Page 15 of Don't Watch Alone
I stand there, stunned, fingers struggling with the keys, trying to make sense of what just happened.
A scare tactic?
Some twisted pickup line?
Or something else entirely?
When I finally slide into my car, I lock the doors with a satisfying click and just sit there, hands gripping the wheel, his words looping through my head like a warning I didn’t ask for.
November 9th.
We’ve had that night planned for weeks—Tony, Jade, a bunch of us. But now, Andy’s voice is stuck in my head. And I hate that part of me isn’t ignoring it.
The engine starts, headlights sweep the lot, but nothing feels familiar. The world feels slightly unbalanced now, like I’ve stepped into a version of my life where the shadows are deeper, and the edges don’t completely match up.
By the time I pull into my apartment complex, I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for miles. The parking lot lights cut through the dark, making everything look worse.
I slam the car door and rush to my building, clutching my bag tight. I struggle with the key before forcing it into the door, opening it and locking it behind me.
Safe.
I should feel safe. But my apartment feels off. Smaller. Tighter. Like the walls moved in while I was gone.
My phonerings.
“Hey,” Jade says when I answer. “You feel like having company tonight?”
“You’re not with Derrick?”
“No. We got into a fight,” she says quietly. “But if you are busy, I don’t have to come over. It’s fine if…”
“Come over,” I cut in. “We’ll do a movie night. I could use the company.”
“Tony’s not gonna be there, right?”
“Nope. I’ll tell him it’s girls only, tonight,” I pause. “And when you get here, I’ve got a hell of a story for you.”
“Perfect,” she says. “I’ll grab some movies and head over pretty quick.”
I hang up and immediately call Tony. It goes straight to his answering machine.
“Hey, it’s me. Jade’s coming over. We are going to have a girls’ night. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
In my room, I peel off my work clothes and throw on a pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt. I go through the motions, but my brain’s still trapped in the parking lot. In Andy’s voice. In that look he gave me—like he knewsomething I didn’t.
Then, a noise outside my door startles me. It’s a shuffling noise.
It can’t be Jade. She should still be ten minutes out.
I creep to the peephole.
No one. Just someone disappearing into the apartment across the hall.
I hadn’t noticed anyone move in.
“Must’ve happened while I was at work,” I mutter to myself.
I check the fridge, it’s empty, of course, so I order pizza.
