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Description
Rancid was the first word that entered my mind as we stood in front of the run-down, nasty apartments.

It was old and dirty. Windows were broken, the outdoor stairs leading up to apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors looked rotted, and from what I could see of the cars parked there and the dusty pile of furniture left in a ‘free’ pile on the side of the road, it appeared that most of the people who lived here were dirt poor.

I was disgusted. Trinity, on the other hand, was delighted. I looked over to ask if we could just crash in a hotel until we found a better place to stay, hoping she would hate this place as much as I did, but unfortunately I saw a grin spreading from ear to ear. Sighing, I rolled my eyes and she started off towards the staircase.

I followed like I always do with only my two suitcases. She climbed the stairs effortlessly while I stumbled on all the cracks and splinters. They were steep and creaked under our weight. I didn’t even weigh that much, and Trinity might as well be starving herself. She eats so little.

As we walked past the apartments on the 2nd floor, I glanced in the windows. The people I saw in them looked sketchy and dangerous. The doors looked scuffed up, like people had been struggling against them or someone had broken the door down once and it had been placed back in the archway without any repairs. There were many locks on some doors, while others only had one and looked like it could be broken with a simple screwdriver. Not that there would be anything worth stealing in this place.

Suddenly Trinity stopped and I almost ran into her. I had been so distracted I barely noticed we had arrived at Apartment B-22. She was still smiling, staring at the door with a far-off look in her eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut, took a deep breath, and knocked.

As soon as I did it, I had the instinct to turn and run. I had never liked visiting people, especially if I had never met them and I was about to become their new roommate. It made me nervous. But I really had nowhere else to go, and Trinity looked so happy, and I couldn’t just go home. So I waited, feet glued to the floor, trying to calm myself down.

“Oh, you’ll just love Carsen!” Trinity had said. “He’s a sweet-heart, really. He was my brother’s friend in college, and I’ve spent a few nights with him before, if you know what I mean.” Then she had winked. I shuddered at the memory. Trinity’s brother was what you would call a punk. He was always getting into trouble, had been arrested twice for ‘gang activity’, and had hooked up with girls of all ages 15 to 26. I’d never met him, because he was never at Trinity’s house, being away at college and all. I don’t know how he got in. Anyway, I’d seen him in family pictures, and him and Trinity were supposedly the best of friends. I didn’t want to meet him though, and I certainly didn’t want to meet his ‘friend’ who lived in these cheap apartments and was probably murderous or a burglar or something. I wanted to leave, now.

“Hey.” Trinity’s voice said confidently. I looked up and saw her smiling at me. Her light brown eyes were always comforting to me. Just then, they were shining brightly with something I’d never seen before. Was it excitement? No, I’d seen that before on her. It’s a bit different. I remember the look of excitement when I had presented her with tickets to a concert she had been wanting to go to. I thought she would never be happier. It wasn’t as simple as happiness and it wasn’t as complicated as dreamy. Suddenly I understood, it was a look she had been dying to have in her eyes since the day I met her in the 9th grade. The look of pure, utter freedom.

“It’s gonna be great.” She tilted her head happily and I found myself smiling. Why did she do this to me? I wasn’t happy. Definitely not happy. For some reason, though, Trinity could always make me smile. She made me more open and daring. I guess that’s why I had agreed to run away with her.

I looked away from her and focused on the door, hoping someone would open it soon. It was going to be super awkward between me and this guy. I didn’t know him at all, but him and Trinity were already more than acquainted, if what she said was true. I hoped we could get along.

Soon the door was unlocked and it was pulled open. Standing there was someone I could only assume was not Carsen, seeing as he looked nothing like how I had imagined him. No, that wasn’t Carsen. It must have be someone house-sitting for the guy. However, I wasn’t sure how a guy like the Carsen I was picturing could afford a house sitter, or why this guy would house sit for the sketchy Carsen in the first place. It didn’t matter to me, though. This was definitely not Carsen.

“Carsen!” Trinity squealed, dropping her suitcases and leaping forward in a big hug. Okay. So this definitely was Carsen. I placed my suitcases on the ground as well, not knowing how long this was going to take. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her back, holding her tight. A big brown dog ran up behind the guy and started barking very loudly. “It’s been so long!”

“I missed you a lot.” He said with a smooth voice that sounded like honey. Well, honey doesn’t make a sound, but if honey had a sound, it would sound like his voice. Or his voice would sound like it. Whichever you prefer. Probably the latter.

I shook my head to clear these ridiculous thoughts and focused on the two of them, hugging it out, feeling more awkward than ever. I thought about saying something to get them to remember I was standing there, but I didn’t want all their attention focused on me, so I waited until they were finished and Carsen pulled away. He finally looked my way, and I bit my lip uncomfortably. Trinity turned to face me, and then recognition hit her face and she bonked herself in the head with the palm of her hand.

