One
Beep! Beep! Bee-
I threw my alarm clock off my bedside table and into the smooth, cream wall of my bedroom, where it smashed into a million pieces before it could give off another beep. I'd forgotten to turn my alarm off for the weekend and now, thanks to my forgetfulness, I was awake at 8:00 AM on a Saturday morning.
Sighing, I rolled over in bed and smacked my hands to my face and let out a groan. That was my third alarm clock this month. Dad was going to kill me.
My eyes fluttered open and met the warm rays of sunlight streaming in from behind the red, silk curtains that hung on my window; the only sign of the storm that had struck last night was the dampness that covered everything. Downstairs, I heard clanging in the kitchen and rolled my eyes. Dad was trying to cook again?
Sitting up in bed, I stretched my arms above my head, which gave their usual creak as my muscles warmed up. I swung my feet over the edge of my bed and shook out my legs, which groaned objectingly. The fluffy bunny slippers that always sat by the edge of my bed were positioned neatly as always, and I slipped the soft shoes onto my feet. I gave a yawn as I shimmied into my dressing gown and wandered down the stairs.
In the kitchen, Dad had a pan on the stove and was attempting to cook up some bacon and eggs. The kettle off to the side was upside down, beside his tipped over coffee mug. Dad turned at the sound of footsteps and his eyes met mine. "Oh, good morning sweetie." His hair stuck up in every which direction and big black circles hung under his eyes as sweat on his upper lip formed.
"Dad..." I groaned, taking the greasy, plastic spatula he held in his hand. "Sit down, I'll handle it."
"But... you always cook. I just wanted to help for a cha-" Dad's face was pitiful and I had to cut him off.
"You work six days a week to pay for us and on top of that, you do the housework," I chuckled, "I think a little bit of cooking won't hurt."
Dad took a step towards me and gave me a hug, planting a peck on my forehead. "Thanks sweetie." He grabbed the crumpled up newspaper off the floor and wandered off to the dining room table to read it.
I turned the stove to low heat and set the spatula aside while I cleaned up the mess Dad had made, chucking out his attempt to cook an egg sunny side up. The bacon was okay, so I kept that. I put the kettle on and reorganized his coffee cup as I cooked his egg properly.
A few minutes later, I presented a half-decent looking coffee, and to the side, bacon and eggs on toast to Dad. His features lit up and he gave me a warm smile. "I'm your hero, I know Dad." I returned his smile and set his meal in front of him.
Returning to the kitchen, I served myself some plain toast and a glass of breakfast juice, which I quickly consumed. Usually I wouldn't have breakfast until around 10:00 AM- I wasn't a morning eater- but today, I wanted to go to the cafe for brunch with two of my best friends, so I decided to eat early.
Racing up the stairs and into my bedroom, I hurriedly got changed into some jeans and a tank top, quickly brushing out my long, dark hair, in which often their weren't very many knots. I grabbed my keys and purse and headed to the front door, shouting over my shoulder, "Dad, I'm going to that brunch with Sam and Ella now, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. I've got tones of work to do today anyway. And the housework, and pay the bills and-" he sighed. "I miss your mother."
I paused halfway out the front door and had to lean on the frame for support. Mum. Two years ago my mum drowned- was drowned. The police never investigated in her murder because there wasn't enough evidence. I remember swimming at the beach then losing her... walking down to the docks and finding her dead body, bobbing up and down. Her skin was so pale, her eyes distraught. I shivered at the memory. "Me too..." I whispered before stepping outside and closing the door behind me.
In the sky, clouds started to form as I drove along the road at 60kph in my little, blue bug. My thoughts wouldn't stay off my mother and all the great things about her- the way she used to cook pancakes or waffles from scratch for me every morning, and they always tasted perfect. The way she would tuck me in at night and assure me that everything would be fine. Especially the way she was always there when I needed her- always there to listen to me. Occasionally, my thoughts would drift to her lifeless body, I’d shudder, and then my train of thoughts would start all over again.
Turning the radio on, Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" came on and I hummed along, blocking out any negative thoughts. Music was my escape- my way to run away and block out all the bad things in life. I heaved a sigh and pressed my foot down on the accelerator as I sped along the empty, tree-surrounded road.
When the cafe came into view, I switched off the radio and pulled into the parking lot with ease. Outside I saw Ella and Sam chatting away, smiling and checking their watches. Their eyes fell on mine as I jerked my keys out of the ignition and slammed the car door behind me as I got out.
"Nora, we didn't think you'd show," Sam said with a smirk.
"Oh, Sammy, course I would!" I gave a laugh and Sam enveloped me in a hug, ruffling my hair. She stood a good ten inches taller than me and often mocked me of my shortness, her hair opposite mine was short and blond, and framed her face. Pulling away, Ellla gave me a squeeze. "How you doing, Elle?"
