"I am going to kill him," she thought to herself as she walked into her
apartment, "He is SO dead when he gets home!"
She threw her purse on the couch and slipped out of her boots before taking
a look at the stack of bills in her hand. Another one from the phone
company, a few credit card bills, and one from the insurance agency.
Nothing interesting as usual. She threw them on the table and flopped onto
the couch. She couldn't wait for her roommate to get home later that night.
After all the bragging he had done, after all the showboating, she was
going to kill him.
He'd told her that he was getting a job with a high-profile company in the
next few weeks and would soon be able to pay his half of the rent. He'd
said it was guaranteed and that she shouldn't worry "her pretty little head
off" as he so eloquently put it. Well, she'd believed him and as usual
she'd been disappointed. Here it was three weeks later and still he was
jobless.
"Why the hell did I believe him again?" she groaned as she laid her head on
the arm of the couch, "Why do I let him get away with this shit?"
The answer to that was simple.
She was in love with him.
She wasn't sure when it had happened or why it had, but it was the truth.
She'd fallen in love with her roommate. The one guy she wasn't supposed to
have feelings for other than friendship. He was best friends with her older
brother for goodness sakes! She couldn't be in love with him! Not only
that...he was one of her closest friends. How could she fall for her best
friend? It wasn't that he was a bad guy or anything—he just didn't seem
like her type.
She was the kind of person that was always on time, always neat, always
ready and willing to work. She wasn't anal-retentive or uptight at all,
just mature. He, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He promised big
things, but rarely delivered on them. He was a party animal—not wanting to
act his age although it was high-time he started to, seeing as he was
nearing the thirty age mark. Then again, they do say opposites attract. She
just had never thought it would happen to her.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been sleeping, but judging by the crick in her neck it had been for quite awhile. The sound of the door opening and three loud male voices—one belonging to her roommate, one to her brother, and one to another guy—woke her up. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was close to one in the morning. She stretched and blinked as they walked into the apartment and turned the lights on. "Steph, what the hell are you doing up still?" She glared up at her roommate. "I was sleeping until your loud asses woke me up!" "Why are you on the couch, sis?" "Gee Chuck, I thought having a crick in my neck would be fun," Steph told him. She rolled her eyes and stood up. "I was sitting here, waiting for Sean to get home so I could talk to him and I fell asleep if you must know." "Yeah, I did need to know," her brother grinned. He turned to Sean. "Hey, got anything to drink, man?" "Is that all you ever think about?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Yeah," Chuck answered, "Grab me a Corona if ya got one!" Her roommate nodded his head as he searched the fridge for three bottles. He handed a bottle of beer to each of his two friends then took a seat on the couch. Looking up at her as he took a long swig, he tried to figure out what had gotten her so upset this time. Lately it seemed like she was down his throat every time he turned around. He would blame it on PMS, but he knew better. That time of the month was a whole hell of a lot worse! "What's up, Stephy?" Steph glanced down at the pile of bills then at her roommate again. "Sean, weren't you supposed to start that new job soon?" she asked, slowly. Sean shrugged. "Yeah, didn't I talk to you about that?" "No! You DIDN'T!" she told him, rolling her eyes. "Well, they decided to hire someone else," he told her. "SEAN!" "I don't think I really wanted that job anyway," he continued, looking at Chuck and the other guy there, "They were too uptight, know what I mean?" Chuck laughed. "Yeah, I definitely know wh—"He stopped when he saw that his sister was glaring at him. "I mean, man, you need a job, O'Haire!" Sean shrugged and took a long drink before turning to his roommate. He smiled at her—a smile which usually she couldn't help but return. This time, however, she didn't smile back. She was so angry at him for doing this to her again. How could he be so selfish and immature? Did he think her job as a teacher's aide made all that much money? Steph hadn't expected to be taking care of her friend as well as herself as she went through her last year of college. Hell, she couldn't even take care of her own pet fish. "Look, Stephanie, I got it under control, hun," Sean told her as he dug into his jean pocket. He pulled out a wad of cash and handed it over. "Here's some money for groceries and stuff this month." Steph eyed her friend carefully as she accepted the money. Opening it, she noticed several twenty dollar bills and a few fifties. "Where'd you get this money?" she asked. "This guy I know owed me some money," he shrugged. He looked around the room and finally noticed that the third guy in the room had remained silent since the time they'd walked through the door. "Hey, Mark, why so quiet all of a sudden?" He looked up from his bottle and shrugged. "I just don't feel like talking," he answered. He looked in Steph's direction and smiled shyly. "Hey, I'm Mark by the way." "Nice to meet you," Steph said shortly. She turned back to her roommate. "Sean, you need to get a fucking job. I can't handle this anymore!" "Handle what?" Sean asked. Steph sighed and gestured around. "Taking care of all this! Working all fuckin day with little brats then coming home and having to pay more bills while you go out every damn night!" She shook her head. "I can't support you AND myself!" Chuck coughed and looked warily at his younger sister. "Umm, maybe me and Mark should be going right about now," he said as he got up. "I'll talk to you tomorrow—" "I can support myself!" Sean yelled back, ignoring Chuck, "I just gave you fucking money, didn't I?" Steph waved the money in the air. "Sean! It's only two hundred dollars! That's not even half the rent for this month!" She threw the wad of bills on the coffee table and looked at him. "Do you have any fucking clue how much it costs to take care of this place and you and myself?" "Yeah, we're just gonna head out now..." Chuck said as he backed up toward the door. He grabbed Mark's arm and pulled him along. "Sis, I'll see you tomorrow at mom's..." "Sean, I can't do it anymore," Steph repeated as she fell back on the couch. She put her head in her hands and sighed. "If you don't get a job by next week, you're gonna hafta leave." "WHAT?" Steph took a deep breath and looked up at him. She hadn't wanted to give him that ultimatum, but she'd had no other choice. What else was she supposed to do? There was no way she could go on taking care of him and herself. "Sean, I mean it," she said softly, "If you don't start taking care of yourself you're outta here." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry." "Yeah, well," Sean muttered and stomped toward the door, pulling Mark and Chuck out with him. Steph shook her head and watched as they walked away. She felt bad, but what else could she do? It wasn't like she had a choice. She fell back on the couch and closed her eyes. She hoped Sean wasn't too mad at her.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been sleeping, but judging by the crick in her neck it had been for quite awhile. The sound of the door opening and three loud male voices—one belonging to her roommate, one to her brother, and one to another guy—woke her up. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was close to one in the morning. She stretched and blinked as they walked into the apartment and turned the lights on. "Steph, what the hell are you doing up still?" She glared up at her roommate. "I was sleeping until your loud asses woke me up!" "Why are you on the couch, sis?" "Gee Chuck, I thought having a crick in my neck would be fun," Steph told him. She rolled her eyes and stood up. "I was sitting here, waiting for Sean to get home so I could talk to him and I fell asleep if you must know." "Yeah, I did need to know," her brother grinned. He turned to Sean. "Hey, got anything to drink, man?" "Is that all you ever think about?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Yeah," Chuck answered, "Grab me a Corona if ya got one!" Her roommate nodded his head as he searched the fridge for three bottles. He handed a bottle of beer to each of his two friends then took a seat on the couch. Looking up at her as he took a long swig, he tried to figure out what had gotten her so upset this time. Lately it seemed like she was down his throat every time he turned around. He would blame it on PMS, but he knew better. That time of the month was a whole hell of a lot worse! "What's up, Stephy?" Steph glanced down at the pile of bills then at her roommate again. "Sean, weren't you supposed to start that new job soon?" she asked, slowly. Sean shrugged. "Yeah, didn't I talk to you about that?" "No! You DIDN'T!" she told him, rolling her eyes. "Well, they decided to hire someone else," he told her. "SEAN!" "I don't think I really wanted that job anyway," he continued, looking at Chuck and the other guy there, "They were too uptight, know what I mean?" Chuck laughed. "Yeah, I definitely know wh—"He stopped when he saw that his sister was glaring at him. "I mean, man, you need a job, O'Haire!" Sean shrugged and took a long drink before turning to his roommate. He smiled at her—a smile which usually she couldn't help but return. This time, however, she didn't smile back. She was so angry at him for doing this to her again. How could he be so selfish and immature? Did he think her job as a teacher's aide made all that much money? Steph hadn't expected to be taking care of her friend as well as herself as she went through her last year of college. Hell, she couldn't even take care of her own pet fish. "Look, Stephanie, I got it under control, hun," Sean told her as he dug into his jean pocket. He pulled out a wad of cash and handed it over. "Here's some money for groceries and stuff this month." Steph eyed her friend carefully as she accepted the money. Opening it, she noticed several twenty dollar bills and a few fifties. "Where'd you get this money?" she asked. "This guy I know owed me some money," he shrugged. He looked around the room and finally noticed that the third guy in the room had remained silent since the time they'd walked through the door. "Hey, Mark, why so quiet all of a sudden?" He looked up from his bottle and shrugged. "I just don't feel like talking," he answered. He looked in Steph's direction and smiled shyly. "Hey, I'm Mark by the way." "Nice to meet you," Steph said shortly. She turned back to her roommate. "Sean, you need to get a fucking job. I can't handle this anymore!" "Handle what?" Sean asked. Steph sighed and gestured around. "Taking care of all this! Working all fuckin day with little brats then coming home and having to pay more bills while you go out every damn night!" She shook her head. "I can't support you AND myself!" Chuck coughed and looked warily at his younger sister. "Umm, maybe me and Mark should be going right about now," he said as he got up. "I'll talk to you tomorrow—" "I can support myself!" Sean yelled back, ignoring Chuck, "I just gave you fucking money, didn't I?" Steph waved the money in the air. "Sean! It's only two hundred dollars! That's not even half the rent for this month!" She threw the wad of bills on the coffee table and looked at him. "Do you have any fucking clue how much it costs to take care of this place and you and myself?" "Yeah, we're just gonna head out now..." Chuck said as he backed up toward the door. He grabbed Mark's arm and pulled him along. "Sis, I'll see you tomorrow at mom's..." "Sean, I can't do it anymore," Steph repeated as she fell back on the couch. She put her head in her hands and sighed. "If you don't get a job by next week, you're gonna hafta leave." "WHAT?" Steph took a deep breath and looked up at him. She hadn't wanted to give him that ultimatum, but she'd had no other choice. What else was she supposed to do? There was no way she could go on taking care of him and herself. "Sean, I mean it," she said softly, "If you don't start taking care of yourself you're outta here." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry." "Yeah, well," Sean muttered and stomped toward the door, pulling Mark and Chuck out with him. Steph shook her head and watched as they walked away. She felt bad, but what else could she do? It wasn't like she had a choice. She fell back on the couch and closed her eyes. She hoped Sean wasn't too mad at her.