Inseparable

“Give me one example of when I’ve encouraged him, Dane, just one,” I shot back, my arms crossed.

“Look, I’m sorry. The guy’s slimy, and I guess it annoys me that his seems to have a thing for you,” Dane said stiffly as he opened the driver door and climbed in, unlocking my door. I slid into my seat. My lip curled up as my feet crunched empty chip packets. This car was a mess.

“Fine, but how is it my fault the guy has a thing for me?” I grumbled.

“It’s not, and I’m sorry,” he reached for my hand. I glanced at him. He did look sorry.

“Fine. You better drive, or we might miss her,” I added, ready for this conversation to be over.

As we drove toward Brownsville,

I pulled out my phone to text Kella. I knew her, and I knew meeting his parents was a huge, huge deal for her. I really hoped it went well.

Good luck today, Kel. You’ll rock it! Love Lil xx

Less than a minute into Brownsville, and I had never felt so happy to be in such a piece of shit car. This place was awful. In plain daylight, I could see kids peddling drugs, and hookers standing on a corner looked completely drug fucked. A man lay in a gutter, an empty bottle of whisky next to him. I wasn’t sure if he was passed out or dead, and I was not about to get out and check.

In the distance, sirens rang out, as did the sound of people shouting and screaming. Subconsciously, I leaned over and locked the door. I stole a look at Dane, wondering what he must be thinking. Was his sister here somewhere?

Dane followed my directions to Eva’s home. We pulled up outside what looked like a public housing complex, which looked no different to every other apartment complex on the block. In fact, the whole town looked like one giant public housing complex.

“What do we do now?” I asked nervously. Sitting in the car wasn’t an option, as any vehicle sitting outside this kind of area was going to arouse suspicion, especially when the residents were most likely paranoid about being watched.

“Well, I guess we pay Eva a visit,” Dane said, his voice sounding much more confident than he looked. I watched as a group of boys walked past, all looking to be in their early teens. All were yelling and swearing, two eventually getting into a fistfight, before being dragged away by their buddies.

“Let’s get this over with,” I mumbled, taking a deep breath. I waited until Dane was out of the car and around my side before I exited.

“This one,” He motioned toward a building. We quickly walked inside. The lift was broken, and looked as though it had been for quite a while. Even if it was working, I probably wouldn’t have used it.

Graffiti lined the walls. As we walked into the stairwell, the stench of urine was overpowering. More graffiti, and the odd used syringe littered the stairs. I walked carefully up each step, so as not to touch anything, especially not the hand rail.

“Thank god she lives on level one,” I muttered, my stomach churning. How could anyone live here? I was trying my hardest not to be judgemental, but the middle class girl in me was horrified that people had to live in these conditions. This was the best the government could come up with for people who needed help?

We exited the stairwell, finally able to breathe.

“Are you okay?” Dane took my hand and squeezed it. How was he so calm, and I was the mess?

“I’m fine,” I smiled. He smiled back, his eyes telling me he could see through my fake reassurance. I started off down the hall, “Number 145.”

The door I stood in front of possibly separated us from knowing where Steffy was. My heart was pounding as I went to knock on the door. Before I could make contact with the wood, Dane grabbed my hand.

“Give me a minute. I need a second,” He turned around, his hands clasped tightly behind his head. He was nervous now, and his skin had turned a shade of grey that made me worried he might throw up. Or pass out. Either would be bad.

“Dane. It will be okay,” I said, as I wrapped my arms around his waist, my thumb resting just under the hem of his jeans. He hugged me back.

“Fuck I love you, Lily. I love you so damn much,” He kissed me, then pulled away, heading for apartment 145. He knocked loudly. Silence, followed by the sound of footsteps rushing to the door.

The door cracked open, the safety chain still connected. A woman peeked through the gap, and not just any woman. It was her.

Eva Feluca.

“Yes?” She asked, suspicion and concern clouding her voice. Not that I blamed her. I’d be suspicious to anyone knocking on my door if I lived here too.

“Are you Eva? Eva Feluca?” Dane asked.

“Why? Who wants to know?” Her tone hardened, and I wondered just how much this woman was going to help. She didn’t exactly seem like the caring, sharing kind.

“A friend said you might be able to help me find my sister.”