There was someone at the door, knocking impatiently. "What?" I yelled. After my fight with Roger, I didn't really feel like talking to anyone.

"Mimi? Can I come in?" I felt like I was 14 again after a fight with my parents.

It was Mark. "Sure. Whatever. I really don't care." I stared at him blankly from my post on the bed and watched him grab a chair and sit down awkwardly.

"What happened?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, knowing perfectly well that he wanted to know where Roger was and why we weren't together.

"Don't give me that bullshit," he told me. "What happened between you and Roger? I know it's been normal lately for him to take off like that, but he usually leaves his guitar. You two must have really been pissed off."

I took a deep breath and shrugged my shoulders. "Look, Mark. I'm working at the Life Café, and I told Roger that I was leaving. So then I come home, bursting with excitement at actually having a job, and who's there? Roger, yelling at me, telling me to let him know where I am at every second of the day! Fuck him!"

"He just doesn't want anything to happen to you. He's protecting you," he said quietly.

"Protecting me? Protecting me? Are you fucking kidding? He's acting like he owns me; as if I'm a thirteen-year-old who needs to be watched. Yeah well, I don't need it!"

Mark looked extremely uncomfortable. "Um, I'm really happy that you got a job." He quietly left the room.

I laid back down and tried to sleep, knowing that it would never come since I was still quite ticked. I wasn't tired, though I desperately wanted to close my eyes and be taken away from reality- from all of the shit that was happening.

It seemed like hours and hours of staring at the wall, with its chipping paint and dirty look, before I heard the front door open, then slam noisily shut.

"Where is she?" I heard that oh-so-familiar voice angrily say.

"Sleeping," came Mark's reply. "What's with you, Roger? You need to give her some freedom. She's not a little kid."

"No shit, and I never said she was."

"Bull! She told me that you yelled at her for not telling you she was leaving!" Then he added, "At least she has a job and does something with her life! You're always moping around here, not sure what to do with yours!"

He began to tune his guitar again. I knew he was trying not to scream at Mark, which I was sure he'd do if it wasn't so late, not like he ever cared before. But it was probably 3 o'clock, if not later.

Mark's door slammed, and I once again tried to sleep, but couldn't.

Roger entered our room and sat down beside me. "Mimi… look..."

I turned over and looked at him but remained silent. I noticed how tired he looked. "Go to sleep," I snapped at him. "You look like crap."

"Fine," he grumbled and laid down. He was asleep within minutes. Lucky him.

I looked at the clock with the neon red letters, glowing in the darkness. 4:15. And I had to work in 8 hours. This sucks.

"Mimi! Get up!"

I groaned and rolled over. "What time is it?"

"11:15. You never sleep this late." Mark looked concerned.

Where the fuck was Roger? "Shit!" I exclaimed, and jumped out of bed. I dashed into the bathroom, took a ten minute shower, threw on a tight skirt and blouse, and ran out of there carrying my black boots.

I threw them on and ran all the way to the Life Café. It was 11:58.

I burst through the doors and immediately spotted Sara. "Hey!"

She smiled at me. "You ready for your first day?"

"Yeah," I said. I went through all the things I learned yesterday in my head, making sure that my lack of sleep didn't make everything erased.

She reached into her pocket and thrust a notepad and pen in my hand. "Go."