The Lucky One

Chapter Twenty-Five

"I've been goin' through somethin'

One thousand, eight hundred and 55 days

I've been goin' through somethin'

Be afraid"

-United in Grief by Kendrick Lamar

POV Ryland

It's the middle of night, and my room is stifling. I hear Appa barking at something, and I open my eyes, trying to figure out what's going on. At first, everything looks normal. Appa keeps barking at the door, and I get up to try and get him to stop.

The room is still stifling, and I can feel a ring of sweat forming around my shirt collar. Appa's still barking, and as I approach the door, I can see an orange haze through the cracks around the door. Then, I see smoke curling in the air.

Fuck, I think my apartment's on fire.

I scoop Appa up and quickly grab my phone. I put my hand on the doorknob and immediately pull it away with a hiss. The doorknob is burning hot to the touch, and I immediately go towards my window. I open it, and the air outside is an instant relief. 

I see a duffel by my bed and I quickly stuff my wallet, my charger, and a couple clothes that are within arms reach in it before running to the window. I stumble onto the fire escape, and sling the duffel over my shoulder. With Appa in one hand and my phone in the other, I start climbing towards the ground. Once I get my bearings, I call 911. 

By the time I'm on the street, I can hear the sirens getting nearer. Someone must have pulled the fire alarm because all my neighbors are filling out of the building. My next door neighbor comes over to me, but I can't pull my eyes away from the orange light flickering in my window. She places a hand on my arms and pulls Appa from my grasp, gesturing to an EMT to get me checked out. I let the paramedic lead me to the ambulance. 

I can't even think straight right now. 

How is my apartment on fire??

I didn't cook anything since Noah dropped me off. I went right to sleep. No Tv, nothing that could have sparked a fire like that. 

Fuck.

Where the hell am I supposed to go?

I could call Layla, but it's the middle of the night, and I know she's tired from all her shifts this week. Miggy's out of town doing some fundraising for his youth shelter. I could call Noah, but I want him to sleep after the day he had. But, I don't really have many other options. Plus, I really just want my boyfriend right now. 

The EMT clears me, and I pick up my phone. I start to pace before finally hitting the call button. 

Noah picks up after two rings.

"Ryland?"

"Hey," I say, trying to hold back all the emotion I'm feeling. "Did I wake you?"

"No, no, I haven't been able to sleep," he says, but his voice is kind of groggy and I know he's lying. "Anyways, what's up?"

"I...um, so...myapartmentisonfire."

"What?"

"My apartment's on fire, and I'm really sorry to have called and waken you, but I didn't really know what else to do. You don't need to come here or anything, really. This was stupid. I'm sorry to have even waken you, I can handle it on my own. Probably. "

"I'm coming to get you, right now," Noah says, and I can hear rustling on the other end. I start to interrupt him, but he just says, "Ryland, I'm not leaving you all alone. You and Appa can come stay with me. I'll be there in 10 minutes."