Blood On My Hands

Sarah remained behind the shower curtain waiting for the boy to respond. "Cat got your fucking tongue?" She spat, still totally embarrassed by the whole situation. If it wasn’t for her being nude, Sarah would’ve given this boy a good slap across the face.

"Sorry, I really am," he apologized. "The backdoor was open. I didn't know anyone had moved in yet." He reached for the towel neatly folded on the vanity and threw it to Sarah before exiting the bathroom.

Sarah dried off quicker than she ever had before and quickly slipped her clothes on. She held her phone in her hand debating if she should call the police. She thought a while longer, weighing her options. The only thing he would be charged with was trespassing and Sarah was doubtful that she'd press charges against him. It was only the first day she'd been living in the house and he didn't attack her or anything. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She slipped her phone into her pajama pants and walked into the hallway. There were no signs of the boy anywhere. Maybe she had scared him off? She hoped this was the case.

As she headed for her room, she saw the blond boy sitting on her bed from the open doorway as she approached. Sarah's blood was boiling. Who is he and why the fuck does he keep showing up? She calmed herself down and walked into the room. Her initial plan was to find out more about him. If something went wrong and he tried to hurt her, she'd call the police. There was no use in judging him and making enemies with those in her new neighborhood.

"This used to be my room," the boy said as he looked around at all the changes that had been made.

"You used to live here?"

"Yeah, when I was younger. I loved this house."

"Oh," Sarah immediately felt ashamed for the way she had acted earlier. "Where do you live now?"

"Same neighborhood, different house. My mom's never happy," he laughed, dryly. "I can't tell you how many times she changed this house."

"Oh yeah, I had a mom like that. I definitely feel your pain," Sarah rolled her eyes, sitting down on the bed beside him.

She was sure this boy had never gone through the things she had with her mother. No one could or would ever understand the living hell her own mother had put her through all those years. Not even counseling had helped heal the mental wounds that Lindsay Kenway had inflicted. Sarah believed she was still partly damaged goods.

"I'm Tate, and I'm really sorry about earlier," he extended his hand to the girl.

"It's okay," she smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Sarah."

"So Sarah, your family bought the house?"

"Nope, me and my friends are renting it for college. One year lease, if we like it enough, we'll stay on until we graduate. Well, if our landlord isn't a total dick."

“By the way, how old are you?”

“Seventeen, and before you ask any more questions, I’ll explain.” Sarah said putting up a hand, already telling by the way his facial expression changed that Tate had questions. “My mother pushed me hard to become successfully “educated”” She made quotation marks with her fingers when she said the word “educated” while rolling her eyes. “She wanted me to be above average, and that’s what she got. Long story short, I was ready to graduate high school early and now, I am here.”

“Damn, your mother sounds like a perfectionist,” Tate said then added in afterthought, “She sounds a lot like my own mother, actually.”

“Sounds like we have something in common,” Sarah said sardonically, but all the same taking comfort in this bit of knowledge about a boy she scarcely knew.

“You know, Sarah you have a beautiful singing voice,” Tate complimented after an interval of rather comfortable silence between the two teenagers. “I heard you singing from down the hallway on the way to my “former” room.” He glanced over at the girl sitting beside him on the bed, and then, chuckled, “I guess I couldn’t help but stop and listen.”

“Next time, knock before entering or at least, listen from behind the door. You scared the shit out of me. I thought it was a home invasion.”

“I’ll remember to do that next time.”

“Who said there was going to be a next time?” Sarah eyed him, good-humoredly with a chuckle while crossing her arms.

Tate just shrugged, not giving Sarah a straight answer to the question.

Before Sarah could ask anymore question about this strange boy, Cecily walked into the room. She gave Tate a once over examination and creased her brow in confusion.

“Who’s this?” she asked, leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed.

“This is Tate,” Sarah introduced the surprise visitor, and then added, “He used to live here. Found his way in through the backdoor. It was open. He didn’t know that anyone had moved in yet.”

“Hey, I’m Cecily Rothman, Sarah’s best friend,” she said, extending her hand forward for a handshake. “I was just about to tell Sarah here, that our late night movie marathon is about to begin. First, we’re watching a bootlegged copy of Thor 2: The Dark World!” Cecily said rather excitedly with a wicked grin.

“Didn’t you go see that movie in theaters like a billion times?” Sarah asked. “You dragged me along with you.”

“I saw it only, oh say, twelve times, but whose is keeping count.” Cecily said rolling her eyes. “It wasn’t like you didn’t want to be “drug” along. You yourself knew about the movie before it came out. You wouldn’t stop talking about it for days on end.”

Standing up, Tate said, “I guess I’ll leave you two to it then.”

“You don’t have to leave. Stay for a movie or two.” Looking over at Sarah impishly and knowingly, Cecily grinned, “I’m sure Sarah here, wouldn’t mind you staying a bit longer.”

Tate paused in the middle of getting to his feet, glancing over at Sarah, whose face began to heat up from being put on the spot by her best friend. I’m gonna kill her later, she thought attempting to regain her composure.

“Of course, you can stay, Tate, but not unless you have to be home by a certain time.”

“No, I don’t. My mother’s probably already shitfaced drunk. Probably doesn’t even know I’m there.” Tate said with a hint of cynicism and a tight lipped grin.