“Whoopsies, I forgot. Carsen, this is my best friend Aubree. Aubree, this is Carsen, my brother’s friend.” Trinity introduced us, and I gave a small smile. He extended his hand to shake and I could almost feel my face heating up. Who shook hands anymore? It was… weird. But I won’t say I didn’t like it. I shook it firmly, noticing how small my hand was compared to his, and how soft his hands were, and how long his fingers were, and how warm it felt on my chilled fingertips. I suddenly had what seemed to be a thousand questions to ask him. Did he play the guitar, or better yet, the piano? His fingers were certainly long enough. How did he keep his hands warm? A heater? Or were the naturally warm? Were they always like that? Did he use lotion? What kind? What store? Did it have a scent? I wanted to smell his hand, but I thought that might be weird, so I didn’t.

“Nice to meet you Aubree.” Carsen smiled at me and I muttered a small ‘you too’ before picking up the suitcases and trying to look busy with the latch on one. A few moments of silence and then Carsen invited us inside. Trinity went first and I watched her walk through the door. Her long, pale blonde hair swished in it’s ponytail. Her soft, light brown jacket with the furry white hood paired with her dark blue skinny jeans made her look effortlessly perfect. She put so much thought into her looks. She looked casual, like she hadn’t even tried, yet at the same time she was gorgeous.

I, on the other hand, didn’t feel so perfect. My dark brown hair was held together in a messy braid. I wore a simple gray long sleeved shirt with a light blue jacket over the top. My black jeans were just as skinny as her’s, but my legs didn’t look like sticks like her’s did. It’s probably because I actually ate food. I had been trying ever since I met her to look as effortlessly beautiful as she did, but I never seemed to get it quite right. I was trying too hard, I wasn’t trying hard enough. It was never the perfect combination. Sure, I was pretty, but whenever the two of us walked into a room, I felt the eyes linger on me before traveling to Trinity and resting there for a few moments longer than they had on me. I felt a bit inferior to her, and that was normal. I was used to it. I’d felt it every day since we’d been friends, even if she didn’t mean to make me feel that way. She couldn’t help it. Some people are just naturally beautiful. Inferior was okay, but it just stood out a bit more than usual at that moment in time.

Carsen leaned over to pick up her suitcases and followed her inside. I hesitated before following him just as the door was about to slam. He caught it with a flawless movement and held it for me. I was getting embarrassed now and thanked him before hurrying in after Trinity.

Description
Rancid was the first word that entered my mind as we stood in front of the run-down, nasty apartments.

It was old and dirty. Windows were broken, the outdoor stairs leading up to apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors looked rotted, and from what I could see of the cars parked there and the dusty pile of furniture left in a ‘free’ pile on the side of the road, it appeared that most of the people who lived here were dirt poor.

I was disgusted. Trinity, on the other hand, was delighted. I looked over to ask if we could just crash in a hotel until we found a better place to stay, hoping she would hate this place as much as I did, but unfortunately I saw a grin spreading from ear to ear. Sighing, I rolled my eyes and she started off towards the staircase.

I followed like I always do with only my two suitcases. She climbed the stairs effortlessly while I stumbled on all the cracks and splinters. They were steep and creaked under our weight. I didn’t even weigh that much, and Trinity might as well be starving herself. She eats so little.

As we walked past the apartments on the 2nd floor, I glanced in the windows. The people I saw in them looked sketchy and dangerous. The doors looked scuffed up, like people had been struggling against them or someone had broken the door down once and it had been placed back in the archway without any repairs. There were many locks on some doors, while others only had one and looked like it could be broken with a simple screwdriver. Not that there would be anything worth stealing in this place.

Suddenly Trinity stopped and I almost ran into her. I had been so distracted I barely noticed we had arrived at Apartment B-22. She was still smiling, staring at the door with a far-off look in her eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut, took a deep breath, and knocked.

As soon as I did it, I had the instinct to turn and run. I had never liked visiting people, especially if I had never met them and I was about to become their new roommate. It made me nervous. But I really had nowhere else to go, and Trinity looked so happy, and I couldn’t just go home. So I waited, feet glued to the floor, trying to calm myself down.

“Oh, you’ll just love Carsen!” Trinity had said. “He’s a sweet-heart, really. He was my brother’s friend in college, and I’ve spent a few nights with him before, if you know what I mean.” Then she had winked. I shuddered at the memory. Trinity’s brother was what you would call a punk. He was always getting into trouble, had been arrested twice for ‘gang activity’, and had hooked up with girls of all ages 15 to 26. I’d never met him, because he was never at Trinity’s house, being away at college and all. I don’t know how he got in. Anyway, I’d seen him in family pictures, and him and Trinity were supposedly the best of friends. I didn’t want to meet him though, and I certainly didn’t want to meet his ‘friend’ who lived in these cheap apartments and was probably murderous or a burglar or something. I wanted to leave, now.

