Unfinished- add on
Rena:
With my heart thumping, I crept toward the couch and curled up on the opposite side of him. The sun glistened through the cheap curtains as he took each piece and placed them in the right crooks. “What got you interested in them?”
He flipped his head my way, his eyes matching mine. I looked away. “I’ve never tried them before,” he looked back down. I glanced over at him in the corner of my eye to see if he was still looking at me. I shifted off of the couch and backed away into the kitchen area.
He paused and stood up, “Sorry. This was really intrusive. I should go. Enjoy your puzzles.” I followed behind him, dragging a couple feet away. He turned around before the doorway, “I just want to ask you one question.”
I held my arms close to me. “What is it?” I asked, looking down at my feet.
“What are you afraid of?”
Flashes of vivid bits of the memory spun through my head. The dark, shadowed alley ways. The cold fall night. The sound the unknown, crawling behind dumpsters. The newspapers swirling, almost telling me the words he said. Everything was coming back. Like pieces of a puzzle coming together, forming the full picture. Soon, I couldn’t feel the smooth wooden floor, but I felt the soles of my worked out feet in my old converse sneakers. The weight of my ballet bag on my shoulders was upon me as I breathed in the burning air of the crispy weather.
He put his hand on my shoulder, ripping me out of my memory, “Rena? Are you alright?”
I blinked the pictures away. “Don’t touch me!” I barked as I fell back. He quickly grabbed a hold of my arm and laid his hand on my back, pulling me up before I slipped onto the floor. “Get off of me. Leave. I don’t understand why you’re still here,” I jerked away from him.
“I just-“
I cut him off, “Get out of my apartment before I call the cops.”
He hesitated for a second before backing out of the door. I slammed the door and bolted the lock.
Matt:
I stared blankly at the wall in Mr. Cohen’s office. “Matthew?” I looked up at him. “So what do you think about the new idea?”
“Ballerinas. You need more ballerina puzzles.”
He cocked his head to the side. “I was talking about the store layout.”
I crinkled my eyebrows, “Sorry, it looks nice. Kids will love it.”
“Is there anything going on?” he asked cautiously, leaning back in his chair.
“No,” I got up, “I should get back to work.” Turning to go, I saw Jen enter the factory’s doors. She spotted me and smiled. Mr. Cohen came around his desk and waved to her.
“I thought we all could go out for some lunch,” he patted my shoulder and went out to go greet Jen.
I heaved a sigh before I made my way to them. “Matt, I haven’t seen you in ages!” Jen clasped her arms around me.
“How have things been at college? I heard you’re majoring in criminal justice.”
Mr. Cohen jumped in, cutting off Jen, “Why don’t we catch up over some lunch?” He led us to the car that was awaiting us.