After we exchanged our greetings, we wandered inside the cafe and got comfortably seated at our regular booth, and ordered our usual hot chocolates; two marshmallows, no sugar.
"So," I mused, "How are the 'rents, Sam?"
Sam gave an exasperated huff. For a while, her parents had been arguing non-stop, and she was at that phase where she wanted them to get divorced if it would give her a night of silence. "No better. Worse if anything."
"Aw, you can stay at my place anytime, okay?" Ella offered warmly, playfully pinching Sam's cheeks.
Sam slapped her hands away, "Thanks."
Soon enough, the waitress came around, juggling our hot chocolates and carefully placed them in front of us. She was a plump, middle aged woman with freckles covering her entire face. I noticed her name tag read Charlotte, even though she didn’t really look much like a Charlotte. "That all I can get you today?" We nodded and she placed a cheque on our table.
I stirred my hot chocolate a little before taking a sip of it. Just as always, it wasn't all creamy and full of fat, but sugary and delicious. I licked some melted marshmallow off my lips and joined in Sam and Elle's conversation about how easily mobiles can break.
After about ten minutes, our conversation had wandered from that, to bras, which quickly led to socks and other strange things. It was so easy how topics could take a random turn. At this time of the morning, the cafe was always empty, so it was fine for us to talk about whatever we wanted- no one to eaves drop, and for almost two years now it had been like this. The three of us had been friends since the seventh grade and we discovered this place when we went on one of our chocolate craving sprees.
"How about shopping after this?" Sam said with a big grin on her face. "I need some cheering up." Ella smirked and nodded and I laughed.
"Sounds like a plan."
Being girls, of course we loved shopping. What girl didn't? Especially when your friend was loaded and would buy you anything you wanted. See, even though Sam's parents fought a lot, it was over work- they earn the big bucks. They'd even trusted Sam with a limitless credit card of her own, and never checked the usage on the thing, so Sam would buy us anything we couldn't afford. She'd said to me one day that she secretly hoped her parents would check her card usage and get up her, because she felt attention deprived from them. I felt sorry for Sam, but also happy that she was almost making a stand.
Elle, on the other hand, was just as rich as me- not poor, but not rich. Her parents divorced when she was only three- they didn't think they were ready to raise a child together- but they both stayed close friends and helped out a lot, so it wasn't awkward for Ella or them. Or us for that matter, because whenever we slept over at Elle's mum's house- which, believe me was quite often- her Dad was usually there, helping out with the house work or paying the bills for her, which I thought was quite sweet.
Eventually, we finished up out hot chocolates, paid our cheque and wandered out of the restaurant. Pooling into Sam's Mercedes-Benz, we all drove to the local Crimsondale Shopping Complex, which we decided we would car pool to to save gas. "I'll drop you guys back here when we're done." Sam had explained. The ride to the shops was quick, as Crimsondale was quite a small town, and you could practically walk somewhere and easily get to the place on time, which was a handy thing, but it sometimes meant bad facilities.
The automatic doors slid open as we exited the shops, our arms full of assorted bags, laughing our heads off. We'd seen an old man at the lingerie shop, supposedly 'picking something appropriate' for his wife. He was holding up a thong when we passed, stopping to stare at him, and he'd quickly shoved it away and looked like he was lost, and had found the wrong shop.
"I'm just picking something appropriate for my wife!" Elle exclaimed in a low, manly voice. This sent us all into hysterics again.
"Pervert..." I muttered, grinning.
Sam checked her watch, "And you guys will be home by two, easy!" She gave a wicked grin, "I know, I'm amazing."
I laughed and punched her shoulder playfully. " 'Course you are!"
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up in the empty driveway, Dad's car nowhere in sight. I frowned and wandered into the house, calling out his name. "Dad, you home?" No answer. In my pocket, my phone vibrated and gave a whistle; alerting me I had a text. I raced upstairs and plunked all my shopping bags on the bed so I could reach my phone in my pocket. It was a text from Dad.
Gone to emergency business meeting in London.
Will be home for dinner tomorrow.
Cook something nice. ;)
Love Dad x
I rolled my eyes. Stupid business...But it did mean I had the house to myself tonight. Sam and Elle could stay over. A 20% battery notification came on screen and got out of bed and shuffled through the second draw for my charger. I quickly plugged the phone in and wandered down the stairs, my stomach rumbling. With a yawn, I entered the kitchen and fumbled around in the fridge for a while before pouring myself some water. Then I stood in front of the pantry for about ten minutes trying to decide what to eat, until I finally came to settle on some two minute noodles.
As the kettle boiled, I grabbed the home phone and punched in Sam's number. On the third ring, she picked up, "What up, Sam talking."
I laughed. "You crazy girl. Dad's out tonight, coming over?"
"Yup. I'll call Elle, see you in an hour?"
"Yu." The line went flat as Sam hung up and the kettle clicked. "Yay! My noodles!" I squealed, looking around the house, making sure no one noticed how excited I was over a bunch of noodles.
