Mirror

Chapter 2

Mitch is an organized person when it comes to sorting out his stuff. Mitch spent hours solitarily organizing and arranging the furniture to his liking, fixing even the slightest imperfections to his image. She sorted out his clothes by seasons, the front of the closet being fall and winter clothing while his collection of clothing worn during the spring and summer hung towards the back. When she moved all of the large items to where she wanted them to be, he moved on to the smaller things. Family photos and contemporary paintings hung on the walls of the living room, bedrooms and hallways. Little sets of candles sat on either side at the top of the fireplace, and a colorful geode was placed towards the middle.  The last item Mitch hung on the wall was an antique Victorian horizontal mirror.

The frame was made of timeless bronze that still revealed its former glory in smears, making it glimmer like a precious chandelier in the natural lighting. The mirror itself was so crystalline, an unclouded lake that has been left untouched by man for centuries. Mitch stared at the mirror in awe as it hung over the fireplace. It's purity and precision was an excellent buy, on her part. He looked away from the mirror when he heard a sharp, faint sound from behind him. Mitch took a startled glance to his left toward the hallway, then looked forward again to the masterpiece in front of him. He sighed and thought to himself.

Your nerves are acting up already. Not even two days you've been here. Can't you just relax for once?!

She stared into her eyes in the mirror, hissed at himself, and clenched his teeth.

Not this time, Mitch. Your temper mustn't overtake you. Remember.

Mitch pushed himself off the fireplace and finally walked away into the hallway. She followed the path to the end, where her bedroom door was wide open.

Weird. The door was closed the last time I checked. Maybe I didn't close it all the way.

Mitch hastily shook his tension off and searched for his phone in the bedroom. He turned the phone on and saw that she had four recently missed calls from Scott. What did he want? She dialed his number and Scott immediately picked up.

"What's the important news?" Mitch answered sarcastically.

"My friend Alex and his frat buddies are having a party tonight...and I thought you'd might like to come."

Mitch didn't respond, so Scott kept talking.

"I know parties aren't really your thing, but you could use some relief from stress. I know this move has been very nerve-racking for you."

Mitch smiled and blushed. "Scott."

"Yeah?"

"This is why you're my best friend."

Scott laughed from the other line. "So you're down?"

"I got no other time to kill! What time is the party?"

"It starts about 8:30. I'll pick you up at around 7:45. God knows when the party ends. We can leave together when you want to go."

"Does that mean I have to be your chaperone when you're completely wasted?" Mitch scoffed playfully.

"Probably," Scott replied hesitantly.