A Recollection of Ideas: A Series of One Shots

I walked into my apartment, exhausted after a long day of servicing whining customers at the local Starbucks café. Yes, there were some nice people who had given me tips and asked me if I was doing okay, but most of the annoying elder ladies were very impatient to get their drinks.

I was so happy to flop on my couch and just turn on the radio for a little down time.

My apartment was small, but fairly nice. It was on the third floor of the building, and I had few neighbors on the level, but they all seemed pretty nice. There was a person on my right, and no other people living to my left.

When I got up, I turned on my laptop and pulled up my music collection. I couldn’t help but throw on some Pierce the Veil and their album, Collide with the Sky. They were one of my favorite bands and I was happy that they were somewhere around me in sunny San Diego.

Although, I guess today wasn’t so sunny. It was, in fact, kind of rainy.

The forecast predicted rain to last through the week and I guess the weather had gotten an early start on that. It was starting to drizzle outside when I heard the door close to my neighbor’s apartment.

As nice and lovely as my apartment is, the walls were pretty thin. I had to be careful to keep my radio down or my neighbor might hear me. They seemed to typically be out of the house, as I had never seen them. I’ll hear him or her come home late at night, often midnight. I’m a night owl and so that’s why I always hear their footsteps slowly drag into their apartment.

Mysterious Neighbor was home early tonight, probably because of the weather. I debated on going over and introducing myself, since we had lived next to each other for about a year but had never actually met.

Hell Above started up and I made sure to turn it down. Who knows? Maybe Mysterious Neighbor was more into smooth jazz than post-hardcore. I didn’t want to be reported to the apartment heads and possibly be evicted.

After much debate about meeting Mysterious Neighbor and switching to a different album, I eventually decided it was best for us to meet some time else. I really wanted a nice shower.

The night was drawing on as I hopped into the shower. It had to be close to nine, and the stars were barely peeking out over the smog of the city. I had turned the music off, but a song was still running through my head.

I stepped, naked and hesitant, into my shower. The water was too hot, like usual. Making a quick dash, I leapt into the shower, closed the door behind me, and turned the heat down. The cold pellets splashed onto my skin and I closed my eyes in relief.

The song kept running through my head and I tapped my foot to it. Well, I’d like to think I’m a pretty good singer.

“Make a wish on our sorry little hearts, have a smoke, pour a drink, steal a kiss in the dark, fingernails on my skin like the teeth of a shark, I’m intoxicated by the light…” I softly started out, closing my eyes as I shampooed my thick blonde locks. I felt like Alex Gaskarth, singing his heart out. Only, I had no Vic Fuentes with me.

I swore I heard the shower to Mysterious Neighbor’s apartment start up. I forgot. We’re on the exact opposite side of the wall.

“And the chill of your stare I am painfully lost like the deer in the lights of an oncoming bus. For the thrill of your touch I will shamefully lust as you tell me we’re nothing but trouble.” I belted out, hoping that my neighbor wouldn’t be able to hear me over the roar of both of our shower heads.

Did I heard humming from the other side of the wall?

“Hearts on-“ And I stopped.

Someone else was singing Vic’s part to the song.

“Heart’s on fireeeee tonight! Feel my bonessss ignite!” The other person sang. My eyes opened wide in surprise and I nearly got an eyeful of shampoo as my hands dropped to my side.

Who was my neighbor that knew the words to the song?

“Feels like waaaaaar, waaaar, feels like waaaaar, waaaar…” I trailed off a little, hoping that they would know the rest and not just the chorus.

But they did. I heard a voice passionately belt out Vic’s part as I sang to Alex’s.

“We go together or we don’t go down at all!” We switched off. As I nodded my head to the beat, eyes closed, and imagining a stranger on the other side singing along with me, matching in perfect harmony and melody.

He knew his shit, that was for sure!

