All By Myself, All On My Own, chapter 9
I woke with a start in the night around 2 AM. So much for a good night's sleep. I looked around the room the only light was the moon shining in the window. I wondered what had woken me up. It was weird for me to just wake like that without a frightening dream or something. The last time I did this was the night that a car broke down in front of my house and some drunken teen came into my house in search of help because I didn't lock my door. I woke up to him standing in the doorway. That was about a year ago. Everyone was sleeping nothing out of the ordinary. I got out of bed and walked to the balcony door. That car was there but the man wasn't. I figured he was probably sleeping in the car but something in the back of my head said he wasn't even there. A shadow passed over the crack under the door to the hallway from the light. (Hopefully you get what I just said... ) I crept over to the door and opened it just enough to see the hallway. The shadow passed again and I recognized the face of who it was. He was in the building on our level. I tried to ignore it. I would tell the others in the morning. I got back into bed and tried to sleep but failed. I gave up trying around 5 and just stayed up doing even more drawings and actually starting a small story to go with them. Kilana and Jake both woke up around 7:30. Kilana got out of bed realizing I was up. "When did you get up?" She asked sleepily. "About five hours ago." I said yawning. This lack of sleep was really beginning to take a toll on my day. "He was on our floor last night." I whispered to hear. She stopped in her tracks. "Does he know we are here what room we are in?" she asked. "I don't think so he came by here a few times but never stopped at our door." I said confused. I mean I was scared and all but why was she so worried about him knowing what room we were staying at? I sat in my bed my eyes closed trying to go to sleep again but I still couldn't especially now with the sun up. Jake got out of bed and ran around the room in his pajamas I wish I could get up and get energized that quickly in the morning. I pulled myself out of the bed and to the kitchen where I picked out a doughnut from the bag. I was running out of selections. I sat on the couch and Jake sat down beside me and turned on the TV to cartoon network of course and watched the Power Puff Girls until eight o'clock. "Bubbles... she...she... she is hot she looks like my girlfriend." He pointed out to us though I know it wasn't true. I still can't believe he was only five and has a girlfriend. "Can I have some of that?" Jake asked staring at my doughnut. I tore off a piece of the sticky dough and handed it to him. He put it in his mouth and chewed away. "Ouch!" He shouted after swallowing the first bite. He opened his mouth and wiped his tongue across his teeth. "Mommy my tooth hurts!" He shouted to Kilana who was making some toast in the kitchen. She came out and sat down on the couch next to her son. "What one hurts? Open your mouth as big as you can." She said I watched as she looked into his mouth and ran her finger across his teeth until he shouted "That one!" "Jake you have your first loose tooth." She said closing his mouth. "It gonna fall out?" He said falling face first into the cushion. "Yep and then a new one will grow back in you're losing your first baby tooth. Now where did those pliers go?" She joked. "NO!" Jake screamed sitting up and covering his mouth with his hands. "Fine we'll just wait until it falls out." She said disappointedly. He smiled and leaned back into the couch to finish watching his show.
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I headed out to the lobby later in the afternoon. I was going to see if I could get a better look at the guy like before and just to get away from everyone really since we couldn't leave the hotel alone anymore. I walked down the stairs and when I entered the lobby by the wall in one of the chairs was a familiar face. "Hey Mike!" I shouted from across the room. "Hey Kiki what's going on?" He called back. I walked over to him and took a seat next to his. He had some magazine in his hand. The Rolling Stones... they were on the cover. "Where are Tre and Billie Joe?" I asked taking a good look at the magazine in his hand. "In the hotel room where's all your friends?" "Back upstairs I came down to... " I thought if I should tell him or not about our so-called stalker. If I told him they might ditch us and I may never really get to be friends with them I was struggling to know them as it was. "Came down to what?" He asked realizing I wasn't going to say. "Um...nothing... " I said looking away and snapping back into reality. "Okay then." He said. "What are you guys up to today?" I asked trying to start a conversation. I noticed through the window in the door to the parking lot that the man was there. He could see me. He was watching me as I talked to Mike. Tre stumbled down the stairs into the lobby. "Hey Mike! What are you doing down here?" He asked coming over to us. "Nothing just getting some time away I guess." He replied setting his book on his lap. "Hey Kiki what are you doing?" He asked switching his attention to me. "I came down to get away to. Jake hasn't shut up since we found out he has his first loose tooth." I