BORIS
I'm sitting on my couch watching baseball highlights on ESPN when there's a loud, frantic banging on my door. I get up and head to the door, swinging it open to find a teary, hyperventilating Talia there. She's got her work bag on her shoulder and a greasy sandwich bag in one hand.
"Talia, what - "
"My apartment's been ransacked. Everything is everywhere." Her words are a steady, breathless stream. "I'm afraid to go in by myself and I didn't see LuLu and - "
Her chin shakes as her face screws into a mixture of fear and anger and worry. I reach out and pull her into a hug as she sobs into my shirt. When she pulls away, I hold her face in my hands. "Let's go down and check it out together."
I grab my keys and throw on some flip-flops, following her out into the hallway.