14. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Maeve Henderson
When I wake up, my body is stiff, and I can hear the crickets chirping outside my window.
Crap, I slept the whole afternoon away.
Although I am pretty happy that I got one of those childhood naps. You know, the ones where you wake up disoriented and unsure what day it is anymore. The ones where you slept better than you had in years.
I needed that.
Only now, I'm an adult and pantless.
First order of business, find my shorts.
I find my shorts tossed behind my desk on the other side of the room and pull them on as I make my way to the bathroom, noticing a strange soreness between my legs and that I almost feel sticky.
Gross… maybe I should've showered after Shelby left.
Maybe it's good that she didn't stick around to see the small wet spot that stained my sheets, either.
It's not like I expected her to stay the night, fall in love with me, become roommates, and sail off into the sunset together, but I didn't expect her to run for it as soon as she was done with me.
But I can't focus on that right now, not when I wake up enough to remember that I'd skipped my last class.
Thankfully, Shelby pulled through for me, and there's an email from a classmate I'd never met with the entire class recorded.
I owe Shelby for this, big time!
I sent her a text thanking her and telling her I had fun, but so far, I've been left on read.
It's fine; I'm not going to let it bother me.
It's late, after all, I don't expect her to be on her phone all hours of the day.
She probably just left her messages open, and that's why my phone thinks she read my text.
Yeah, I'm sure that's it…
I spend the next 90 minutes listening to the missed lecture and writing my notes as I see fit.
It's kind of nice that I can just pause it whenever I need to and rewind it when I think I've missed something.
I always record my classes, but I've never actually had to go back and listen to them.
It's always just been a precaution I take since I can't afford to retake a class.
When my notes are perfected, and I'm positive I will ace this test, I realize that I'm starving.
I had already skipped lunch, but then I slept through dinner and half of my night away.
Shoot, it's been a while since I've gone to the store and the dining hall is closed.
I hope I can scrounge something together to get me through until breakfast…
When I head out of my bedroom, I notice that the apartment is pitch black and dead silent, so Carlie and Sean must still be at the bar.
I'm not really surprised; I think they go out at least a couple of days a week, but they'll be going a little harder for the next few weeks since there aren't any classes.
I mean, they should be studying, but whatever makes them happy.
However, food, my garden, and reading make me happy.
Which is why it's a little depressing that all I have in the fridge is a couple of random vegetables on their last leg, a bag of rice, and a few spare potatoes.
Ooh, I have gluten-free pretzels, but that's not really a meal.
I don't think I'm pretzel hungry; I think I'm seven-course meal hungry right now.
Too bad my wallet and pantry aren't suitable for a seven-course meal.
I really need to go to the store, but my paycheck doesn't come in for another few days.
Crap.
It's fine; I can make this work!
I've perfected making something out of nothing, or maybe I've just perfected eating just enough to survive.
I settled on making some fried rice; it's really the only thing I can make that I have all the ingredients for.
I even had a bit of tamari left in the cabinet, and I found a few packets of Sriracha from when Carlie and Sean went to some new Asian restaurant across town.
I hope they won't mind.
I mean, they steal all my pretzels, so can't we just be even?
I don't know, I hope so.
As soon as I sit down with my steaming bowl of fried rice and grumbling stomach, I hear Carlie and Sean outside.
It sounds like they're fighting for their lives with the lock, giggling loudly, shushing each other, and falling over.
I even hear one of my pots fall off the steps and shatter.
Awesome.
But, I decided to take pity on them after laughing at their expense for a moment.
"My hero!" Sean yells excitedly as he barrels through the door and pulls me into a bone-crushing hug that takes my breath away.
He smells heavily of sweat, stale beer, cheap liquor, cigarettes, and hay?
Okay, maybe not hay, but I can't place what the smell is that has seemed to melt into their clothes.
They smell like a barn.
“Yeah, yeah, I saved the day; too bad my cape is at the dry cleaners, and I forgot my glasses in my other coat pocket.” I mumble, laughing when Carlie lets out a dramatic fake laugh and flops down at the kitchen table, yelling, “Food!” as if she hasn't eaten in weeks.
Maybe I don't want to ever experience the party life if it involves coming home stinking like a pig barn and being so famished that you dig into your roommate's fried rice with your bare hands.
“You two stink, by the way.” I complain when Sean finally peels himself off me and joins Carlie at my dinner.
I don't have the heart or the time to ask them not to, that they're eating the last meal I can afford for a few days, but that's okay.
I'm sure I can figure something out.
Sean looks away from my plate, grinning at me with rice between his teeth and bloodshot eyes. “We went to a rodeo bar!” He announces proudly.
“You shoulda come!” Carlie practically yells.
I mean, I would've said no, but I wonder if they realized they didn't invite me to begin with, so how would I have gone with them?
“Maybe next time.” I lie.
It costs too much to go out and party, plus I can't even drink anyway, so how much fun would I really be?
The two continue digging into my plate like the last supper, shoveling fistfuls of rice straight into their mouths while I'm standing here like a fool, wondering how long it'll be before they're both passed out and I can try making another meal.
I know if I try now, they'll be like hungry toddlers and insist on eating that meal, too.
“You should! We went bull riding!" Sean brags.
Bull riding...
Like Shelby wanted me to go to.
I wonder if she went?
I guess that would explain her not texting me back. "Sounds fun." I lie.
It doesn't.
It sounds terrifying. I'd fall off the bull and break a leg, or the entire place would be dirty, and I'd end up getting sick from dirty glasses or something, but they seem to have enjoyed themselves, so that's what really matters.
Sometimes, I wish I could afford the college experience these two seem to get.
It sounds fun to party or go out to dinner without worrying about the price.
It sounds nice to go to the grocery store and not have to worry if you can afford to eat for the month.
Hopefully, after next year, I can be that girl.
I can be the girl who picks up takeout because I just don't feel like cooking or the girl who goes to the bar after work just because.
My fantasy is interrupted by Carlie drunkenly hiccuping and almost choking on my dinner. "It was! Until I was so close to taking this guy home, super cute! But Shelby snatched him from me. Hoe." Carlie slurs with a laugh.
That stings a little.
She left my bed and immediately went and picked up a guy.
That kinda sucks.
I guess I read a little too much into today…
Whatever, just get upstairs without letting either one of them see that their little confession just crushed me.
Just get upstairs before they realize that I've finally come to the realization that I will never be picked first.
I'll always be the afterthought…