said sitting back in the chair changing my gaze from Tre to the door again and then back to Tre. "Everything alright?" He asked noticing how I kept looking away at the door. "Yeah just fine." I mumbled still staring at the face I could see of the man who had just lit a cigarette and watched me looking as if he was about to pull out a gun and shoot me. I knew him I knew that face I knew that attitude but what was his name every time I thought of something it disappeared before I could really tell someone who it was or at least who I thought it was. "You guys wanna go out with us today?" I asked randomly thinking about getting out of this hell. "Um... Sure I guess." Mike and Tre said. "We should see if Billie Joe wants to come but okay." I stood up. I hadn't really paid any attention to what their answer was. "Where you going so soon?" Tre asked as I started walking to the stairs. "I'm not sure as long as it gets me away from him." I said letting my mind wander. "Mike I think she hates you." Tre said to Mike as I headed for the stairs. "Not Mike him... outside... " I said opening the door and heading up the stairs. Tre and Mike looked out the window and saw the man standing there, just looking in. "Mike maybe we should go upstairs too." Tre said getting nervous. Him and Mike sprinted to catch up with me. "Do you know him?" Mike asked worried for me. "Yes at least I know I've known him. All this time he has followed us and I can't remember who he is. Kilana knows but she won't tell us. She's really scared." I said realizing I had just spilled the secret. "Please don't hate me now." I said trying to cover up what I had said. "Why would we hate you? We wouldn't hate you because you have a stalker or whatever he wants from you guys the most we'd wanna do is help you." Mike said putting his hand on my shoulder. Oh my god the bassist of Green Day was touching me and speaking to me offering me his help. I felt weak at the knees but managed to hold my weight until I got to the hotel and was able to plop onto the chair. Mike and Tre had gone back to their room. "Um... Key, James do you think it's okay if we have some company when we take Jake to the park and that I kind of told Green Day about the dude standing outside?" "You told them? What did they say?" James said taking a seat next to me interested on hearing what they had said to me. " They said they wanted to help us. I don't know how they will do that but they didn't seem too scared or upset about the guy following us everywhere and they would come with us today." I just realized James was in the room. He must have come when I was down stairs. Man I was noticing a lot of crap today. I was out of my mind. Tonight I would go to bed early to catch up on my sleep. Jake climbed up on my lap. "We gonna go to the park today aunt Kiki?!?" "Yeah we're going to the park today." I said wrapping my arms around the five year old and giving him a hug. "How's your tooth Jake?" I asked. "Look what I can do!" He said. He opened his mouth and with his tongue wiggled his top front tooth. "Yep. When you get older all of them will do that until they fall out." He gave a smile then lyed down. Then he got up and ran to the closet. He pulled out his black T-shirt and pants along with his red tie. He wanted to dress like Green Day today. He got changed and Kilana put his tie on him and I helped him re spike his hair.
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We met up with the guys in the lobby an hour later. We all walked out together Tre seemed to keep a good eye on that man as we walked through the parking lot to the road. When we got to the park we sat on the bench for a while watching Jake and the other kids on the playground swinging and climbing. I finally got bored though and went and sat on one of the bigger swings. I held on and kicked my feet until I was high then I jumped off and landed in the grass feet away from the swings. "I bet I can beat that!" Kilana said running over to the swings. I didn't move from where I landed and she jumped off once she was high landing next to me back about and inch. "I win!" I jumped up. "Watch this!" James said. Kilana went over to the side and sat in the grass and James jumped off landing in front of me. I went over and sat next to Key. "Billie Joe you're next!" I called for him. "Oh fine." He said and started swinging until he was high. He jumped off and landed right behind James. He came and sat next to me and then Mike went up coming very close to beating him but failed. Tre was next and he landed about the same calling a do over. He got back on and right when he was about to jump off he saw the man out of the corner of his eye and no longer paying attention he fell off the swing onto his back. We ran over to him crowded around him. "I'm okay just got caught off guard." He said sitting up. "What happened?" I asked helping him stand. "I saw him. Over there." He pointed to the fence by the road. No one was there. "Are you sure?" Kilana asked starting to get scared but calming down quickly. "Positive." Tre said running back over to the swings. "Now come on I know I can beat you!" James and Tre did another tiebreaker and Tre won but then I challenged him. I jumped off and actually came close to landing on him I lost balance after I landed and fell knocking him