Carrying The Banner With You

Chapter 22- Sucks To Be A Child

Both Ben and Josh's alarms go off and I groan. It is too early. Ben props himself on his elbow and reaches over me to turn it off. After he aggressively hits the off button, he gently shakes my shoulder.

"Kaylee." He shakes me a little harder. "I know you are awake." I fake snore, hoping he would let me go back to sleep, at least for a few more minutes. "That was some top notch acting."

"I'm not acting, I am sleeping," I grumble. Every once and a while there is a morning where I can wake up nice and early, be productive, and not be so dead-beat tired. Today is most definitely not one of those mornings. "Why don't you go get ready or something and I will sleep for a few more minutes?"

"No. I am not letting you do that because then keep refusing to get up and you won't have time to eat or have coffee. And I know you will need coffee." Ben presses a kiss to my neck. I smile a little.

"I would not do that! I promise. Just five more minutes," I plead.

"I know you better than that. With you there is no way it would just be five minutes," he murmurs against my neck. "You would manage to find a way to stay in bed until the last minute possible and then you would be late, which would make you freak out because you are late." I know that he is not wrong, but I really want to sleep. I roll myself over so that I am facing Ben. "You can always go to bed early tonight," he offers.

I look at him like he is crazy. "You know that is not happening."

"I know," he says and he hugs me to his chest. We sit there for at least a few minutes.

"I thought you said that we had to get up."

"Oh so now you want to get up?"

"No I never said that. I'm just saying that you are a little hypocritical," I point out and he flicks my nose.

An aggressive knock on the door sounds. "I am coming in and everyone better be fully clothed." Steph swings open the door and I hope nobody can tell I am blushing thanks to her comment. "Up, up, up," she urges me out of bed.

"Why are you waking me up? I could have got up myself," I say to her. Ben and Steph exchange a look. Ben smiles and Steph laughs.

"That's hilarious. Best joke you have ever made," Steph snickers. "Okay now get up so I don't have to worry about you being late." Being one of the only females in the cast and her being my roommate, she takes on the role of a best friend, a sister, or a mom. This would be one of her mothering moments.

"Okay I am up," I groan as I sit up and roll out of Ben's arms and out of bed.

I go with Steph upstairs to our room. I throw on some sweats and a zip up sweatshirt. I put my hair in two braids and pin the braids down, as flat as possible, and put my wig cap over them. I apply my foundation and concealer for the shoot. On my way out of the bedroom, I grab my duffel with my different shoes in it.

"Well don't you look spry this fine morning," Josh says and I grunt. I go straight for the coffee maker. I find the largest mug and fill it to the rim. "Seems like everyone is chipper this morning," he mutters as he surveys the rest of the gang. "Yep. Very chipper."

I don't say anything and just keep drinking my coffee. I do not have the patience to put up with him right now. I do not have the patience to put up with anything right now. Ben hugs me from behind. Except this. I definitely like putting up with this.

"You look so hot with your hair like that," he whispers jokingly to me and I pinch his arm.

"I know. Nothing is hotter than a girl in a wig cap," I say sarcastically, taking a sip from my coffee. He laughs and releases me.