I even heard him scream “Let’s go!” as I grinned and giggled. Now if only we had a band with us! Alas, we only had the showerhead to be our instruments and audience.

And man, this guy could scream his parts when he needed to. When the stranger on the opposite side sang the last few lines, I couldn’t help but let my smile grow bigger and bigger. Damn, this guy didn’t need autotune!

I shut off the shower, stepping out. I didn’t really want to leave, but I did need to dry off before I became a human prune. Two minutes later, I heard the other guy’s shower turn off.

I was sure it was a guy. It had to be. No girl had that manly of a voice, even under the disguise of raining water.

I went to bed smiling, looking at the ceiling, and wondering who was my mysterious duet partner.
**
Over the past week, my showers had become the highlights of my day.

Not only because I could relax and unwind under a hot stream of water, but because I had a new singing partner. We switched off choosing the song. On Monday, we dueted A Love Like War, on Tuesday he chose to sing Hold On Till May, and yesterday I had sung If It Means A Lot to You. Our shower solos took place at nine every night, and I guess Mysterious Neighbor had gotten off work early every day just so that we could do our shower duets.

Was it weird? Maybe. But it was fun.

I got home a little early today.

It wasn’t a good day.

No, not at all.

As soon as I closed the door to my apartment, the lock sliding with a soft snick, I fell against the door frame and cried.

My parents were getting a divorce.

I didn’t feel like moving. I didn’t feel like eating. I had gotten the word from my mom today right after work. I thought everything had been going well, but no, things had to come crashing down around me just as I thought that today would be amazing.

I sat there, sniffling, for a little under a half hour. My legs had gone weak and my eyes had become blurry with all the tears. My clock chimed nine, and I could hear my neighbor’s shower starting up. I guess I should take a cold shower today to clear my mind.

I managed to slowly wobble over to the little glass box, starting it up and cringing as the icy pellets of water hit my body. I shivered a little and sniffled as the tears fell down around my cheeks, mixing with my coconut smelling shampoo and the faucet water.

I couldn’t help but sit down in the shower, curling up with my back pressed against the wall and my knees hugged tightly to my chest. I felt raw and exposed and sad.

Eventually the Mysterious Stranger started with a chorus of “Oh, oh oh…From the get-go I knew this this was hard to hold…”

I opened my mouth, wanting to shut the whole world out or scream that I couldn’t do it tonight, or maybe I just wanted to sing and scream and tear down the place. My mind couldn’t make up its mind.

He kept on singing the next few lines before slowly falling off. I could almost taste the curious air from his side of the thin wall. Soon, all that there was between us was the two shower heads pouring out water and my soft sobs as I couldn’t hold back any more.

“Are you okay over there?” The voice asked softly. I shook my head, trying to answer but not completely forming words. How could I? Things seemed to be falling apart on me and I couldn’t control it.

“Yeah.” I mumbled back softly and turned off the shower head, crawling out and wrapping myself in a soft towel from the cabinets under the sink. I stood in front of my mirror, seeing the red puffiness drain oh so slowly from my eyes until I returned to a semi-normal looking state.

As soon as I left my bathroom, I heard the Mysterious Neighbor’s shower turning off as well.

Drying myself off, I looked outside. It was raining heavily and there seemed to be some thunder high overhead, miles in the sky, away but oh so close. As I stared out forlornly to the city around me, I changed into a shirt and shorts.

I started searching for my laptop. It wasn’t in the charger, on the bed, or anywhere in the kitchen. Then, I saw my car keys.

Oops. Left it in the car when I had fled to my apartment.

Snagging the little jangly hoop with the keys hanging off them, I trudged out of my apartment, letting my door close with a loud puff behind me. My feet in their converse shoes shuffled to the elevator. The machine seemed too slow.

I sniffled and tried not to think of my parents.

The elevator let out a soft beep and the doors opened. A couple people, the nice family that lived on the other side of the floor from me, walked out. I smiled half-heartedly at them as I stepped inside. Softly, I cursed the slow machine and wiped my eyes, catching a few stray tears before they started falling again. I bit my lip as the door rattled closed.

