Misery Business
Those F*cking Tides
Victoria saw Lisa often in the elevator and found her to be very nice. Victoria wasn’t really intent on befriending people in the apartment building, but Lisa was too sweet of a person to ignore. In fact, the second day she saw Lisa, the girl had brought her a couple cookies for being “such a nice neighbor,” even though they lived on separate floors. Still, it was a nice gesture, and Victoria definitely enjoyed those cookies during her break at work.
A week after their first encounter, Victoria practically got into the routine of seeing Lisa every time she took a night shift at five thirty. But this time, Victoria had special business: She needed to post a bulletin on the lobby board for a roommate. Rent was getting a little over her liking and any money helped. As much as she didn’t want another person sharing her space, her place was big and she needed the money.
Victoria hopped on the elevator at the same time, waiting for it to stop at the fourth floor. It finally did after a few seconds and opened the doors as Victoria stared down at the ground, expecting a perky, “Hello!” Instead, she heard nothing and felt the weight of the elevator shift a little. Fuck, she must’ve missed Lisa leaving.
The doors closed and Victoria pulled out her phone, staring at it to keep herself busy. That was until she heard the stranger next to her clear his throat.
She looked up and then quickly looked down. Wait, she thought in her head, did I just―
She looked up slowly again, her eyes holding the familiar face for far too long.
Holy. Fuck.
She felt odd for staring at him for so long, but it was kind of hard. She was surprised that he didn’t notice her staring, because it was kind of obvious. She wanted to say something, anything to fill the silence as he stared at the elevator screen switching floors. But words had simply escaped her.
Seven years had really done him good: the blonde highlights and long hair gone, replaced by a bit of a shorter hairstyle and full dark brown color. Stubble lined his perfect jaw she used to kiss, and his eyes were hidden by a dark pair of shades. She could even recognize the dimples she fell in love with.
It seemed like hours, but the elevator doors finally opened to the second floor. Alex walked off, her presence practically invisible to him. Just in her luck, Jack―the famous Jack Barakat she hadn’t seen since high school―stood on the other side, waiting for him and giving him a knuckle-touch. She stood there, waiting for the doors to close for her dear life and staring at them in shock.
Just as the doors started closing, Jack laughed and looked back inside the elevator. He did a double-take, his eyes growing wide. He blinked his eyes a few times, the image of Victoria never changing as the elevator doors finally came to a close and went on its way.
Alex never seemed to look back and notice her while Jack did, and it was clear since Jack still stood there, looking at where the elevator once was with a blank look on his face. Alex waved his hand in front of his friend’s face, saying, “Dude, are you―”
“ALEX!” Jack spun around and gripped his best friend’s shoulders, causing Alex to be stunned. “DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT WAS?”
Alex looked back to where Jack was looking, and back at Jack. “Who are you talking ab―”
“Never mind, you’re useless.” Jack shook his head, calming down. He suddenly looked up and off in the distance. “Wait.” He said, realizing something. “I NEED TO GET TO THE LOBBY!” He hollered as he ran the other way to the stairs and down to the first floor.
---
Victoria fast-walked through the lobby, closing her eyes and hoping they didn’t notice her. She could admit, she actually did want them to notice her―and she was pretty sure Jack did. I mean, she hadn’t seen them for seven years and one of the two happened to be the love of her life. This finally made her ask herself: Was this fate? Finally, they had crossed paths after so long, and in a fucking apartment building. Nevertheless, there had to be a reason for this.
“Tides will bring me back to you …” The words of a young Alex drifted into her head.
Boy, did those tides take long.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she reached the entrance by a loud yelling, “VICTORIAAAAAAA!”
She bit hard down on her lip, realizing she’d been caught. Be cool, she thought to herself. She slowly turned around, beaming to the familiar lanky boy she hadn’t seen for too long. She hoped he didn’t speak too much, because she actually did need to post this bulletin, and the last thing she wanted to talk about was her last rough year of high school without Alex …
“Jack-o!” Victoria exclaimed with a fake smile.
“You piece of shit! Give me a hug, Hamilton!” He picked her up by her waist and held her in the air, squeezing her with all his strength.
“I can see you’re still the same twelve year old boy you used to be.” She said as he set her down.
He smiled the same mischievous smile she missed. “More like a twelve year old who can legally drink.”
Things felt a bit awkward for a moment, until she filled the silence with a “So how’s the band?”
