An Indian and His Tide (ManxMan)

2: There's No Place Like Home

Ranil stood in front of his apartment door, holding his keys tightly. He hadn’t got his foot in the door because he hadn’t even put his key in the door. Oh how he would love to sink into his bed, relax and fall asleep. But he knew it wouldn’t ever happen that way. There was not a day where he could just keep to himself, and it was going to be a point he brought up when he finally dropped his balls and walked into the home he paid for.

His hand quivered slightly. It wasn’t like he was the type to avoid fights, but with AJ, things always got messy. And to top it off, AJ was his sister so she always felt entitled to things he owned, for whatever reason. Josie kept telling him it was time to kick her out of his home, but Ranil didn’t have the heart to. His parents stopped supporting her as soon as they found out she abused weed. Of course he felt like he was her last hope.

That is, until he found her and her pothead friends drugging it up in his house. He told her that he wouldn’t make too much noise about it but other people, especially people he didn’t know, doing drugs in his house was not okay. Since his name was on the lease, he would probably be thrown in jail with them. Ranil told her she had two weeks to pack her things and admit herself into a rehab center. AJ threw a fit. She destroyed a lot of her room and the living room, which only pissed Ranil off more because several other tenants reported the noise.

Today was her last day and he was too scared to go through the door. It was so like AJ to go out with a bang, especially since she didn’t get her way.

“Don’t be a little punk about it.” Ranil mumbled to himself, remembering Josie’s words. Josie loved AJ like a sister, but she would never stand for helping someone who only depended on your help and did nothing for themselves. It was the exact thing AJ was doing. Ranil pushed the key into the door and turned. Then he sucked in a deep breath before pushing it out and pushing the door in.

His front door led straight into the living room, with his kitchen to the right of him. There was a couch, a futon, and an armchair, all facing the TV on the left wall. AJ sat with luggage bags on either side of her.

Everyone in their family had jet black hair, AJ included. It was tied up on her head in a messy bun. Her face would have been prettier had it not been beaten up by years of drugs and lack of sleep. It was almond shaped, with dark freckles littering her caramel skin. She was wearing a hole-ridden sweater and baggy sweatpants. She turned to face her younger brother, brown eyes cradled by the dark brown bags caused from her absence of sleep.

“So,” She said, her voice slightly raspy from when she dabbled in smoking tobacco, “Are you happy now?”

Ranil slumped his shoulders and tossed his keys to the counter on his left. “Don’t be that way Ajeeta.” he said as sternly as he could. She wasn’t going to talk him out of it this time.

“You know I don’t have anywhere to go Ranil!” She bit out angrily, glaring at her little brother.

Ranil snorted. She was getting him worked up. “That’s exactly why you’re going to a rehab center. They have a place for you to sleep.”

“That’s not the point!” AJ yelled, throwing herself from the couch. “The point is, you’re supposed to be my brother!”

“I am your fucking brother, that’s why I’m doing all this!” He yelled at the same octave. Damn, and he didn’t want to start a screaming match because his snooty neighbors would go running to the landlord.

“Brothers don’t kick out their siblings when they no they have no where else to go!” She was standing up now, inching closer to Ranil.

He scoffed, “We already went over this. You’re going to stay at the rehab center. Why are you arguing with me? It’s a done deal.” Then he turned and went into the kitchen to get himself some water. His throat tended to get dry while he was arguing and he also just didn’t want to look his sister in the eyes. It was shameful of him, but he didn’t want to see her so mad and sad.