The Unexpected

35 || Irritations

I close the door as Michael and his parents leave, my apartment now silent. Music is still playing in the background as I begin to clean the mess that's been left behind. A cracking noise comes from my hip as I bend over to pick up the infinite number of beer bottles that litter my coffee table.

Singing along to a One Direction song, I finish putting all of the leftovers away and begin to do the dishes. The metal sink is overflowing with over a dozen plates that once held pizza and snacks. My face scrunches up as I reach my hand into the dirty water to retrieve any silverware that sunk to the bottom. I try to think of other things as I finish the chore, attempting to avoid puking.

A notification sounds, telling me that I have a text waiting for me. I decide to get the rest of my cleaning done before I get distracted by my phone. It's 11:07 at night, but that doesn't keep me from making my bathroom and bedroom both spotless. The baskets of laundry that were on my bed are now all put away, and now I have a place to sleep other than the couch.

Oddly, cleaning always relaxes me. Back home when my mom would force me to do chores, I'd always throw a fit, but once I started it was actually kind of nice. Doing laundry has always been my favourite. Once you get into the rhythm of it, it's rather relaxing.

As I walk down the hallway towards the kitchen, my reflection catches my eye. I glance at the mirror to find an extremely disheveled girl looking back. Cringing, I turn away and go to get myself a water. I'm finally ready to go to bed and the exhaustion of today weighs me down. The walk to my bed is laboured and by the time I get under the covers, my consciousness is dwindling.

The realisation that I never checked my phone hits me, but I decide that it can wait until morning. I close my eyes and let out a long breath, glad that this long day is coming to an end.

_______________

The agitating sound of my alarm clock wakes me up, reminding me that I have work today. I groan as I slip out from under the warmth of my covers and head to the kitchen. My coffee begins to brew as I make myself some eggs and bacon. The dark brown of my drink turns into a creamy color, absorbing the French Vanilla. Rushing, I finish making some toast then devour it. Without much extra time, I leave the dishes out, planning to clean them later.

Hurriedly, I throw on a casual dress and some heeled sandals. I check the clock then quickly apply some concealer and mascara. After throwing my hair up into a messy topknot, I add a little jewelry to dress up the look a little. Rushing out of my room, I grab my wallet and keys and make my way towards my front door.

I jump into the old car that Calum let's me borrow and start the ignition. My foot is pressed down on the pedal as I speed towards the store, hoping I'm not running too late. I curse under my breath as I realize that I forgot to bring a lunch, so I'll be buying today.

The move to my new apartment has put me an extra ten minutes away from the boutique; an extra ten minutes that I forgot to take into account when I set my alarm last night. As I pull into a parking spot behind the shopping center, I let out a sigh of relief. I still have five minutes to clock in.

Charlotte is waiting for me at the employee entrance, an amused expression on her face. She holds to door open for me, laughing, as I run inside.

"Beth isn't in today. I'm in charge," she giggles.

"I need some coffee," I snap, marching into the break room.

Several other girls are in the cramped room, drinking their starbucks and gossipping. The store doesn't open for another hour, but everyone gets scheduled to come in prior to the start of the day. I receive multiple compliments on my appearance today, replying with quick thank yous then heading over to Beth's office.