“Wait!” Someone called out. I put my hand out to stop it as someone came trotting around the corner, his hand outstretched to catch the door.

Vic Fuentes was staring at me with a thankful look plastered on his face.

“Thanks.” He mumbled. I nodded and stepped back a little as he stepped inside. His hand reached out to press the ground level button, but recoiled as he saw that I was going to the same place and had already pressed it.

There was an awkward silence as the machine toiled to keep us from not dropping down three floors quickly enough to snap our necks. The elevator here was notoriously slow. My heart raced as passed a quick glance between the floor and the singer standing next to me.

Since when did Vic freaking Fuentes lived on my floor in the apartment building!?

“So…the storm’s pretty bad.” Vic commented, luring another cautious stare at me. I nodded.

“Yeah, pretty bad. All week, they said.” I responded softly, my distraction from my sorrows quickly wearing off.

He laughed hopelessly. “It’s too bad. My friends and I were going to go to the beach tomorrow.”

I could only assume he was talking about Mike, Tony, and Jaime, the rest of the band. My heart skipped another beat but quickly slowed down as the elevator stopped.

“That’s too bad.” I whispered as we went off. Vic, being the gentleman, held the door open as I stepped out of the building and looked sadly at the downpour of rain. He had followed me, but what for?

I stood, looking at my car just fifteen feet away and wishing I had parked closer. The rain was not inviting at all. It crashed around the few people who scurried for shelter indoors.

“Are you going to your car?” Vic asked me, pulling something from his side. It was an umbrella. My eyes widened as a flurry of mental curses passed through my head. I managed to get all the way through the alphabet of curses when I responded.

“Yeah. I forgot my umbrella, but I can go back up to my apartment.” I said, pointing up to the third floor. Vic shook his head.

“The elevator is slow and it’s too late at night to walk three flights. Here, I have to get my guitar from my car as well. Do you want to walk under my umbrella?” He offered. I thought for a moment. I really should refuse, so he didn’t have to waste any more time with me, but he held the umbrella over my head and beckoned me forth before I could answer.

“Thanks!” I yelled over the crashing waves of rain. It seemed like an ocean was being dumped on our heads. I was careful to avoid the puddles deep enough to swallow my ankles as I pointed out which car was mine.

Vic held the umbrella over my head, even sacrificing some space and getting his left shoulder wet, as I ducked into the passenger’s seat and snagged my laptop in its bright red case. Tucking it under my arm, I followed Vic to his car as well. With my free hand, I mindlessly played with the lanyard attached to my key. I was standing out in the rain with Vic Fuentes!

“Can you hold this please?” He asked. I nodded and dropped the hand that was playing with my lanyard to hold the umbrella over our heads. The back of his little car popped up as he fumbled around. I saw Vic lean over and brush away piles of extra shirts, notebooks, and other assorted items until he managed to pull a black guitar case from the trunk of the vehicle. He used one hand to slam the car trunk back and locked his car before taking the umbrella, smiling down to me.

“Thanks.” He grinned as he took the umbrella from my hands, his fingers just barely brushing over mine. A shock went through my system as I nodded.

We made our way back under the overhang of the building. Vic set his guitar case down and closed the black umbrella, shaking out extra water. Together, we went back on the uncrowded elevator, waiting as the doors slowly closed around us.

Ding…floor one…

“Nice lanyard.” He pointed out. I looked down at the lanyard, blushing as I realized that I had forgotten to switch out lanyards and still had keys hanging on my old and frayed PTV one.

“Oh, thanks. Got it at Hot Topic.” I shrugged. He laughed.

“I could get you a new one if you wanted.” He offered. I smiled weakly.

“Thanks, that would be nice. This one’s about to break.” I shook my head.

