Page 136 of Poison Aches

“It’s ADHD,” I correct quietly.

“Yeah whatever. If you ask me, those are not real problems. There are just picky people who’ve never had to struggle for anything in their lives, so they do this for attention.”

I take a deep breath, literally biting my tongue to keep from telling her what I think, but for now I don’t have a plan B for my accommodation while I’m in this city, so when the elevator finally reaches its destination, I heave a sigh of relief.

The landlady walks out and turns left. I follow her, only to see an open door to my right… and just beyond is…

My jaw drops.

“Is that…?”

A literal all skin, brazen orgy going in the room…with the door all the way open.

An orgy…with several body parts of God only knows how many people, hanging in so many different directions.

And the sounds… the skin slapping, the groans and moans…

My God! It’s not even two in the afternoon and they’re really at it…

“What’s wrong, girl? Haven’t you seen some recreational activities in real life?” the landlady says sarcastically. “I was joking before, but you really must be a virgin.”

For the love of all things good, why is everyone on vagina business lately?

“A word of warning, Stickler,” the landlady says, giving me a hard look. “In this neighborhood, snitches really do get stitches, straight into a coffin.”

She looks me straight in the eye as she says that and for once, I know she means it. There’s a warning and threat in her eyes.

“Now, I’m not sure what you hope to find here, or if you’re one of those undercover chameleons that work for the government, but I’d advise you to mind your damn business. There are many folks here that are just living life the only way they know how. Unlike you, they can’t afford to pay rent for the next three months up-front.”

Shit. I knew I should’ve paid bit by bit, but Jackson said it would be better this way.

“Anyway, this is your apartment.”

We enter the apartment all the way at the end of the hallway, passing five other units.

Immediately I can tell the space hasn’t been lived in for a while and there’s a musty, almost rotten-like smell.

“You see, like I assured you, the place is in great condition. There’s running water. Electricity. There’s even a bed and a couch from the previous tenant. The rest, you’ll have to find something or make do with what’s there.”

I look around the space. The unit faces the street which means the soundtrack of this place will be traffic, angry drivers, and everything that comes with it.

The walls are thin and painted a green that looks like medical waste…

No, snap out of it, Ivy. You’re not here for luxury. This isn’t Westbrook Blues anymore. This is my one shot.

“So? What do you think?”

I turn around to see the landlady is still glaring at me, as if she’s waiting for me to complain about something.

So, I plaster a huge smile on my face and temper down my discomfort. “It’s great!”

I’m smiling so hard, my jaw is starting to ache, but then again, if there’s one thing about me? I’ll always pretend to be okay when in fact, all I feel in my chest is fear.

But in this case, I have no idea why I’m also feeling this cold sense of dread. Like something horrible will happen… or maybe something despicable already happened in this apartment. Yes, it has to be that.

My phone buzzes with a text again.

Melissa: I’ll send a car to come pick you up.

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