over with me but I still won ha! Jake ran over from the playground. "I wanna try!" So he got on the swing I sat at my landing place and he jumped off of the swing and landed only about a foot away from the swing about 5 feet away from me. "Nice try Jake maybe when you get bigger and can jump off from a higher point without breaking a leg you'll do better that is unless you become someone like Tre." Billie Joe said sarcastically. Kilana picked her son up and hung him upside down by his feet his tie hanging in front of his face and his shirt up showing his tummy. "Hey! He shouted laughing okay can I get down now my head hurts!" He shouted still laughing. Key grabbed both his wrists in one hand and leaning forward swung him back and forth like that like how you tie a pig's feet to a stick to cook it if you can see that. I got under him and on the count of three she dropped him and I caught him then set him down and he ran back to the swing. "Push me push me high!" he shouted and climbed onto the swing. I took my belt off and once he was on I put it around the chains holding him onto the swing like a seat belt so he wouldn't fall off when he went high. James went behind him and ran forward then once high he ran under the swing and let go making Jake go really high and he shouted in excitement. Next Mike did it. Mike was taller than James so Jake went even higher. Then Billie Joe pushed then Tre and then Kilana and last me. We spent a while pushing each other on the swings. It was fun and entertaining compared to how our day has been since the concert.
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We returned to the hotel later and I fell asleep on the couch watching Fuse around 8:30 right after Jake was tucked in. Kilana stayed up a while later with James watching his TV so not to wake me.
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I headed out to the lobby later in the afternoon. I was going to see if I could get a better look at the guy like before and just to get away from everyone really since we couldn't leave the hotel alone anymore. I walked down the stairs and when I entered the lobby by the wall in one of the chairs was a familiar face. "Hey Mike!" I shouted from across the room. "Hey Kiki what's going on?" He called back. I walked over to him and took a seat next to his. He had some magazine in his hand. The Rolling Stones... they were on the cover. "Where are Tre and Billie Joe?" I asked taking a good look at the magazine in his hand. "In the hotel room where's all your friends?" "Back upstairs I came down to... " I thought if I should tell him or not about our so-called stalker. If I told him they might ditch us and I may never really get to be friends with them I was struggling to know them as it was. "Came down to what?" He asked realizing I wasn't going to say. "Um...nothing... " I said looking away and snapping back into reality. "Okay then." He said. "What are you guys up to today?" I asked trying to start a conversation. I noticed through the window in the door to the parking lot that the man was there. He could see me. He was watching me as I talked to Mike. Tre stumbled down the stairs into the lobby. "Hey Mike! What are you doing down here?" He asked coming over to us. "Nothing just getting some time away I guess." He replied setting his book on his lap. "Hey Kiki what are you doing?" He asked switching his attention to me. "I came down to get away to. Jake hasn't shut up since we found out he has his first loose tooth." I said sitting back in the chair changing my gaze from Tre to the door again and then back to Tre. "Everything alright?" He asked noticing how I kept looking away at the door. "Yeah just fine." I mumbled still staring at the face I could see of the man who had just lit a cigarette and watched me looking as if he was about to pull out a gun and shoot me. I knew him I knew that face I knew that attitude but what was his name every time I thought of something it disappeared before I could really tell someone who it was or at least who I thought it was. "You guys wanna go out with us today?" I asked randomly thinking about getting out of this hell. "Um... Sure I guess." Mike and Tre said. "We should see if Billie Joe wants to come but okay." I stood up. I hadn't really paid any attention to what their answer was. "Where you going so soon?" Tre asked as I started walking to the stairs. "I'm not sure as long as it gets me away from him." I said letting my mind wander. "Mike I think she hates you." Tre said to Mike as I headed for the stairs. "Not Mike him... outside... " I said opening the door and heading up the stairs. Tre and Mike looked out the window and saw the man standing there, just looking in. "Mike maybe we should go upstairs too." Tre said getting nervous. Him and Mike sprinted to catch up with me. "Do you know him?" Mike asked worried for me. "Yes at least I know I've known him. All this time he has followed us and I can't remember who he is. Kilana knows but she won't tell us. She's really scared." I said realizing I had just spilled the secret. "Please don't hate me now." I said trying to cover up what I had said. "Why would we hate you? We wouldn't hate you because you have a stalker or whatever he wants from you guys the most we'd wanna do is help you." Mike said putting his hand