He looked at her surprisingly, as if to say, “You really don’t know?” She felt a bit bad for asking, because she practically said how she disconnected herself from them completely. But he still replied, “Seven years have done wonders. We’ve changed labels since the last time we saw you. We’re with Hopeless Records, and man, has it helped us.”
“That’s great!” She tried to sound as cheery as she could, but it was a little hard with the yearning to ask how Alex was. Well, clearly from the way he looked, he was doing pretty well.
Noticing the silence again, Jack plucked one of the roommate posters from Victoria’s hands and read it. “Hey!” The girl tried reaching for it, but he held it up higher. “I need to hang that―”
“Wait a sec!” Jack looked at the poster and back at Victoria. “You’re looking for a roommate?”
She knew where he was getting to, and as much as Victoria missed his antics and parties―and don’t forget that he wouldn’t be there that often because of tour―she couldn’t have Jack as a roommate. It couldn’t work. Or at least she didn’t want it to.
“No, no. Don’t even think about it.” She grabbed the poster back.
“I won’t be there for half the year, and I’ll pay the rent: at least eight hundred every three weeks." He grabbed her hands and swung them. “Come on, Hamilton. Help an old friend out.”
Eight hundred every three weeks? That was more than she’d ask for on the poster originally … “No, I can’t ask you to do―”
“All the guys would be visiting sometimes too! And I know how much you must miss them.”
She lifted a brow. “Why do you really want to live with me, Jack?”
He sighed. “Well, I really need a place, and Alex said we couldn’t have parties until I got a place. His apartment is ‘off limits.’” She was about to say something, but Jack stopped her with a finger to her lips. “Before you say anything, no, I will not just be using the place for parties. And if we do, then I promise to clean up the whole mess, regardless of a hangover.”
Once she thought about it, she hated that she thought it was a good deal. She did miss the boys, and it would be cool to see them. She wanted to see Alex again, because the elevator situation must have been a fluke, and once he saw her again, he’d ask her if she still wanted to take up his offer he said years ago. Plus, the money was good. And the parties, with her own personal party-maid. She was sold.
“Okay,” she sighed. “But don’t make me regret this.”
Jack jumped for joy, and as she recalled what she agreed to, she knew she wouldn’t regret it. The tides―or whatever the fuck it was―had brought Alex back to her, and she was going to make it worth it.
A week after their first encounter, Victoria practically got into the routine of seeing Lisa every time she took a night shift at five thirty. But this time, Victoria had special business: She needed to post a bulletin on the lobby board for a roommate. Rent was getting a little over her liking and any money helped. As much as she didn’t want another person sharing her space, her place was big and she needed the money.
Victoria hopped on the elevator at the same time, waiting for it to stop at the fourth floor. It finally did after a few seconds and opened the doors as Victoria stared down at the ground, expecting a perky, “Hello!” Instead, she heard nothing and felt the weight of the elevator shift a little. Fuck, she must’ve missed Lisa leaving.
The doors closed and Victoria pulled out her phone, staring at it to keep herself busy. That was until she heard the stranger next to her clear his throat.
She looked up and then quickly looked down. Wait, she thought in her head, did I just―
She looked up slowly again, her eyes holding the familiar face for far too long.
Holy. Fuck.
She felt odd for staring at him for so long, but it was kind of hard. She was surprised that he didn’t notice her staring, because it was kind of obvious. She wanted to say something, anything to fill the silence as he stared at the elevator screen switching floors. But words had simply escaped her.
Seven years had really done him good: the blonde highlights and long hair gone, replaced by a bit of a shorter hairstyle and full dark brown color. Stubble lined his perfect jaw she used to kiss, and his eyes were hidden by a dark pair of shades. She could even recognize the dimples she fell in love with.
It seemed like hours, but the elevator doors finally opened to the second floor. Alex walked off, her presence practically invisible to him. Just in her luck, Jack―the famous Jack Barakat she hadn’t seen since high school―stood on the other side, waiting for him and giving him a knuckle-touch. She stood there, waiting for the doors to close for her dear life and staring at them in shock.
Just as the doors started closing, Jack laughed and looked back inside the elevator. He did a double-take, his eyes growing wide. He blinked his eyes a few times, the image of Victoria never changing as the elevator doors finally came to a close and went on its way.
Alex never seemed to look back and notice her while Jack did, and it was clear since Jack still stood there, looking at where the elevator once was with a blank look on his face. Alex waved his hand in front of his friend’s face, saying, “Dude, are you―”
“ALEX!” Jack spun around and gripped his best friend’s shoulders, causing Alex to be stunned. “DO YOU KNOW WHO THAT WAS?”