Ding…floor two…

After another awkward silence, he finally turned to me, tilting his head like a curious puppy. “I never got your name. I’m Vic, by the way, but I think you might have known that.” He winked.

I nodded and adjusted the laptop under my arm. “I’m Rebel Williams.” I responded, holding out my hand. We shook hands as another shock went through my body and my cheeks turned pink. His hand was warm despite the rain, and calloused from playing guitar.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You as well.”

The doors opened for our floor. I walked out towards my door at the far right side of the building. I expected Vic to turn the other way, maybe to the complete opposite end, but no, he followed me.

“Do you..do you live down this way?” I asked. He nodded.

“Yeah, it’s kind of lonely, but I’m sure they’ll fill the rooms in soon.” He shrugged. I nodded.

“Yeah. There’s only one person on my right, and no one on the left side of me.” I said. Taking off the lanyard, I grabbed my keys and approached my door.

Why was Vic still with me?

He moved around, going to my right side, finding his own keys. I stared at him.

Vic was my neighbor the right.

Vic Fuentes was the Mysterious Neighbor.

Vic Fuentes was the other half of the duet!

No wonder he was so damn good and knew all the songs by heart.

I watched as Vic fumbled with his keys for a moment, put them in the slot and then slowly turned to me, his jaw dropping to the floor. We just looked at each other for a moment before simultaneously slowly turning the door knobs and going inside.

I think both of us had a little shock tonight.

I took my laptop and set if back in the charger, just going back to stare out my window.

I couldn’t get over the shock that Vic Fuentes was my neighbor.

Sliding my lanyard off my neck, I shook my head and closed my eyes. Wow.

That’s when my phone rang. My mother.

I picked it up and answered her call. “Rebel?”

“Oh, hey mom!” I choked a little, thinking back to the news she had given me earlier. She sighed, a shaky laugh escaping from the other end.

“Hey, I just wanted to check up on you.”

“I’m doing fine.” I lied, another tear escaping my eyes. Right when things were going good, it went bad, and then good, and now bad again. My life was just an endless cycle of this.

“I’m sorry about telling you right after work this afternoon. I just wanted to let you know I found an apartment in San Jose and do you think you can help me move some stuff there next Monday?” She asked softly. I nodded, biting my lip and tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Sure.” I whispered softly into the phone, not willing to speak louder.

“Thanks, sweetie. I’ll see you soon!” And she hung up, leaving me alone with thoughts that I didn’t want to face, but yet, I faced them.

A knock on my wall caused me to shriek. “Rebel! What’s wrong? These walls are paper thin and I can hear you crying.” Vic called. I bit my lip.

“Nothing! I’m fine!”

“You’re a terrible liar!” He called back. I lay helplessly on my bed as I heard his door open, close, footsteps outside my front door, and then three short knocks. I debated on not answering him, but eventually I gave in to the persistence that he put up.

I opened the door to find the man standing outside in a loose fitting shirt, shorts, and bare feet sunk into the short carpet. I ducked my head so he didn’t have to see my ugly crying.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked softly. I shook my head.

“Not really.”

“Okay.” His arms engulfed me in a hug, his head resting on top of his chin. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I’ve only heard fan stories of how nice and sweet Vic is. I’m happy that I could experience it firsthand.

“Do you want food?” He asked. I nodded, laughing slightly.

“Food always helps.” I sniffled.

“Do you want company?” He asked again. I nodded into his shirt.

“Understanding company sounds nice.”

“Would you like to sleep?”

“I would, in fact.” I detached from him but before I could offer him into my apartment, he took my hand and dragged me to his door, pushing it open and pulling me inside. It was kind of clustered in the living room area, but we made our way down to the couch. Vic ran his hands through his hair and pushed me so that I sat on his couch while he scurried back to the kitchen. I looked over a mound of electronics and their chargers to see him search through the pantry for something to eat.

“Do cheese-its sound good?” He asked. I smiled.

“Perfect.”

