My Heart Like A Kick Drum
One.
Zack’s new neighbors are moving in today, and he’s less than thrilled.
The old neighbors were great because Zack never knew them. Old, young, couple, bachelor, bachelorette, Zack couldn’t tell you even if he tried. They were completely silent all the time, never once knocking on his door for a favor or with a question. The walls that separated his one bedroom apartment from their two-bedroom apartment were paper-thin (or at least Zack assumed they were – he never heard his neighbors, so for all he knew they could have been a mile thick) so the idea of living next to a group of rowdy frat boys certainly crossed his mind once or twice. Especially when he noticed the apartment next to his was for sale in the city’s newspaper.
Zack liked his routine. He liked it a lot. He woke up in the morning, showered, ate breakfast, attended class at college, and logged some hours at the local bookstore, where he worked. Zack’s parents didn’t understand how a twenty-one year old didn’t want to spend his time partying and drinking, but they chalked it up to Zack just being an old soul. He didn’t like noise, he didn’t like rap music, and he didn’t like children. He liked classical music and jazz saxophone, scented candles, and his cat. That was about it.
So on this terrible, horrible, awful day that the new neighbors are moving in, Zack sits frozen on his sofa, waiting for the slightest of noise, waiting for his own personal paradise to be spoiled. And yeah, it’s spoiled pretty quickly. Zack can hear the sound of furniture scraping against hardwood floor, of cabinets opening and closing, of boxes being dropped, of laughter.
There’s more than one person laughing – there’s at least three.
Yep. It’s definitely a group of frat boys. Zack’s own personal nightmares are coming true.
As the day goes on, and Zack is finally able to loose himself in his school work, the noise fizzles down until it’s nothing but the occasional bang or crash. But those moments remind Zack just what’s going on next door – drunken orgies, body shots, marijuana, keg stands, threesomes…
It’s enough to make Zack physically cringe.
About an hour later, at around 7:30 or so, Zack is preparing dinner for himself. Light classical music – a string quartet in C minor – is playing in the background, but Zack’s head snaps up when there’s a knock on the door.
Slowly and with a highly concerned look on his face, Zack opens the door. He’s worried about what he’s going to see (drunk, drug addicted frat boys), but he’s shocked at what’s actually standing in the hallway before him.
“Hi, I’m Rian Dawson. I just moved next door.” Rian Dawson sticks out a hand enthusiastically for Zack to shake, which he cautiously accepts. He looks like he’s about Zack’s age, but he doesn’t look like the frat boy Zack imagined was moving next door.
“Nice to meet you,” mutters Zack, still a bit dumbfounded as to why Rian’s here. Zack’s mind flickers back to the meal on his island in the kitchen. The food is getting cold.
“Oh, and this is Molly,” adds Rian, taking a small step to the right to revel a small girl. Zack guesses she’s no older than four years old, with brown hair and light freckles on her nose and cheeks. Molly immediately takes a step towards Rian, where she hides herself behind his leg yet again. Rian chuckles and reaches around to pick the girl up, resting her on his hip. “She’s a bit shy, aren’t you, Moll?” Molly hides her face in his neck. “So anyways, we just wanted to introduce ourselves, now that we’re neighbors and all.”
“Is it just the two of you?” Asks Zack, waiting for the rest of his neighbors to pop out. After all, there’s no way Rian and Molly made all that noise he heard earlier.
Rian grins, adjusting the way Molly sits on his hip. “Yep, just us.” Zack’s not buying it.
“You’re sure? There was an awful lot of noise earlier…”
“Oh!” Exclaims Rian, as if finally putting together all the pieces. “Those were just my friends, Jack and Alex. They stopped by to help unpack.”
“And you’re sure they’re not living with you?” Clarifies Zack. If these Alex and Jack characters are moving in, Zack’s moving out.
“Having Molly’s hard enough,” jokes Rian, and Molly seems to smile at the sound of her own name. “I don’t think I’d be able to deal with two more children.”
“Well, that makes sense…” Mumbles Zack, clearly unable to relate to the task of raising a child. Zack looks out for himself, and for his cat. But that’s why he likes his cat so much – she looks out for herself, for the most part.
“Anyways, we’d better be heading back. It’s almost time for Molly to go to sleep.” The two men say their goodbyes, before Rian turns and walks the fifteen feet or so to where his new door is. Zack is left standing in his open door, confused and hungry and still slightly concerned about how much noise his new neighbors will be making.
