Oh goodness, I know I said I would post once a week but I got a little excited and since I won't be going forward with "Ouroborous" I borrowed and edited a chapter. Eek. Thank you to those who graciously added my story to your alert. I love it! My boyfriend is still on tour for another 10 days so I'm going to try my best and hustle out as much as I can before he gets back. Still no beta, my mistakes are my own.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
I was going to rip my hair out.
It would grow back, right? Eventually?
I quickly thought through the many years that I had let my prized hair grow out and suddenly didn't give a shit. Better to rip out every strand of hair on my scalp rather than go to jail for murder when I killed James with whatever sharp object I came in contact with first.
A groan escaped my lips when I heard James play the wrong chord. Again. Again. And Again. I was trying not to lose my temper as I glared at the blond sitting beside me as he moved his guitar off his lap and onto a nearby stand, mumbling something his breath.
He turned to look at me frowning and placed his elbows on his knees, hanging his head. Probably in shame but he fucking deserved it. Glancing at my watch, I realized that it was already almost seven and that we had been sitting in this room for the last seven hours and had only managed to record thirty seconds of his song. Thirty fucking seconds. "Dude, we need a break or I'm going to scream."
"Yeah, I figured." He didn't even bother to look at me, he just sat there pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with me today."
I shrugged. "Chill out. I know you're probably even more frustrated than I am but you'll get it... eventually." I frowned at myself. "I sure as hell hope it's sooner rather than later." I stood up and looked around the console for my keys as James got up and began unplugging his guitar and turning off the equipment. Finally finding my keys stashed against his backpack, I rolled my shoulders trying to relax. "I'm getting out of here for awhile and clear my head. See you back at 9?"
He nodded indifferently and followed me out of the recording space and through the kitchen, turning off all the lights. For some reason my light bill here was more than it was at my condo. Probably because I spent more time here than anywhere else. Pausing to steal a glance at my thermostat that read 70 degrees, I winced and brought it up to 75. The idea of spending a few hundred dollars on a light bill just didn't really appeal to me.
Locking the door behind us, I just waved James off as we headed in opposite directions. I had grown to really like the balance between my two worlds, my life here at the studio in my old ass building and my home for the last four years. Whenever I got frustrated at one place, the other was just a walk away on the opposite side of Lincoln Park.
I pulled my cell out of my pocket and pressed the power button to turn it back on. It just wasn't professional to leave my phone on during a session. That shit would piss me off if I was paying someone a few thousand dollars to record something I put my blood, sweat, and tears into. It only took about a minute before my phone started beeping with various text messages being received. I should just be grateful they were text messages and not voicemails. I hated those things. After my phone stopped beeping, I looked up to make sure I wasn't going to run into anyone, and started reading my messages from the most recent one.
The last one was from Emmett at 6:45 p.m.- Are you still sucking some dick?
Wow.
Next one was from Alice at 6 p.m.- !At ur place!
Was today Emmett's birthday? I asked myself and realized that in fact, it was next month. Erase. It wasn't unusual for Alice to come over and hang out with Em at all but why she would be letting me know she was there was...weird. I mean, afterall, she lived across the fucking hall.
How those living arrangements even came to be, I still could not understand.
The last one- or in this case the first one that I received was from my favorite half bear-half man at 3 p.m.- I ate your leftovers. They were fucking delicious.
I shouldn't even be surprised or upset that my chicken parmesan was now probably in the greater city of Chicago's sewer system after Emmett's world-renowned toilet christening.
Pulling myself out of my daze, I realized I was only about two blocks away from the highrise. There were more people than usual walking on the street but it was a good night out and there were a bunch of cafes around this neighborhood. Slipping my phone back into my back pocket, I cracked my knuckles and started rolling up the sleeves to my button up. Without anything to hold my attention, I fixated my gaze on the random people milling around the street and smiled at a blonde with big tits heading in the opposite direction with a smile of her own. She smirked when she saw my eyes wander up the length of her body but who wouldn't look at her when her tits were practically spilling out of her tight ass tank top and her tiny white shorts told the world she had to be wearing a thong. I crooked a smile at her now that she was only a few feet away from me and I could see her lick her bottom lip and raise an eyebrow as we passed each other. I didn't bother turning around to look at her because there wouldn't be anything there worth wasting my energy on. Her ass was most assuredly falling out of her shorts but girls like that dressed to get those reactions out of men. Not that I wouldn't give her a fucking pounding if she asked me to but I shrugged to myself.
