~ Aaah, Fuck! ... ~

Slam!

"You good right here?"

"Yea man, thanks," she assured the driver.

After paying the fare, Jordan alighted from the taxi and turned towards Park Lane, brows furrowed. Heart beating wildly, she clutched her backpack over her shoulder with one hand while reaching for her phone with the other. There were no street lights on Park Lane and if she did not want to break her neck, she needed to be extra careful. Switching on the phone flashlight, she started to make her way gingerly down the steps, looking back every so often. She had no problems walking alone but the thought of someone coming down behind her made her anxious. Others may have welcomed a potential companion but the area had to be completely deserted for Jordan to feel at ease.

The smell of damp earth intermingled with the strong scent of grass permeated the air and swirled beneath her nostrils the further down she went. Mosquitoes buzzed around and sang loudly in her ears, delighting in the fact that they could take a few bites.

'Ugh! So annoying!'

Jordan swiped her arm around her ear to diminish the sound of the mosquitoes and almost stumbled.

'Shit!'

Righting herself quickly, she blew a loud breath and heaved a sigh as she spotted the house a mere foot away. It was shrouded completely in darkness. Aiming the light all over the house, Jordan stared suspiciously, her eyes roving over it as she ventured closer.

'Was no one home?' Jordan wondered a brow quirked. She stopped and stood still, releasing a low breath through slightly parted lips; she closed her eyes and stilled her thoughts.

'I feel like I'm sighing a lot lately …' a thought popped up.

'Quiet, quiet...'

Breathe …

She released a low breath and focused all her energy on listening for any sounds or signs of life coming from the house. The mosquitoes buzzed around happily, crickets chirped in the grass and the air hummed. The light of the moon struggled to illuminate the yard, sliding through small gaps of heavily branched and leafy trees but it was a pointless struggle. The house next door was similarly drenched in darkness. Jordan let the sounds of the night wash over her without resistance, ears highly attuned to any sounds that may originate from the house.

'No talking, no laughter, no lights, not a peep. Even the neighbors were quiet. Weird.'

"Seems it's just me," Jordan mumbled under her breath.

' ... And the rats' another thought intruded.

"Hahaha, right can't forget those. They probably gallivanting in somebody's rice," she answered out loud.

Jordan dug into her pocket for the house keys and quickly approached the grill in a confident stride. No longer anxious, she unlocked the padlock and slipped onto the verandah. Scrubbing her shoes back and forth on the raggedy mat several times before she locked the grill, Jordan opened the front door of the house and went inside. =====================================================================

10:00 PM | Park Lane, Kingston, Jamaica.

Jordan quietly closed the front door behind her and glanced around furtively, her eyes straining to penetrate the darkness. She stilled once more, nothing.

Deciding against turning on the lights, she walked to the bathroom and the kitchen, but nothing. The quiet was so palpable, it was as if the house was holding its breath. Turning on her heel, Jordan keyed her lock and went inside her room. Flipping on the lights, she tossed her bag onto her bed and followed after it, sitting on the edge; elbows propped onto her knees and cradling her lowered head as she contemplated the current situation. Honestly, she really did not know what to think. She had fully expected to be confronted by her roommate, her friends in tow, about the text she sent to the landlady so, coming home to an empty house was a surprise, to say the least. She checked her phone, specifically her messages and there was no response from Miss Jackie. She deliberated briefly about sending a follow-up text but decided not to.

'When it concerns money, Miss Jackie always comes through,' she silently consoled herself. Confrontation aside, Jordan really hoped her little instigation had worked so those girls can be out of her hair.

'Maybe there's a lot going on at school?

Who knows? You can't keep worrying about this, what's done, has been done and it's only a few minutes after 10:00 PM. I suggest you use this time wisely.' Jordan chided herself.

She flopped onto the bed and rolled around for a bit.

'I wonder if Misha is home. Idiot! You walked her home! Right. Should I call Karan?'

She stilled, lying on her back, staring at the wooden beams in the ceiling.

No, going by her gut, she actually did not feel like reaching out. She did not feel like doing much of anything. She just wanted to lay there and simply do nothing...

Time ticked by as Jordan lay there unmoving, still fully dressed, eyes wide open. A glance at her phone showed it was 10:45 PM.

'Okay, this is not working.'

She was hoping to doze and snooze for a bit but sleep kept evading her.

"Aaaawww."

Groaning loudly, she dragged herself off the bed. Staring in the mirror, Jordan stripped herself nude, and with a towel in hand, she plodded to the bathroom across the hall.

