He's been watching you.
He's been watching you.
He's. Been. Watching. You.
It bounced in her mind like that damn Windows logo screensaver. It echoed and it was nothing short from annoying. She wanted but couldn't change the theme.
Goddammit, Marron.
"Here," she heard Marron say as she felt glass touch her lips. "Mandatory shot."
Chazumi took the drink from her hand clumsily and tossed the liquor straight to the back of her mouth. The bitter strawberry aftertaste lingered on her tongue. She coughed once. Twice. "Give me another." Courage juice. She needed more of it. It had no major effect on her but sour was a sense she could concentrate on instead. A short bittersweet distraction.
"Of course." Marron whistled and seconds later had another glass at her lips.
He's been watching you. Bounce, bounce, motherfucking bounce.
Bottoms up once more.
She only volunteered because she assumed Trunks wouldn't partake in his baby sister's silly party game. Though, subconsciously, she hoped he did.
And he had. Now what? Was she willing to go continue?
Well, she didn't have to. However, regret was an awful mental murderer.
Unfortunately, she did not inherent her mother's valor but she was stubborn like her.
The reason she was presently in this overly stressful situation dates back to a Sunday summer morning a few weeks ago. She sat comfortably in her over-sized black graphic tee between two stripped pillows, Louise's pink bunny ears the only item that occupied the center of the t-shirt. Her mind entertained by her cellphone as she waited patiently for the coffee to finish brewing and her honey bread to pop from the toaster.
"Morning, love."
Chazumi smiled and mumbled a good morning. Marron only got out of bed early when Eresa was out of town on a business trip. Eresa was not a morning person whereas Marron adored being up before the sun. After growing up on an island surrounded by the ocean and the sun, a sunrise just energized her and enhanced her already good mood.
"What's the agenda for today, Chazumi?" Marron questioned as she opened the lavender shaded refrigerator and scanned the crisper drawers. Chazumi knew what she was in search for. Bananas. Marron's favorite breakfast were banana pancakes topped with freshly cut blueberries, real honey not syrup and no butter.
"I was going to swing by that new store that opened a few days ago."
"Patricia's?"
Chazumi laughed and nodded. "Yeah, that's the one."
"You're honestly going to try every single sandwich they have?"
The toaster dinged and Chazumi stood leaving her cellphone on the table. She made her way to the kitchen island where she had all of her fruit pre-cut. "Yes, I am! Their menu says seventy seven different sandwiches. I'm on sandwich number eight."
"Long term goals to live by."
Chauzmi shrugged and huffed out an eh. "To each their own," she mumbled as she prepared her usual morning sandwiches. Lots of peanut butter with thinly slices bananas and strawberries and a dash of brown sugar.
"Here," Marron said as she placed Chazumi's overly sugared coffee near the peanut butter jar. There weren't enough eggs to make pancakes so Marron settled on just black coffee for breakfast. "And before I forget," she started and whispered the rest into her own coffee cup, "something, something... I already paid the rent."
Marron turned to leave ignoring the dramatic slamming of the fist on the table.
"You didn't!"
Marron laughed and scurried off, hot cup firmly in hand.
"Marron! No, stop!" Chazumi appeared before Marron, eyes narrowed and shadowed by black eyebrows. Her head slightly lifted, Marron was a mere inches taller than she was.
Try as she might but Marron knew it was futile to run away from a saiyajin. "I said what I said, and I did what I did. It's in the cloud. Can't bring it down."
"But... I had money. Some money." Chazumi said defeated. "You can't keep taking care of me, Marron."
"I know. But you do do most of the cleaning here, so I say it evens out, yeah?"
"It doesn't. This is the third time I haven't paid my share of the rent."
"Why are you keeping count? I sure as hell am not."
Chazumi threw her head back, ebony eyes rolling to the back of her head. A distraught run on sentence of curse words leaving a trail as she headed back to the kitchen.
"All right then. It's been three times. I won't do it again. So if it eases your guilty, overwhelming, pretty little mind. You owe me three wishes?"
"Wishes?"
"I was watching Aladdin last night. Humor me. I don't want your money."
"Fine."
With a last and final sigh, Chazumi let out a small curse. Marron's second wish was, when the opportunity arose, to kiss Trunks. Simply because she had confessed one weakened night after a double shift that she was completely infatuated with Trunks when she was younger. Not only that, he was her number four on her bucket list. A bucket list she had created when she had finished watching A Walk to Remember and was uncontrollably sobbing.
"Okay! Let the game begin!" Bulla shouted and Chazumi's spine straightened.