01.26.07 - 12:15 am

he tightens his grip on the key, and rotates his wrist in one smooth motion. with a slight pull, the small door opens. a shadow falls over his arm, and he quickly snaps his head to look.
its archie.
archie is short, but well proportioned. he wears jeans and a dull hoodie sweatshirt. a hat covers his short sandy brown hair. he hasnt shaved, but its obvious he trims his facial stubble; and were it not for the company he keeps, archie would appear to be a fairly good looking late twenty something. he speaks directly, his eyes making penetrating contact.
"you havent noticed anything suspicious around lately have you?"
surprised by the inquiry, hand still grasping the inserted key, the other man pauses. he silently remembers the constant flurry of bizarre and questionable men that his neighbor paula has over at all hours of the night. on any given night. suspicious? every one of them. they always appear just one more shirt stain away from resembling a junkie or homeless vegabond.
"no, no i havent seen anything, why whats up?" he asks, puzzled. paula stands holding herself in the distance, her filthy oversized jacket smothering her white trash ensemble.
"its just that paula's place was broken into and some things were stolen...." archie starts. the skinny kid pulls the key from its slot and feels the warmth of concern washing over him. he never locks his door. if someones stealing from paula, what would keep them from just wandering in and stealing his imac. his xbox. his amphiprion chrysopterus pair.
"are you kidding me?" the slender fellow responds.
"...yeah, they stole a t-shirt out of one of my bags. and moved a knife i had. we found it in the couch. id never leave it anywhere near the couch," archie's voice quickens, he's excited. the kid of lean stature did his absolute best to keep a straight face. was he joking? someone stole a single t-shirt. and....moved a knife. up until then, he had been imagining hordes or cds taken, stereos, drugs and television sets just gone upon paula's return home. but a t-shirt?! archie was visibly concerned, but it just seemed so ridiculous.
"wow. ill definetely make sure my doors locked. thanks for the tip," he muttered and quickly made his way back to his apartment. and shook his head in disbelief.