“We’re here,” a voice sung, as the front door flung open and Sam and Elle wandered into the house.
I raised an eyebrow, “How on earth did you get in? I locked the front door?”
Sam and Elle exchanged looks and laughed, “We know where your spare key is, stupid.” Grinning, I shook my head at the both of them and chucked my empty noodle container into the bin. I turned back to face them and Sam gave a mischievous grin, as Elle shut and locked the door behind her. From behind her back, Sam pulled a giant pile of DVD’s and I stared at her, confused. “Tonight, we watch every single one of these chick flicks, without falling asleep.” Ella and I gasped mockingly and laughed.
“Challenge accepted,” I nodded. “Do you guys want anything for dinner?”
“Eaten,” Sam said.
“Already satisfied hunger,” Elle nodded.
“Well then,” I started. “Ice cream and chick flicks?”
“Are you crazy?” Sam asked, already heading to the lounge room while Elle headed for the freezer in the kitchen. “We need cookies too!”
“Of course!” I laughed, following after Ella, and heading straight for the cupboard, which to my pleasant surprise, was stacked full of chocolate chip cookies. Thank you Dad! I thought with a smile, reaching for a couple of boxes. “Choc chip,” I said to Elle who was already grabbing every container of ice cream we had from the freezer, as well as three giant spoons. “My favourite.”
Whenever we ate cookies, ice cream and watched chick flicks, it was like there was nothing else in the world that mattered. We could cry and laugh all we wanted, and neither of us would care. We could shovel down every last drop of ice cream, and not be called a fatty. Doing what we did just took our mind off everything bad in the world and helped to soothe our hearts and souls, took away any bad thought was had, and terrible dreams we’d worried over for so long and, well, what other reason do you need to watch chick flicks while eating ice cream and cookies? I mean, c’mon. We’re teenage girls after all. And ice cream and cookies are yummy.
Tonight was no different at all- we watched, we laughed, we cried and we pigged out and none of us judged each other- just the way we all liked it.
Bright sunlight streaming in from the windows roused me from my slumber. I blinked open my eyes and took in my surroundings- I was slumped on the couch, arm over the side, DVD cases underneath me, Sam was asleep on the floor, her hair splayed out around her, surrounded by Ben and Jerry's empty ice cream containers and Elle was nowhere in sight. I gave a small chuckle at the sight of Sam and brushed the DVD cases out from under me and onto the floor. My back hurt from sleeping on the incredibly uncomfortable hardness of them.
I swung my legs over the side of the couch and yawned, rubbing some sleep out of my eyes. The television was still on, but muted, replaying 27 Dresses from last night. A loud clang in the kitchen told me where Ella was. I stretched out my arms and back a little, and climbed to my feet, wandering my way into the kitchen.
Elle stood over the bench, in front of her were six waffles- two on each plate- coated in maple syrup and icing sugar, finished off with some strawberries on top. She was pouring some breakfast juice for us, and I noticed she was already in a fresh pair of clothes. I smiled at the sight and gave another yawn. Ella turned at the sound of footsteps and her eyes met mine.
"Good morning!" She shrugged. "You know how I'm an early riser?" Duh. "I decided to make use of it." She gestured to the waffles, smiling proudly.
"They smell great, Tim Tam."
Loud footsteps- like stomping- came from behind us, and in walked Sam, looking like a mess as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. "Yum," she declared as she snatched up a plate of waffles. "Thanks Tam."
I grabbed a plate of my own and met Sam at the dining table, while Elle quickly wiped down the bench and soon joined us. Before I knew it, Sam had her plate to her mouth and was literally licking it clean. "Uh, hungry Sam?"
She froze and gently put her plate down, "Actually, no." She gave a sly smile, "These waffles are just so good!"
"Well, I'm not cleaning that plate," I said, shoving the last bite into my mouth. Sam stood up and grabbed her plate, as well and mine and Elle's empty ones and headed for the kitchen.
I rubbed my eyes for a second before I stood up. "I'm gonna get changed."
"Kay." Elle replied as I headed upstairs. Her eyes were focused on the noiseless TV screen as she sipped at her glass of juice. I gave a small laugh and headed to my room. As I entered my room, which was a mess as always, a strong gust of wind blew from the window, ruffling my hair. Did I open that window...? I frowned and slammed the window shut, locking it as well. Rubbing my temples, I wandered into my wardrobe and picked out a baby-blue, knee length sundress and slipped on my favourite pair of fuzzy socks.
Satisfied, I grinned at my reflection in the mirror as I passed it and headed down the stairs, stuffing my charged phone in my pocket on the way. When I got down there, Sam was somehow already dressed in jeans and standing beside Elle with keys in her hand. Sam's anxious gaze met mine. "It’s happened," she whispered, her voice shaky. The smile disappeared from my face.