“Good, because it’s all I have and I need to go shopping.” He pulled out the box, tossing it to me. I caught it and wiped my eyes, giggling slightly.

“Vic, aren’t you supposed to be a responsible adult?” I asked him. He nodded.

“I should be, but I’m not.” He pointed out, flopping down on the couch beside me. He reached into the box as we both munched on the small crackers while staring at his TV in the darkness. All that there was to illuminate the room was a lamp in the corner with its dull bulb shining solidly.

“Life of the party.” I mumbled weakly.

“This is basically what I do every night, just party hard.” He grinned to me, bumping my elbow with his.

“Staring at dark TVs, comforting crying girls, wow, what a life.” I teased. Vic kicked his feet up onto the table. I mimicked his move, comparing my bare feet to his. His arm wrapped around the back cushions behind my head.

“It’s like, ten at night. What should we do?” He asked me. I looked to him and shrugged, fingering another cheese-it and bringing it to my mouth.

“I don’t know. Play your guitar!” I suggested, nodding over to the now open black case. A beautiful acoustic guitar gleamed from inside the red velvet.

“Now that’s a good idea.” He praised as he got off the couch and padded across the white carpet floor to grab his guitar. I stretched out on the couch as he took the other chair in the room and sat down. I closed my eyes, resting my head on the pillow where he used to sit, and let one arm drape over the edge of the couch. I lay there, listening to him hum as he tuned the guitar quickly.

The dry spell of silence was broken as Vic slowly began to strum something. I could only imagine his rough, calloused fingers gliding along the strings, using a pick to carefully pull chords together to form melodies and harmonies that wafted through the air.

The lyrics to Stay Away From My Friends started up as Vic slowly sung them into the quiet air. I drifted away as my breath even out and my heart matched the beat of the song. As I lay there out on Vic’s couch and listening to his beautiful playing, I couldn’t help but feel sleepy and worn out. Today had been a long day, but there was always someone there to help. Vic had been that person for me.

“Baby, stay away from my friends, cause I need them to carry me. When it’s over, I’ll count back from ten and you can listen to something that you’ve never heard before…” He barely whispered out. I felt paralyzed by the sound, absolutely exhausted and about to fall asleep.

The guitar playing stopped, the final chord hanging out in the open ominously. A clink announced the instrument being set down and soft footsteps surrounded me.

“Aw, someone’s sleepy.” He laughed. I didn’t make a move to answer him. I really didn’t want to right now. I just wanted to fall asleep on his couch.

Two hands scooped up under me, hooking behind my shoulders and knees. I felt lightweight as I was lifted into the air and carried somewhere by someone sweet enough to look out for me. I heard his heartbeat softly thrumming in content as Vic took me and quickly set me down on something soft. A mattress.

Blankets quickly surrounded me as I blinked my eyes open, now feeling enough energy to at watch as Vic patted my head softly and looked down onto my now open eyes. I yawned, covering it slightly. He laughed.

“Sorry, thought you were asleep.” He smiled. I shook my head.

“Was, now I’m not.”

“Well, I put you in my bed so feel free to sleep here if you want. I’ll be out on the couch if you want to stay here.” He said, making a move to grab a blanket at the foot of the bed. I caught his arm as he turned and gave me a questioning look.

“Can you stay with me please?” I asked sleepily, eyes already starting to close.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, just get in bed, please. It’s cold and I need some body heat.” I mumbled. Vic chuckled and went around to the other side of the bed, crawling in with me. The covers shifted as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. His hand curled into a fist against my stomach, his knuckles nuzzling my stomach. He curled around me like he was a small child cuddling with a small teddy bear. I leaned against his arm, curling into the crook of his arm and shoulder.

“Warm?” He whispered in my ear. I huffed a little in approval.

“Very.” I mumbled. His laugh was soft and short. I could feel myself start to drift off with him. Maybe today wasn’t so bad.

Notes