Eliott Price Should be Dead

eighteen - alcohol

I find myself with Jackie again, inside her house with three other brothers speaking Russian to eachother.

"So, do they always speak like that?" I whisper to Jackie as we sit at her kitchen table.

She shakes her head no and stays focused on counting the cash from her paycheck.

"So... I shouldn't feel uncomfortable... like, they're not plotting to kill me or anything?" I whisper again to try and get her to crack a smile.

"Zatknis!" Jackie suddenly exclaims as she continues counting cash.

I unintentionally gulp and tap my foot against the floor as her brothers begin to quiet down in the background.

"What was that?" I nervously ask as I watch her focus on her money.

"It means shut up in Russian," she tells me with a surprisingly pleasant tone.

I hear her brothers begin to speak english again, a small wave of calm rushing through my body. Jackie hits the end of her stack of money, smiling widely at her profit.

"Five hundred and fifty dollars," she proudly states as she secures a rubber band around the stack of bills.

"Nice," I tell her.

I don't tell her that every aspect of my mind is being taken up with the thought of Nigel, or the thought of Ivan.

The front door opens and I hold my breath until I realize it's Ivan — it's kinda like he read my mind. We make eye contact but he seems unphased, like he's never seen me before but is comfortable with the fact I'm in his house.

"Oh! Eliott, this is my fourth brother, Ivan," Jackie chimes as she motions Ivan over to the table, "he was here earlier but you weren't. He's met everyone else already."

I don't say a word but let my cheeks do the talking instead — they quickly flush with heat and I'm sure that translates into some stupid red blush or something.

"Nice to meet you," Ivan bluntly states as he walks into the kitchen with us. I can smell the nicotine on his clothes.

"Nice to, uh, meet you as well," I quietly say, trying to be as casual as he was. Those words felt like they had to travel an entire obstacle course before bouncing from my lips.

"I'm going upstairs," Ivan tells his family even though they don't seem too interested. Before heading up the stairs, he nudges my back with his knuckles. I catch him smirking at me while he climbs the stairs, and my heart rate decreases to normal knowing the situation is over. Jackie doesn't seem to notice what Ivan did, either, because she's staring at her money like a proud parent.

My brain feels like soup, but I hear Jackie begin to talk and have no choice but to listen.

"Yeah, that's Ivan. He's the kid everyone fears but he's not even that scary. I think it's just from the things he does on the street."

I nod slowly to show I'm actually listening, even though my entire mind is consumed with two stupid boys. One, my best friend, and two, the boy who just smirked at me while walking up the steps.

"Are you listening?" Jackie asks, waving her hand in front of my face.

"Totally," I respond while rubbing my eyes with my palms, "just a bad day so far. Not because of you, just personal things."