Grey light was streaming through the window when Ellie woke up. The house was unusually quiet and missing its normal strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee but one look out the window and Ellie's uneasiness subsided. The snow that had started falling early yesterday morning had continued throughout the day and into the night covering the ground and leaving large drifts piled up to the first floor windows. No doubt schools were closed and her housemates still in bed.
Ellie had never been a big fan of snow days. In the past they'd meant being cooped up in the house with her alcoholic mother who was either nursing a hangover or starting on the next one. But now that she was out on her own she was kind of looking forward to it. Maybe she could curl up with Marco and spend the whole day watching I Love Lucy reruns or get some research done for the article she was working on. Either way there wouldn't be vomit to clean up or half conscious mother's to tuck into bed and that in its self would make it a good day.
With a little yawn Ellie threw back the covers and climbed out of bed, shivering slightly as the cool air hit her skin. She grabbed the pair of flannel pants that rested on the floor beside her bed. She'd barrowed them from Craig the summer before senior year when they'd gotten caught in the rain and soaked to the bone. She'd forgotten to give them back, or at least that's what she'd told him when he'd spotted them lying on the foot of her bed during his last visit. Pulling them on she headed out of her room and down the stairs to start the pot of coffee that would drag her sleeping housemates from their own beds.
Not long after the coffee had started perking Marco stumbled his way in to the kitchen, hair mussed and clothes wrinkled from a restless night of sleep. He was adorable in his early morning disarray.
"You're a saint." He yawned stretching his arms high above his head before offering Ellie a friendly kiss on the cheek.
Ellie smiled, "Flattery will get you everything my dear Marco." She pulled out two coffee mugs form the cabinet above her head, "Or at the very least a cup of coffee."
"Coffee's all I ask for." Marco replied returning her smile as he took the steaming hot cup from her hand, "Unless you want to write my psychology paper."
"Um…no," Ellie chuckled pulling out one of the kitchen chairs and sinking into it. "I guess that means no vintage television marathons?"
"Afraid not. I've also got an English test to study for and three chapters to read for my American Cultures class."
Ellie crinkled her nose in response, "Guess you're regretting those extra classes you signed up for, eh."
Marco shrugged refilling his cup, "I'll be in my room if you need me." With a sleepy little wave he headed back up the stairs to his bedroom leaving Ellie alone in search of something to do.
She wondered into the living room picking up the remote and flipping through the television but there was nothing on, Lucy didn't seem quite as funny when Marco wasn't there to laugh at the jokes with her. Turning the television back off Ellie reached for her lap top that she'd lent to Alex the night before and that was now sitting atop the coffee table in front of her.
Ellie logged on to her email quickly deleting all the spam until all that was left was her itunes receipt, a few jokes from Marco and Ashley, and an email from Craig. She opened Marco and Ashley's emails first then sent them to the recycling bin along with the itunes message. With everything else out of the way she opened the email from Craig.
Hey, El.
I miss you. I feel like I'm losing my mind in here and I don't mean the bipolar-I haven't taken my meds kind. There are days where it feels like the walls are closing in and the doors only an inch tall like in Alice and Wonderland, only there's no magic muffin or vial of growth potion and I'm stuck with no way out. And then I think of you and the walls are once again stationary. God that sounds like a corny line from one of those chick flicks Manny use to make me watch but I'm pretty sure you know what I mean. How could I have been so damn blind, so stupid? It's you, El. It's always been you.
-Craig
Ellie swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She'd gotten emails from Craig before but they'd been brief, mostly apologies. She scrolled back up to read it again but was interrupted by an instant message popping up.
LowRider69: Lex?
Ellie frowned. She had no idea who LowRider69 was not that she knew everyone on her instant messenger but for the life of her she couldn't remember adding the screen name. That's when she noticed it wasn't her account that had automatically logged on when she'd booted up the computer it was Alex's account and LowRider69 had to be Alex's obnoxious ex.
AlexNnz: Jay?
LowRider69: No shit Sherlock who did you think it was?
AlexNnz: It's not Alex its Ellie, Smartass!
LowRider69: Do I really come across as a mind reader to you, Red? Where's Alex?
Ellie rolled her eyes.
AlexNnz: I don't know, probably still in bed with Paige.
LowRider69: Ouch. What's with the hostility, Nash? I though we were friends?
AlexNnz: Yeah, well no one ever said you were bright?
LowRider69: Give the girl a prize she's on a roll.
AlexNnz: Don't you have something better to do? I mean I wouldn't exactly take you for an internet geek.
LowRider69: Yeah, well it's not like I'm installing giga-whatever or hacking into some company's mega-something or other.
AlexNnz: Porn?
LowRider69: Only thing worth checking out on the internet..
A creak on the stairs drew Ellie's attention away from the screen. Paige pranced into the living room perfectly put together like she'd rolled out of bed in her cashmere sweater and Seven's jeans.
"You know Hun on days like this you should really take advantage of the extra beauty sleep." She offered with a sickeningly sweet smile. The one that was impossible to mistake as sincere.
"Thanks, Paige. I'll keep that in mind." Ellie replied with a sneer as Paige headed into the kitchen and then turned her attention back to the computer screen.
LowRider69: Yo, Nash, you still with me?
LowRider69: Hello?
LowRider69: Hello?
She groaned, like dealing with Paige wasn't bad enough.
AlexNnz: What?
LowRider69: What are you wearing?
AlexNnz: You are so disgusting. I'm going to go so I can throw up now.
LowRider69: Okay, okay, sorry. Don't leave I'm fucking snowed in and bored out of my mind.
AlexNnz: And that's my problem, why?
LowRider69: Because you're stuck in a house with a bunch of queers, my guess is you're probably bored too.
AlexNnz: Why are you such a jackass?
LowRider69: Because it's much more fun than being Mr. Nice Guy. Definitely more entertaining, plus the chicks seem to have a thing for the bad boy.
AlexNnz: Really? Then how come you're chatting it up with me instead of one of the million girls that are apparently attracted to your badassness?
LowRider69: Because you're kind of cute when you get all flustered and I can just close my eyes and picture it…among other things.
AlexNnz: Perv.
LowRider69: Didn't we cover that with the porn?
Ellie chuckled and shook her head.
"What are you doing?" Paige asked coming back into the living room with a large bowl of cereal and a glass of milk.
"Nothing," Ellie replied quickly tilting the lap top down a little so Paige wouldn't be able to see the screen from her perch on the recliner.
"Is that Jessie?" She continued with a mouth full of Fruit Loops. "Tell him I said hi."
Ellie muttered, "It's not Jessie," before going back to typing.
AlexNnz: Well I've got to go the house is waking up.
LowRider69: Yep, wouldn't want anyone to know you actually enjoy 'chatting it up' with the likes of me.
AlexNnz: Who said I enjoy chatting with you?
LowRider69: Don't lie, you know it's true.
Ellie laughed again drawing a curious look from her pristine roommate. She chose to ignore it as she logged off Alex's screen name and on to her own. Once her list of buddies popped up she clicked on the option to add a buddy and typed in LowRider69. Maybe she did enjoy 'chatting it up' with Jay after all.