Eliott Price Should be Dead

twenty - changes

My alarm is beeping and my eyes feel like cinder blocks as I toss and turn in bed. I grab my phone from my blankets and throw it on the floor, as if that's going to do anything to stop the beeping.

I sigh heavily and blink my eyes open. They're staring at the ceiling while I count the number of cracks I see, which is just my way of coping with the realization that Nigel isn't going to come back today. It's just Kylie and me.

That's great, but at the same time, I'm a mixed bag of emotions and I just want to buy narcotics or something off of Ivan so I can sleep for a day or three. After all, he's one of the only other people I'm friends with — and I'm still not sure if that's a good thing.

I finally haul myself from the blankets and walk into the kitchen, where I find Kylie leaning against the counter with her cell phone pressed against her ear.

I yawn and shuffle over to the kitchen sink, which just happens to be next to where she's standing, reaching for the faucet to turn on the cold water.

Just as I'm about to splash my face, Kylie's voice interrupts my actions.

"Nigel! How are you?"

Crap.

"I've missed you too. Tell me everything so far."

Kylie begins walking into the living room and I'm left alone with the water running, crouched over the sink. I splash my face and wipe the crust from my eyes before patting dry with an already damp kitchen towel.

"I want to talk to him," I tell Kylie, a little more stern than anticipated.

She holds up her pointer finger and I roll my eyes dramatically while leaning against the counter like she was seconds before.

"I'm gonna put Eliott on," Kylie tells Nigel, almost like she's warning him.

I grab the phone the second she steps foot onto the linoleum.

"Hey," I nervously speak into the phone.

"Hi."

I hear Nigel's voice on the other end of the phone and it's like a huge bag of rocks has been lifted off my chest.

"I hope you don't hate me," I mumble without meaning to.

"I don't hate you," he flatly tells me.

"So... are you there yet?" I question while tapping  my foot against the floor.

"Yeah. I just got here about an hour ago. I'm staying at this hotel for now," I hear Nigel say as the phone reception crackles in and out a few times.

"That's good. How do you have money to pay for this?"

"None of your business," Nigel politely informs me.

"Okay. Well, be safe and everything. I truly do miss you," I tell him as I glue my eyes to the floor.

"Okay. Put Kylie back on," he says in a tone of voice that is so familiar I can feel it.

I don't say anything back to him, but extend my arm for Kylie to grab her phone back. I shrug and rub my eyes with my fingers again, patiently waiting for her to hang up with him.

When she finally places her phone face down on the kitchen table, I look up.

"I need a cigarette. Wanna take a walk with me?" I ask while rubbing the back of my neck with my hand.

"Yeah. We only have each other now," she chuckles as she grabs her phone again, sticking it in her pocket.

I lead the way outside, fueled purely on my need for nicotine. Once we push open the front doors of our apartment complex, I pull out my lighter and box of cigarettes. Within seconds, I'm inhaling and I feel a little bit better.

"Are we gonna walk?" Kylie asks me while looking around the street and sidewalk.

"Oh, yeah," I laugh as I put away my cigarettes and my lighter, pointing down the sidewalk, "let's just go this way for a little."

Kylie and I walk a few steps in silence, passing a building or two before I pull the cigarette from my lips and look up at her.

"Be honest. What did Nigel say?"

She gives me a confused look back, scratching the top of her head. "He just said he misses us and he's checked into a hotel for the next few days to investigate or something."

"Us?" I ask with a smile, ready to laugh.

"Yeah. Me and you, I'm assuming," Kylie shrugs and pushes her hair back with her fingers.

I slowly shake my head and bring the cigarette back to my mouth.

"You think my parents are here somewhere, like in this city? Or do you think they're somewhere crazy, like Oregon?"

Kylie shakes her head. How the hell is she supposed to know that?

"Just food for thought," I tell her.

"If you're curious, then look," she simply tells me.

I am curious, and Kylie is right. I should start looking.

"Maybe contact your past social workers and see if they can give you any information," she adds with a small shrug.

I toss my cigarette on the sidewalks and immediately stick my hands in my hoodie pockets. It's not too cold outside today since spring is just around the corner.

"Oh, also," Kylie suddenly says as if a lightbulb went off in her head, "there's an opening for a dishwasher at the diner I work at... maybe you should come with me when my shift starts."

I sigh heavily and rub my eye with the back of my hand. I'm not opposed to working, but I'm really lazy and the responsibility is the last thing I want.

"I guess," I reluctantly tell her.

"Now that Nigel is gone, it's only me and you, and I really need help with the rent. I don't wanna kick you out but if you don't start working, that's what I'm going to have to do," Kylie tells me with her head down.

We stop at an intersection and I watch the cars rolling by. The sky is grey with clouds which makes me wonder if it's going to start snowing or raining.

"I'll go with you," I mumble quietly while looking ahead into the traffic.

"Good. You didn't really have a choice to begin with," Kylie says with a smile as she nudges my arm so we can turn around and head back home.

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Thanks for reading! Leave comments and votes if you like the story so far... I love hearing feedback from all of my readers :)

Also, I really want to start revising from the beginning up to now so new chapters may not be published weekly like they have been.