The Last Time We Met - #Completed

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Um, Natty? Is cheese supposed to look like this?" I had opened our refrigerator planning on settling the battle between my stomach and me once and for all, but it seems the interior of the fridge was starving for food just as much as I was.

Poking the cheese with a spoon I found on the counter I decided to give it a whiff. Oh, and was that a bad idea. Stupid Jesse! I think. The acid in my stomach began turning painfully. Use your head, girl, not your nose!

"Look like what?" Natty asked coming into the kitchen from the bathroom. I set the spoon down and turned around completely disgusted but still torn on whether or not I should eat the cheese, if that's even what it really is.

"It's all green and stuff," I said. "I'm so hungry I could die. There's nothing to eat in this place!"

Natty finished absorbing the excess water from her hair into her bath towel and came closer to the fridge to inspect the tiny block of cheese, her bright blue eyes narrowing into dark, curious slits. She poked the cheese with her freshly free styled nails once, twice, then rolled it over on its side.

"Hmm, I see your dilemma." She put her nose to the cheese before I could warn her, and she thrust her head back like an ostrich taking its head out of the sand. I half expected her to start crying.

"Oh that is so disgusting Jesse! Get that thing the hell out of here right now!"

"But I’m so hungry!" I stared at Natty then at the block of cheese greedily. All I would have to do is scrape the fuzzy green and brown sides and find some crackers, if they even exist here.

"I can't believe you're even considering eating it!" She squeezed her nose tighter and stumbled out of the kitchen, sending me a you-are-really-sick look, and disappeared inside her bedroom.

I was so desperate for something to eat I almost did scrape the cheese but decided to just throw it away, closing my eyes as I did the deed. I couldn't bear to see that piece of food go to waste.

It turned out that the only food that was left was a single package of saltine crackers, bean sprouts, and an almost expired bottle of mustard. Groaning miserably with my stomach I settled down on the couch pathetically, crossing my legs and applying a squeeze of mustard sparingly on the stale crackers.

It's been three and a half weeks since the job interview and I haven't been able to land another one since. Everyone agrees that I'm a good artist, but unfortunately they also agree that I'm unreliable and inexperienced. No matter where I go everyone says the same thing. I was heading down a lonely road of bitter failure if I didn't find anything soon.

College will start in a few months and there are text books I will need to pay for, not to mention I need money for rent and food to eat. Natty tries really hard to do what she can, but like everyone says, I'm unreliable. I've barely paid a dime for a single thing for over a month now and I hate giving people the impression that I'm a freeloader, even to my best friend who understands my situation better than anyone in the world.

What good is being an artist if no one wants to see my work?

I flicked through TV channels but there was nothing that caught my attention so I slipped off into LaLa land for about ten minutes until Natty caught my attention, wearing a red strapless top, revealing black skirt, and knee high leather boots with a heel the length of my hand and as thin as a tooth pick.

"You know, you could always come with me," Natty offered, quickly slapping on some lip gloss and popping her lips to rub it in. "People bring guests all of the time."