I rounded the last corner and glanced at my watch again, 7:20. I prayed silently to myself that the Alice had ordered take-out for dinner and thought of her beloved older brother while doing so. There were perks to having your sister live across and down the hall in her own apartment. It also helped me sleep better at night knowing that she was so close by.
Pulling open the door to the lobby, I nodded a hello to Sam, the front desk security, who put up a palm in greeting as I headed straight for the elevators. The doors opened almost instantly after I pressed the up button, hoping for some quiet sanity at home. The door chimed open and I pulled my keys out of my pocket, straining to hear if there was any noise coming from inside. Turning the lock, I pushed open my front door to hear Alice's loud braying donkey laugh resonating through my apartment.
"Jesus Alice, did Mom and Dad find you on a farm?" I muttered walking into the living room to find her sitting cross-legged on the floor with my Macbook in her lap, while Emmett's massive frame was draped over the couch as they watched what looked to be America's Funniest Home Videos.
She broke her concentration from the television to peer at me with a smug look on her face. "Shut. Up."
Emmett tore his focus away from the television for a brief second to nod at me in greeting. "You are seriously missing out. They had this dog who would not get out of the house, he kept putting his paw down so his owner couldn't push him out. It was epic."
"I can only imagine." I said sliding onto the couch, flexing my feet. "Did you guys eat..."
"I left you an order of sweet and sour chicken from Eastern in the fridge. I just knew you hadn't eaten any dinner." Alice finished my sentence, her short black hair bobbing while she spoke, while her eyes were still glued to the television.
"I don't deserve you, Alice." I nearly fucking cooed like a baby with happiness as I pushed myself back off the couch and towards the adjoining open kitchen. I got my white box out of the fridge and put it in the microwave, while looking at Alice and Emmett in the living room. "Any luck finding a new roommate, Turtle?"
Alice spared herself a second to glare at me for my use of the nickname that she detested. Even when we were little kids, Alice never hid behind anything or conformed herself and her ideas to anyone, her skin was tough as a shell because she refused to change for anyone but she continued to be the sweetest girl in the world. Although I called her that out of respect when we were younger, she would cry and ask our Mom if she was fat. Because turtles are fat. Forget that they aren't actually fat and just have a thick shell. Nooo, turtles are fat.
"Actually.. yes!" The show went on commercial, breaking her out of her trance. She clapped her hands excitedly. "She's going to be perfect! We spoke over iChat today and went over..."
If I would have food in my mouth, I would have spit it out. "You spoke over...iChat? Like the video messaging on my Mac?"
"Uh, yeah." she shrugged, giving me a look that could only be interpreted that I had grown three heads in split seconds.
"Please tell me you've met her in person before....wait a minute. It's a girl right?"
Alice rolled her eyes. "Yes, she's a girl and no, I haven't met her in person. She's actually went to college with Angela... you remember Angela right? My coworker? Well anyway, she's moving here from Phoenix." She shuddered with enthusiasm, which was completely Alice. "She's going to be amazingggg." She sang.
I pulled my food out of the microwave and sat at the counter, eating. Anything with juices or sauce was not allowed on the couch for fear of staining my very expensive microsuede furniture. "Hmm. Well you better start locking your bedroom from now on."
"Whatever. She's not her, Edward." I didn't wince anymore at the mention of her. "I already know she's going to fit right in." Her dark eyes narrowed in my direction as a very curious and creepy smile spread over her face. "You are going to love her."
I snorted. "I highly doubt that."
"Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like." she quoted before cackling with laughter.
"You were adopted. From a mental facility."
"This coming from OCD incarnate? Mister-my-food-can't-touch?" Alice laughed again reminding me of a donkey.
I grabbed the nearest orange and threw it lightly at her, pegging her in the shoulder to get a a cry in response. I looked at Emmett who had stayed surprisingly quiet the entire time, and noticed he was hunched over his phone. "Are you looking at gay porn again on your phone?"
He snapped out of his gaze and grinned broadly. "Uh, no. Your Mom..." Alice threw the orange at Emmett's large head to silence him from continuing whatever gross joke about our Mom he was going to go into. "Nevermind."
I polished off the sweet and sour chicken and yawned. "When did you say your roommate was moving in?"
Alice's eyes were glued on the show again. "I didn't say when, Edward. She'll be here next week."
"Okay, well let me know so I can make sure not to be here."
She sighed. "I don't know why you're such a prick sometimes."
I did.