Alex looked back to where Jack was looking, and back at Jack. “Who are you talking ab―”
“Never mind, you’re useless.” Jack shook his head, calming down. He suddenly looked up and off in the distance. “Wait.” He said, realizing something. “I NEED TO GET TO THE LOBBY!” He hollered as he ran the other way to the stairs and down to the first floor.
---
Victoria fast-walked through the lobby, closing her eyes and hoping they didn’t notice her. She could admit, she actually did want them to notice her―and she was pretty sure Jack did. I mean, she hadn’t seen them for seven years and one of the two happened to be the love of her life. This finally made her ask herself: Was this fate? Finally, they had crossed paths after so long, and in a fucking apartment building. Nevertheless, there had to be a reason for this.
“Tides will bring me back to you …” The words of a young Alex drifted into her head.
Boy, did those tides take long.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she reached the entrance by a loud yelling, “VICTORIAAAAAAA!”
She bit hard down on her lip, realizing she’d been caught. Be cool, she thought to herself. She slowly turned around, beaming to the familiar lanky boy she hadn’t seen for too long. She hoped he didn’t speak too much, because she actually did need to post this bulletin, and the last thing she wanted to talk about was her last rough year of high school without Alex …
“Jack-o!” Victoria exclaimed with a fake smile.
“You piece of shit! Give me a hug, Hamilton!” He picked her up by her waist and held her in the air, squeezing her with all his strength.
“I can see you’re still the same twelve year old boy you used to be.” She said as he set her down.
He smiled the same mischievous smile she missed. “More like a twelve year old who can legally drink.”
Things felt a bit awkward for a moment, until she filled the silence with a “So how’s the band?”
He looked at her surprisingly, as if to say, “You really don’t know?” She felt a bit bad for asking, because she practically said how she disconnected herself from them completely. But he still replied, “Seven years have done wonders. We’ve changed labels since the last time we saw you. We’re with Hopeless Records, and man, has it helped us.”
“That’s great!” She tried to sound as cheery as she could, but it was a little hard with the yearning to ask how Alex was. Well, clearly from the way he looked, he was doing pretty well.
Noticing the silence again, Jack plucked one of the roommate posters from Victoria’s hands and read it. “Hey!” The girl tried reaching for it, but he held it up higher. “I need to hang that―”
“Wait a sec!” Jack looked at the poster and back at Victoria. “You’re looking for a roommate?”
She knew where he was getting to, and as much as Victoria missed his antics and parties―and don’t forget that he wouldn’t be there that often because of tour―she couldn’t have Jack as a roommate. It couldn’t work. Or at least she didn’t want it to.
“No, no. Don’t even think about it.” She grabbed the poster back.
“I won’t be there for half the year, and I’ll pay the rent: at least eight hundred every three weeks." He grabbed her hands and swung them. “Come on, Hamilton. Help an old friend out.”
Eight hundred every three weeks? That was more than she’d ask for on the poster originally … “No, I can’t ask you to do―”
“All the guys would be visiting sometimes too! And I know how much you must miss them.”
She lifted a brow. “Why do you really want to live with me, Jack?”
He sighed. “Well, I really need a place, and Alex said we couldn’t have parties until I got a place. His apartment is ‘off limits.’” She was about to say something, but Jack stopped her with a finger to her lips. “Before you say anything, no, I will not just be using the place for parties. And if we do, then I promise to clean up the whole mess, regardless of a hangover.”
Once she thought about it, she hated that she thought it was a good deal. She did miss the boys, and it would be cool to see them. She wanted to see Alex again, because the elevator situation must have been a fluke, and once he saw her again, he’d ask her if she still wanted to take up his offer he said years ago. Plus, the money was good. And the parties, with her own personal party-maid. She was sold.
“Okay,” she sighed. “But don’t make me regret this.”
Jack jumped for joy, and as she recalled what she agreed to, she knew she wouldn’t regret it. The tides―or whatever the fuck it was―had brought Alex back to her, and she was going to make it worth it.
Notes
I love all you guys so much<333 I've only posted 3 chapters so far and most of you have decided to continue reading this. 30 subscribers and only 3 chapters -- that's a big deal, in my perspective. So thank you, guys. I couldn't have asked for better subscribers!<3Subscribe/ comment/ rate! :)
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Old account was hacked, reposting and continuation of The Rock Show here
2/6/14