Now Leasing

It has a been about a week since the Garnett's have moved in now. To my knowledge, they haven't suspected anyone living in the house but them. I have overheard them having conversations about how the food is disappearing from the fridge but they don't seem to think much of it. Erik has been acting a bit stranger lately. He is awake more frequently now and he seems to be a little bit more violent than usual. We fight and argue a lot more than we used to. Don't get me wrong, we did fight and have disagreements but not like this. Most of our fights are over Ashleigh. I tell him about how she has her boyfriend, Brandon, and how I want to meet her. He tells me that I'm stupid and I should just go out there and introduce myself. That conversation would go somewhere along the lines of "Hey! I have been living in your house this whole time and I watch you sleep!" I don't know how to interact with people so I make sure I avoid them. I have never wanted to ever introduce myself to someone like I have with her though. I don't know what it is. I've never been attracted to anyone. Maybe she is the one to change me.

Ashleigh's parents were out on a date and they left her in charge of the house. I overheard a conversation she had about her boyfriend coming over. I don't think Kevin and Allyson know about Brandon coming over. I don't know why, but I got extremely jealous when I heard Brandon's car pull up. I heard the front door unlock and what sounded like a kiss. I climbed the steps to the living room peephole and gazed through it. Brandon and Ashleigh sat on the couch and turned the tv on. They were holding hands. I began to feel really empty inside. Erik came to talk to me.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I didn't say anything. I just kept my eyes fixated on the couple on the couch. Then Brandon leaned in and kissed Ashleigh, on the lips. Suddenly Erik grabbed me and pulled me down the stairs. There was loud thud as I hit the ground. I heard that the tv was muted, Brandon and Ashleigh heard the noise. Then I heard the tv volume come back on and everything was fine again. Erik dragged me into the bed and threw the covers over me. I think he was trying to protect me from seeing too much. I dozed off for a little bit.

I woke up about an hour later and didn't know where Erik was. I went upstairs to the living room peephole and looked through it. There was nobody. I still heard talking in the house and I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I took a deep breath and climbed one more story. I was right outside the hole that would give me access to Ashleigh's bedroom. I took another breath and prepared for the worst. I put my face up to the hole and looked in. There they were. On the bed. He was covered with a blanket. She was wearing a bra. Just a bra. I became enraged. I wanted to scream but I knew I couldn't. I couldn't stop shaking. I wanted to punch something but I knew I couldn't. Erik came and got me from the stairs. He told me to calm down and he hugged me. That's what I needed. I became calm again and my breathing steadied. I felt better now.

I walked back up to the living room. It looked like Brandon was ready to leave. He gave Ashleigh a kiss goodbye. I was okay with it this time. He opened the door and then Ashleigh closed it behind him. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. It was Brandon.

"Uh, babe. Funny story... my tires are slashed."

Erik chuckled.