“Hey.” Trinity’s voice said confidently. I looked up and saw her smiling at me. Her light brown eyes were always comforting to me. Just then, they were shining brightly with something I’d never seen before. Was it excitement? No, I’d seen that before on her. It’s a bit different. I remember the look of excitement when I had presented her with tickets to a concert she had been wanting to go to. I thought she would never be happier. It wasn’t as simple as happiness and it wasn’t as complicated as dreamy. Suddenly I understood, it was a look she had been dying to have in her eyes since the day I met her in the 9th grade. The look of pure, utter freedom.

“It’s gonna be great.” She tilted her head happily and I found myself smiling. Why did she do this to me? I wasn’t happy. Definitely not happy. For some reason, though, Trinity could always make me smile. She made me more open and daring. I guess that’s why I had agreed to run away with her.

I looked away from her and focused on the door, hoping someone would open it soon. It was going to be super awkward between me and this guy. I didn’t know him at all, but him and Trinity were already more than acquainted, if what she said was true. I hoped we could get along.

Soon the door was unlocked and it was pulled open. Standing there was someone I could only assume was not Carsen, seeing as he looked nothing like how I had imagined him. No, that wasn’t Carsen. It must have be someone house-sitting for the guy. However, I wasn’t sure how a guy like the Carsen I was picturing could afford a house sitter, or why this guy would house sit for the sketchy Carsen in the first place. It didn’t matter to me, though. This was definitely not Carsen.

“Carsen!” Trinity squealed, dropping her suitcases and leaping forward in a big hug. Okay. So this definitely was Carsen. I placed my suitcases on the ground as well, not knowing how long this was going to take. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her back, holding her tight. A big brown dog ran up behind the guy and started barking very loudly. “It’s been so long!”

“I missed you a lot.” He said with a smooth voice that sounded like honey. Well, honey doesn’t make a sound, but if honey had a sound, it would sound like his voice. Or his voice would sound like it. Whichever you prefer. Probably the latter.

I shook my head to clear these ridiculous thoughts and focused on the two of them, hugging it out, feeling more awkward than ever. I thought about saying something to get them to remember I was standing there, but I didn’t want all their attention focused on me, so I waited until they were finished and Carsen pulled away. He finally looked my way, and I bit my lip uncomfortably. Trinity turned to face me, and then recognition hit her face and she bonked herself in the head with the palm of her hand.

“Whoopsies, I forgot. Carsen, this is my best friend Aubree. Aubree, this is Carsen, my brother’s friend.” Trinity introduced us, and I gave a small smile. He extended his hand to shake and I could almost feel my face heating up. Who shook hands anymore? It was… weird. But I won’t say I didn’t like it. I shook it firmly, noticing how small my hand was compared to his, and how soft his hands were, and how long his fingers were, and how warm it felt on my chilled fingertips. I suddenly had what seemed to be a thousand questions to ask him. Did he play the guitar, or better yet, the piano? His fingers were certainly long enough. How did he keep his hands warm? A heater? Or were the naturally warm? Were they always like that? Did he use lotion? What kind? What store? Did it have a scent? I wanted to smell his hand, but I thought that might be weird, so I didn’t.

“Nice to meet you Aubree.” Carsen smiled at me and I muttered a small ‘you too’ before picking up the suitcases and trying to look busy with the latch on one. A few moments of silence and then Carsen invited us inside. Trinity went first and I watched her walk through the door. Her long, pale blonde hair swished in it’s ponytail. Her soft, light brown jacket with the furry white hood paired with her dark blue skinny jeans made her look effortlessly perfect. She put so much thought into her looks. She looked casual, like she hadn’t even tried, yet at the same time she was gorgeous.

I, on the other hand, didn’t feel so perfect. My dark brown hair was held together in a messy braid. I wore a simple gray long sleeved shirt with a light blue jacket over the top. My black jeans were just as skinny as her’s, but my legs didn’t look like sticks like her’s did. It’s probably because I actually ate food. I had been trying ever since I met her to look as effortlessly beautiful as she did, but I never seemed to get it quite right. I was trying too hard, I wasn’t trying hard enough. It was never the perfect combination. Sure, I was pretty, but whenever the two of us walked into a room, I felt the eyes linger on me before traveling to Trinity and resting there for a few moments longer than they had on me. I felt a bit inferior to her, and that was normal. I was used to it. I’d felt it every day since we’d been friends, even if she didn’t mean to make me feel that way. She couldn’t help it. Some people are just naturally beautiful. Inferior was okay, but it just stood out a bit more than usual at that moment in time.

Carsen leaned over to pick up her suitcases and followed her inside. I hesitated before following him just as the door was about to slam. He caught it with a flawless movement and held it for me. I was getting embarrassed now and thanked him before hurrying in after Trinity.