Page 26 of My Ruthless Neighbor

When a woman few feet away stares at me, I realize that I am trembling all over. She is watching me with concern. Pity. She saw it all, didn’t she?

She saw how I was losing it. Unconsciously, I let her have a peek into something I would never otherwise allow anyone let alone a stranger. It’s written in her eyes as the middle-aged woman stares at me. Her concern makes my skin crawl.

It’s funny how I spent my childhood yearning for that concerned-filled gaze from someone but now I loathe it.

Before she could reach me and ask if I am okay, I turn around. I spot the ladies' restroom and march toward it.

It’s ironic. I came here to avoid being alone with my depressing thoughts. Now, all I want to do is find a silent corner where I could just breathe.

I push the door open and exhale in relief when I find it empty.

Anxiety drives me forward as I stumble my way to the sink. My knees feel shaky as I gulp down the air. Then, I splash water on my face. The cold water calms me a bit.

It’s okay. I am okay. Chanting the words helps. The affirmations work. I send a quick prayer for the little pup.

Wherever you are. Survive, little one. I hope you find your way back home.

A sniffle-like sound reaches me and I straighten. Wiping my face with my coat sleeve, I look around. There’s no one here. Now my brain is playing games with me.

I jump when I hear the faint buzzing of my phone in the quiet room. Fuck. It scared the crap out of me. I take it out of my backpack.

It’s a message from Raleigh. So he finally listened to the strings of voice messages I left.

I promise I’m fine, Summer. I just want to be alone for a while. I’ll give you a call soon. Not sure when that would be, but know that I am going to be okay. Stop worrying. It’s an order.(raised eyebrow emoji)

The last sentence makes me smile. I drop the phone inside my backpack again and look at my reflection. Puffy eyes. Red nose. Haphazard hair.

“Wow, I look like shit,” I say out loud. I try to finger-comb my hair but end up tangling it even more.

My movements halt when I hear a rustle behind me. I am not alone. There’s definitely someone here. It wasn’t my paranoia.

There’s another sound. No not a sound. A sniffle. It’s so low that I think I imagined it until it happens again. Followed by a sob.

My head snaps in the direction of the stalls. Someone is in there crying.

Seems like I am not the only one having a bad day.

When I hear another pained whimper, I almost reach the stall to ask if they’re okay. But I stop myself. I practically ran here to escape being questioned by the lady. Whoever is in the stall, doesn’t want anyone to witness this either.

A hiccup followed by a muffled sob draws my eyes back to the gray-colored stall door again. I can picture this stranger covering her mouth tightly to stop crying but failing miserably.

I am fighting between staying here for the stranger and leaving when the door of the stall opens.

A beautiful woman with wild curly raven hair wrapped in a sleeveless expensive-looking brown dress exits the stall.

Her black heels click sharply on the tiled floor of the restroom as she strides straight toward me.

I don’t know why but I spin around. I feel a bit out of depth. She probably knows thatIknow she was crying in the stall. And that kind of makes this situation awkward.

She reaches the marble countertop and drops her black handbag on it. She is right beside me.

I sneak a look at her through the mirror. She is a beautiful woman. In her mid-twenties. Her tear-streaked face is pale. Except for her small nose. It’s all red. Like mine. I can’t see her eyes as they are downcast.

Swiping her thick curls aside, she crouches and washes her face. When she is done, she reaches for her black Chanel handbag and pulls out tissues to dab her face.

Now I feel sort of uncultured for wiping my face on my hot pink coat sleeve. There’s a visible wet spot on my sleeve. I subtly place a hand over it to cover it.

When my eyes travel back to her side of the mirror, I freeze. She’s still dabbing her face but her hands are trembling. Her chin trembles. Other than that, her face is blank. There’s no expression.

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