The Shrieking Shack

Cindy whooped. I mean, she yelped “whoop!” as loud as those little lungs could. From the scuffle coming from above, I could only imagine she tripped over a few pieces of furniture before hiding under the bed. All over the doorbell ringing.

Swear to God, my roommate is one of a damn kind.

I sat down my book (it was just getting steamy,) and opened the door to a sweaty UPS guy. If I squinted, he looked cute.

“Package for Cindy,” he said, forcing a tablet into my hand.

I scribbled my name with the stylus hanging off the side. It was sticky. Summertime sticky.

“You got a package!” I yelled over my shoulder. Another scream, followed by bumps and thumps. Could this girl get any weirder?

I sighed and made my way to the stairs. She needed some cheering up. Or some tranquilizers. I couldn’t decide which one.

“Cindy,” I said, looking at the package, “UPS man left a package.”

“No!” she shrieked, drawn out and blood curdling. Whatever her mom called her when she moved in (xenophile…xenophobe?) she definitely was. I reached the top of the stairs and placed her package on the top stair.

“Welp, I’ll just leave it on the stairs. Sorry.”

I returned to my book, and the hunky hero was hooking up with the hot heroine. Just as the scene ended, I heard a door creak open. The hinges rubbed for five full seconds, and I stopped reading. Frantic footsteps from upstairs.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

The door slammed, and I threw my book in surprise. I looked to the top of the stairs, and the package was gone.

Bless her heart. Move out day couldn’t come soon enough.