on my shoulder. Oh my god the bassist of Green Day was touching me and speaking to me offering me his help. I felt weak at the knees but managed to hold my weight until I got to the hotel and was able to plop onto the chair. Mike and Tre had gone back to their room. "Um... Key, James do you think it's okay if we have some company when we take Jake to the park and that I kind of told Green Day about the dude standing outside?" "You told them? What did they say?" James said taking a seat next to me interested on hearing what they had said to me. " They said they wanted to help us. I don't know how they will do that but they didn't seem too scared or upset about the guy following us everywhere and they would come with us today." I just realized James was in the room. He must have come when I was down stairs. Man I was noticing a lot of crap today. I was out of my mind. Tonight I would go to bed early to catch up on my sleep. Jake climbed up on my lap. "We gonna go to the park today aunt Kiki?!?" "Yeah we're going to the park today." I said wrapping my arms around the five year old and giving him a hug. "How's your tooth Jake?" I asked. "Look what I can do!" He said. He opened his mouth and with his tongue wiggled his top front tooth. "Yep. When you get older all of them will do that until they fall out." He gave a smile then lyed down. Then he got up and ran to the closet. He pulled out his black T-shirt and pants along with his red tie. He wanted to dress like Green Day today. He got changed and Kilana put his tie on him and I helped him re spike his hair.
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We met up with the guys in the lobby an hour later. We all walked out together Tre seemed to keep a good eye on that man as we walked through the parking lot to the road. When we got to the park we sat on the bench for a while watching Jake and the other kids on the playground swinging and climbing. I finally got bored though and went and sat on one of the bigger swings. I held on and kicked my feet until I was high then I jumped off and landed in the grass feet away from the swings. "I bet I can beat that!" Kilana said running over to the swings. I didn't move from where I landed and she jumped off once she was high landing next to me back about and inch. "I win!" I jumped up. "Watch this!" James said. Kilana went over to the side and sat in the grass and James jumped off landing in front of me. I went over and sat next to Key. "Billie Joe you're next!" I called for him. "Oh fine." He said and started swinging until he was high. He jumped off and landed right behind James. He came and sat next to me and then Mike went up coming very close to beating him but failed. Tre was next and he landed about the same calling a do over. He got back on and right when he was about to jump off he saw the man out of the corner of his eye and no longer paying attention he fell off the swing onto his back. We ran over to him crowded around him. "I'm okay just got caught off guard." He said sitting up. "What happened?" I asked helping him stand. "I saw him. Over there." He pointed to the fence by the road. No one was there. "Are you sure?" Kilana asked starting to get scared but calming down quickly. "Positive." Tre said running back over to the swings. "Now come on I know I can beat you!" James and Tre did another tiebreaker and Tre won but then I challenged him. I jumped off and actually came close to landing on him I lost balance after I landed and fell knocking him over with me but I still won ha! Jake ran over from the playground. "I wanna try!" So he got on the swing I sat at my landing place and he jumped off of the swing and landed only about a foot away from the swing about 5 feet away from me. "Nice try Jake maybe when you get bigger and can jump off from a higher point without breaking a leg you'll do better that is unless you become someone like Tre." Billie Joe said sarcastically. Kilana picked her son up and hung him upside down by his feet his tie hanging in front of his face and his shirt up showing his tummy. "Hey! He shouted laughing okay can I get down now my head hurts!" He shouted still laughing. Key grabbed both his wrists in one hand and leaning forward swung him back and forth like that like how you tie a pig's feet to a stick to cook it if you can see that. I got under him and on the count of three she dropped him and I caught him then set him down and he ran back to the swing. "Push me push me high!" he shouted and climbed onto the swing. I took my belt off and once he was on I put it around the chains holding him onto the swing like a seat belt so he wouldn't fall off when he went high. James went behind him and ran forward then once high he ran under the swing and let go making Jake go really high and he shouted in excitement. Next Mike did it. Mike was taller than James so Jake went even higher. Then Billie Joe pushed then Tre and then Kilana and last me. We spent a while pushing each other on the swings. It was fun and entertaining compared to how our day has been since the concert.
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We returned to the hotel later and I fell asleep on the couch watching Fuse around 8:30 right after Jake was tucked in. Kilana stayed up a while later with James watching his TV so not to wake me.