Halfway through the movie, Sarah found herself nodding off. She would quickly snap out of it once she found her head leaning to the right but soon, she let sleep take her. When she woke up, she found her head on Tate’s shoulder. She popped up quickly and apologized for falling asleep.

“It’s fine. I didn’t want to wake you,” Tate smiled. “I really should be going.”

“Do you want a ride to your house?” Cecily offered as she removed the movie from the DVD player.

“Nah,” Tate shook his head while shoving his hands in his pants pockets. “No need in that. I really don’t mind the walk.”

“Let me walk you to the door,” Sarah offered while following him down the stairs and then opening the door for him. “It was nice to meet you, Tate. If you walk in on me in the shower again, I might have to kill you.”

“Yeah,” Tate smirked and laughed. “I’ll see you around.”

“Stop by anytime,” Sarah smiled and closed the door behind him.

She sprinted back up the stairs, happy with the outcome of the day. She moved without too much agony or stress, she made a new friend, and her dad was close by. Knowing that made all of Sarah's anxiety go away. Maybe this move was exactly what she needed.

“Well, it seems to me that someone has a crush,” Cecily joked.

“Definitely not,” Sarah shook her head. “Everything’s new, I need to get settled and on a schedule before I get distracted by boys.”

“I mean he’s seen you naked-”

Sarah cut her best friend off before she could finish her sentence, “Yeah, for like a second!”

“Still. I bet he liked what he saw.” Cecily raised her eyebrows cheekily with a laugh.

Sarah grabbed a pillow and chucked it at her friend’s head.

After a long day of moving, Sarah finally crawled into bed. Within minutes, she was asleep. She woke up a few times to sounds of her roommates going to the bathroom and weird creaking noises that the old house made. She opened her tired eyes to see a young girl standing in front of her. She had long brown hair that was pulled back by a yellow headband. She sported a white cardigan over a floral dress. She crouched closer to Sarah and began whispering. Sarah focused her ears, trying to figure out what she was saying.

“You’re going to die in this house!” She repeated louder each time.

Sarah blinked, a chill went down her spine, and the girl was gone as if she hadn’t been there in the first place. She shook her head and closed her eyes, reassuring herself that it had to be a dream and nothing more.

Later that night, Sarah was unceremoniously woken up by someone screaming bloody murder at the top of their lungs. Bolting straight up in her bed and throwing the covers off of her, she ran out into the hallway and toward where the scream had come from, Natasha’s room.

Upon entering with her heart thumping inside her chest, Sarah noticed that Cecily was already there, consoling her terrified roommate. The two girls were standing at the side of the bed. Natasha appeared to be in tears, hugging herself.

“It’s going to be okay, Natasha. Tell me what happened.” Cecily soothed in a soft voice as she rubbed circles on the girl’s back.

“What happened? Is everything alright?” Sarah asked from the doorway. “I heard a scream.”

“I don’t know,” Cecily shrugged. “She won’t tell me. I was thinking she might’ve had a nightmare.”

Must’ve been some nightmare, Sarah thought just as a disheveled and unhappy, Mia brushed past her, rather impolitely, into the bedroom. “What the hell is going on? I was sleeping so well, and then she,” Mia pointed an accusatory index finger at Natasha, who began to cry even more, “had to go screaming her head off! What is the meaning of all this?!”

Cecily glanced up and cut her eyes at Mia. “How can you be so heartless?”

“I'm not being heartless. When I have bad dreams you don't hear me being hysterical and freaking everyone the fuck out for no reason.”

“Get. The. Fuck. Out. Mia.” Sarah hissed, walking fully into Natasha bedroom with her arms crossed and a burning glint in her blue eyes. Sarah wasn’t taking this rich brat’s attitude anymore. Mia turned around to face her roommate with a nasty smirk on her lips. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then get the fuck OUT! I’m not taking your bullshit, not here in this house, or anywhere else for that matter! Show some decency. The girl is terrified out of her mind.”

Placing her hands on her hips, Mia sauntered up to close the distance between her and Sarah. Sarah glanced up at the girl, not letting the Mia’s height intimidate her. Sure, she was short, but Sarah could for sure hold her own in a fight. Sarah had had years of experience in high school because of bullies like the one standing in front of her now.

“No one tells me where I can go, especially not a pipsqueak like you.” Mia boldly jabbed a finger at Sarah’s chest, which only infuriated the girl even more. “I’m free to do what I want and say what I want, got it?”

She brought her finger back again, but Sarah caught it mid poke. “Don’t touch me,” Sarah said through clenched teeth while bending Mia’s finger back in a rather painful way.

“Ouch, you bitch, let go!” Mia yelled, trying to jerk her finger back, but Sarah’s hold was strong. "Owww you're going to break my fucking finger!"

"I'll break a lot more than your finger," Sarah let go, planning on doing a lot more damage until Cecily intervened.

"Guys, stop! Just stop!" Cecily stood in between the two feuding girls. "Natasha is scared to death and you guys are brawling? Seriously? Are you both five fucking years old? Do you know how selfish you're acting?"

"Whatever, I'm out," Mia said as she threw her arms in the air and exited the room, making sure to slam the door on her way out.