Coffee and Rings

Coffee and Rings-7

We climbed up the stairs, and entered a hallway with a lot of doors on either sides of it. 

"Where are your parents?", John asked, curiously.

"Oh, we moved out when we were eighteen. We meaning me, James and Eva..... Max did too."

I twisted my lips, so we were living alone without an adult's guidance. Must have been fun.

"Eva's and my rooms are downstairs. James rooms is right there," she pointed towards the door at the end of the hallway. "So, there are seven rooms to choose for yourself. All have connected bathrooms and well.... ", Kimberly fidgeted for a moment, seeming to think about what to say next,"You can come down for dinner after you are all cleaned up", Kimberly finished, as if proud. But then she blinked rapidly.

"You can join dinner even if you are not cleaned up though",she said quickly.

I let out a chuckle,"I am going to take a shower. I don't want to smell like a rotten fish", I announced, though I was sure everyone felt the same.

"Me too."

"Yeah."

"Sure." All the answers were the same as me, except Stalla's.

"I will not take a shower. You cannot boss us around just because we are staying in your house for a bit."

That received Stella a sharp kick to her ankle by Callie. And that was the lamest retort ever in the history of lame retorts.

Kimberly swallowed but didn't say anything.

"I apologize for her rudeness. She just gets a little cranky when she doesn't get her dose of food", I said. I was a gentleman, alright. I never do anything remotedly wrong..... I was sure setting Ash's shirt on fire wasn't bad. It was only because it was smelly and dirty and I thought that the colour was bad. It must actually be considered social service for I don't know how many poor souls would have died seeing that ugly shirt.

I shrugged to myself. I am just too good-hearted for my own good, aren't I?

"Yeah, I will leave now."

With that Kimberly scampered off, tripping on her way once.

I turned to look at Stella and gave her a small scowl.

"Be good."

There were nine doors, but since Kimberly told us that there were seven rooms to choose from, I guessed that one room was James's and the other must be occupied or that it simply was't suitable for staying in. Perhaps a bathroom.

I decided to stay in the room closest to the staricase for I knew I was lazy man by nature and wouldn't bother walking all the way, especially if I was sleepy even if the matter was of dire need. The door felt like a welcome into my old life, though I knew the moment I stepped inside this house was the doorway for my past.

Once I entered the room, I immediately threw the heavy bags off my shoulders and onto the royal blue mattress of the bed. I looked around the familiar room, at the walls the same color as my bed and at the study table near it on which a big photo frame sat proudly.

I went near it and took it in my hands to examine it. It's frame was of leather and looked worn out. There was a photo of me, Kimberly, that guy named James and of Eva. All of us had cheeky grins and goofy expressions on our faces. I looked at the boy with the same hair as mine.

We looked exactly the same. Same green eyes, same dimpled smile, same dark hair. Everything was similar except the shine in our eyes. His was bright, carefree, happy and most of all, it looked like he knew what he wanted. Like he knew who he was, what he wanted with life, like he had everything he desired and couldn't have been more happier.