The old neighbors were great because Zack never knew them. Old, young, couple, bachelor, bachelorette, Zack couldn’t tell you even if he tried. They were completely silent all the time, never once knocking on his door for a favor or with a question. The walls that separated his one bedroom apartment from their two-bedroom apartment were paper-thin (or at least Zack assumed they were – he never heard his neighbors, so for all he knew they could have been a mile thick) so the idea of living next to a group of rowdy frat boys certainly crossed his mind once or twice. Especially when he noticed the apartment next to his was for sale in the city’s newspaper.
Zack liked his routine. He liked it a lot. He woke up in the morning, showered, ate breakfast, attended class at college, and logged some hours at the local bookstore, where he worked. Zack’s parents didn’t understand how a twenty-one year old didn’t want to spend his time partying and drinking, but they chalked it up to Zack just being an old soul. He didn’t like noise, he didn’t like rap music, and he didn’t like children. He liked classical music and jazz saxophone, scented candles, and his cat. That was about it.
So on this terrible, horrible, awful day that the new neighbors are moving in, Zack sits frozen on his sofa, waiting for the slightest of noise, waiting for his own personal paradise to be spoiled. And yeah, it’s spoiled pretty quickly. Zack can hear the sound of furniture scraping against hardwood floor, of cabinets opening and closing, of boxes being dropped, of laughter.
There’s more than one person laughing – there’s at least three.
Yep. It’s definitely a group of frat boys. Zack’s own personal nightmares are coming true.
As the day goes on, and Zack is finally able to loose himself in his school work, the noise fizzles down until it’s nothing but the occasional bang or crash. But those moments remind Zack just what’s going on next door – drunken orgies, body shots, marijuana, keg stands, threesomes…
It’s enough to make Zack physically cringe.
About an hour later, at around 7:30 or so, Zack is preparing dinner for himself. Light classical music – a string quartet in C minor – is playing in the background, but Zack’s head snaps up when there’s a knock on the door.
Slowly and with a highly concerned look on his face, Zack opens the door. He’s worried about what he’s going to see (drunk, drug addicted frat boys), but he’s shocked at what’s actually standing in the hallway before him.
“Hi, I’m Rian Dawson. I just moved next door.” Rian Dawson sticks out a hand enthusiastically for Zack to shake, which he cautiously accepts. He looks like he’s about Zack’s age, but he doesn’t look like the frat boy Zack imagined was moving next door.
“Nice to meet you,” mutters Zack, still a bit dumbfounded as to why Rian’s here. Zack’s mind flickers back to the meal on his island in the kitchen. The food is getting cold.
“Oh, and this is Molly,” adds Rian, taking a small step to the right to revel a small girl. Zack guesses she’s no older than four years old, with brown hair and light freckles on her nose and cheeks. Molly immediately takes a step towards Rian, where she hides herself behind his leg yet again. Rian chuckles and reaches around to pick the girl up, resting her on his hip. “She’s a bit shy, aren’t you, Moll?” Molly hides her face in his neck. “So anyways, we just wanted to introduce ourselves, now that we’re neighbors and all.”
“Is it just the two of you?” Asks Zack, waiting for the rest of his neighbors to pop out. After all, there’s no way Rian and Molly made all that noise he heard earlier.
Rian grins, adjusting the way Molly sits on his hip. “Yep, just us.” Zack’s not buying it.
“You’re sure? There was an awful lot of noise earlier…”
“Oh!” Exclaims Rian, as if finally putting together all the pieces. “Those were just my friends, Jack and Alex. They stopped by to help unpack.”
“And you’re sure they’re not living with you?” Clarifies Zack. If these Alex and Jack characters are moving in, Zack’s moving out.
“Having Molly’s hard enough,” jokes Rian, and Molly seems to smile at the sound of her own name. “I don’t think I’d be able to deal with two more children.”
“Well, that makes sense…” Mumbles Zack, clearly unable to relate to the task of raising a child. Zack looks out for himself, and for his cat. But that’s why he likes his cat so much – she looks out for herself, for the most part.
“Anyways, we’d better be heading back. It’s almost time for Molly to go to sleep.” The two men say their goodbyes, before Rian turns and walks the fifteen feet or so to where his new door is. Zack is left standing in his open door, confused and hungry and still slightly concerned about how much noise his new neighbors will be making.