Jordan did not know long she stood there, lost in thought as the water beat her down, carrying away the day's exhaustion. The tinkling sound of excited laughter was what roused her from her reveries. Quickly, she turned the water off, leaning over slightly, ears cocked towards the bathroom window.

Snap!

"Hahaha!"

Sure enough, her ears were not playing tricks on her. She was no longer alone.

Her heart sped up anxiously, thumping away furiously as she turned the water back on. She released a loud breath as the water resumed its pounding on her back and thighs. She needed to calm down. Closing her eyes, she quietly slowed her breathing to deep, even breaths.

A few minutes later, she climbed out of the bath and reached for the towel, only to realize that that was the only thing she had brought with her into the bathroom. She was going to face the music wrapped in a towel.

'Jesus Christ!'

Tiptoeing out of the bathroom, Jordan made her way across the hall. Thankfully, the lights in the hall were still off. As she passed, she could hear Patricia's voice, just chattering away and by the dim light coming from beneath the door, it seems Jared was already in his room. Good, she especially did not want to face him wrapped in a flimsy towel.

Jordan opened her room door and her eyes collided with Shanique who was sitting up on her bed, back propped against the wall. She was not using her phone and she was noticeably alone and seemed subdued. Definitely, not her usual boisterous self, and that ever-present arrogant expression was absent.

Jordan scanned her quietly before making her way to her side of the room. The silence stretched and she could feel eyes piercing her back the entire time.

'Damn! I wonder what Jackie said to her, she looks checked!'

She mentally roared with laughter and did a happy dance all the while pulling out her favorite T-shirt from the chest of drawers. Usually, she would be self-conscious but not today. Not tonight. Humming under her breath, Jordan dropped the towel, her bits just hanging. She dressed, ignoring Shanique who was still staring pointedly as though she was trying to bore a hole through her.

'I would rather mop up the ocean before I give her the impression that I am the least bit sorry for this situation. Plus right now, she was only one person.' Jordan reaffirmed herself.

'She may be thinking about something else entirely,' another thought slithered in.

Jordan crept onto her bed and settled herself comfortably on her left side with her back facing the other side of the room. She then pulled the sheet up to her nose preparing to head straight to sleep land when Shanique broke the silence.

"I got a call from Jackie today about my friends staying over ..."

Jordan remained quiet without turning. She rubbed her legs together a few times under the sheet but gave no response.

"Jordan," she pressed.

No response.

Face grim, Jordan stared blankly at the wall, her phone clutched tightly. She could not do it. She thought she would be able to handle the situation like an adult but, as the images showing disrespect, disregard, and jeering she received from the girls weighed heavily on her mind, feelings of hurt and resentment threatened to overwhelm her. Jordan wanted to run away, to anywhere. But, she lay there frozen.

The discomfort was palpable. Tension lingered in the small room.

"Jordan. Are you asleep?"

Silence.

"Jordan."

'Hah! Was she ever this persistent when I wanted to address our issues?' Jordan wondered.

"I'm tired, let's talk about this in the morning," she finally responded.

"All right."

"Turn off di light," Jordan instructed.

"Ah."

In the darkness of the room, Jordan stretched lightly and then rolled to a comfortable position on her stomach. For once, it felt like she was in control. Jackie may not have handled it the way she had expected but if it were not for her, they would not have gotten to this point. Feeling a bit exhausted and unburdened, she closed her eyes as drowsiness overtook her and she drifted off to sleep.

***

"Aaah! Ah! Ah!.."

Jordan tossed and turned as sounds penetrated her dreamscape rousing her. She rolled to her back and rubbed her bleary eyes as she released a loud breath.

"Aah, ah, ah!"

"What the-?" she froze and her eyes widened as she realized what she was hearing. She shifted uncomfortably as the sounds increased and looked over at Shanique fast asleep and snoring so loud, it was like she was sawing boards in her sleep. The fact that she could clearly hear them above the sounds of Shanique snoring was a testament to how loud they were carrying on.

Jordan swiftly tossed the sheet aside and quietly exited her room. She made her way across the hall to Patricia's room door and pressed her ear against it, but nothing. Not here.

"Aah! Ah! Ah! Ahh, fuck!"

A woman ... damn! Jordan pivoted to face Jared's room directly across from Patricia's, but she did not need to. It was now clear where the sounds were coming from.

'Ugh! I really can't catch a break!

Do I need to report this too?'

-__-