and walking out, only to see them in the same position as before.

Now, that was just plain weird…

“You know, blink if you understand what I just say to you…” I said, slightly freaking out now.

“Sorry…” apologized the Ray guy, and I noticed he had funny hair. “Do you have any idea of the time?” he asked.

I looked at him weirdly, he was asking me for the time? What did he think I was, a walking watch? That’s when I realized that it was kind of a rhetorical question… The kind of questions you ask but don’t expect an answer. I choose to answer none the less.

“Nope.”

“It’s 11pm.” Said the guy on the armchair, Mikey I think…

“Oh thanks…” I said, dropping my bags to the floor and putting my shoes on, stuffing the laces in the back of my shoes, too lazy to tie them.

“Are you really going to leave?” asked the only blond guy of the group, Bob.

“Well, yeah… I think that’s the plan…” I said, putting my second hoodie back on.

“All right, then… Bye!” said Frank, only to be hit in the chest by Gerard, who was also glaring at him.

“You can stay the night, and leave in the morning. But I really don’t suggest you to go wander in New York by night… Even wandering in New York during the day is dangerous…” said Gerard. “Especially for a girl…” he added. “Just look what happened to you in a coffee shop… You won’t survive the night…”

That wasn’t really encouraging…

“Are you offering me a place to stay for the night?” I asked, incredously. I mean, I just met them, they let me sleep in their apartment and now they were offering me to stay for the night? Maybe I didn’t wake up after all…

“And something to eat, and the free access to the shower…” added Bob, looking at me from head to toes.

“I look that bad, huh?” I asked, looking down at my attire.

“Yeap!” said Frank before being elbowed in the ribs by Gerard.

“You know how to talk to women, don’t you…” I said, with a small smile.

“Actually, I don’t, I’m gay…” he said. And everyone turned to look at me, waiting for my reaction.

“Well, you stick your dick wherever you want you know…” I said with a shrug, and then clasped a hand over my mouth, my eyes wide. “I’m sorry!” I blurted out. “Oh my God… That came out so wrong…” I mumbled, covering my face with my hands only to realize that they weren’t offended by my come-back, not at all… In fact, they were all laughing… Laughing.

“All right…” said Ray getting up, “The bathroom’s this way…” he added leading the way.

Can you say weird much?