[Present day]It"s early in the morning and I still haven"t been asleep. I walk over to the bathroom and examine my face.
There are faint bags under my eyes from lack of sleep, other than that I think I look ok.
I pull my hair up into a messy bun and decide to get dressed. I pull an oversized hoodie over my shirt and throw on some pants.
Ricky is still sleeping so i"m careful not to wake him.
"Holá Negative. You going somewhere?"
"Oh, good morning Carlos. I"m just headed out for a jog."
"Ha, i"m surprised that you still have so much energy after last night."
"What do you mean?"
His smirk fades,
"Well uh, we"re you and Ricky up there...ya know, doing it?"
My face blushes.
"W-what? No."
"But I thought I heard you say something like, "Oh Ricky!". "
"I mean, I did say that but only because he gave me a name. A real one."
"Ohhhh,"
He smacks his head,
"That makes a lot more sense."
I giggle.
"So, what did he come up with?"
"Kazmariah."
A smile appears on my lips as the name rolls off my tongue.
"Oh wow, that"s beautiful, but I think i"ll cal you Kaz."
"Very well then, now if you"ll excuse me, i"d like to go on my run now."
He open the door for me and I start my jog.
I run down the street, past the old school and through the park.
"It"s nice to feel normal, only if it is temporary."
I don"t run too far away from the mansion because i"m horrible with directions. As i"m running back, I notice an woman, maybe in her late twenties, black hair, short, green eyes, and she"s clearly carrying.
"Has she been following me?"
I walk faster and she does too.
"I"d hate to make a scene but if she attacks i"ll be forced to defend myself."
I speed up until I"m in a full sprint. A wave of relief hits me as I run into the driveway.
I hop up the stairs and try to catch my breath. I swing the door open and lock it when i"m inside.
I fall to the floor.
"Guess i"m a little outta shape."
"Uhh, Kaz?"
"Yes?"
"The f.u.c.k you doing down there?"
Carlos holds his hand out and helps me up.
"I"m just tired. Some lady was following me in the park."
"Like a stalker?"
"Maybe..."
He sits down on the couch and clicks the tv on.
"You wanna watch?"
"Nah. Maybe later though."
I don"t feel like walking to my room so I take the elevator. I slowly open the door to my room and see that Ricky"s up. He doesn"t seem to notice me because he"s doing something i"ve never seen him do before.
He"s...singing?
His voice is raspy but so soothing. Each word sounds so wonderful. His eyes are shut, this song must really mean something to him.
I lean on the door a little too much and it swings open.
"s.h.i.t, uh, i"m sorry. It"s just that i"ve never heard anything like that before."
He looks down,
"Ha, was I that bad?"
"What? No, Ricky,"
I walk to him and hold his hand,
"Can you keep singing?"
"Ah, I don"t know Kaz..."
"Please? For me Ricky?"
He pats his lap and I sit down on him. He wraps his arms around me and rest his head on my shoulder.
"Only for you."
I don"t recognize the tune but it gives me a warm feeling inside. He slowly rocks back and forth while singing. He finishes his song and lets me go.
"Ricky, why didn"t you tell me that you could sing?!"
He shrugs,
"You never asked."
I pull off my clothes and toss them in the hamper.
"Woah, it"s barely 11, but if you"re in the mood..."
"Ricky please, i"m taking a shower."
"Oh, I knew that."
He sits back down on the bed,
"When you get dressed , meet me downstairs. I wanna take you somewhere."
"Take me where?"
"If you hurry up, I can take you."
I leave the room and turn the shower on. The water is hot and feels nice against my skin.
"Ricky, Ricky, Ricky, what kind of game are you playing at? Why me?"