Chapter 34: Tuff Enuff

"I can't believe this." Manny tumbled off the bed and fell onto the carpeted floor for what seemed like the umpteenth time. It was bad enough she had to pack her things hastily after carefully arranging them in the large closet in the guest room so she wouldn't have to wear the same outfit more then once, swim-wear included but she also had to sleep with Paige in her bedroom after Emma said in not so many words that she didn't want to share a room with her anymore. Emma was still upset after their little disagreement and Hazel decided to share a room with her while Manny moved in with Paige much to Paige's disapproval. Manny couldn't prove it but she knew Paige purposely kicked her out of the bed every chance she could get without Manny catching her in the act and even though Paige and Hazel warned her that Paige was a wild sleeper and Hazel had spent many a nights with Paige waking up on the floor it still seemed as if the taps with Paige's arm hitting Manny in the face and the kicks from Paige's very hard plastered casted leg wasn't just the acts of Paige the wild sleeper but a very frustrated, angry, and very much awake Paige.

Manny got up from the floor, picked up her pillow from the comfortable but disheveled bed and tugged on the comforter before letting it go thinking twice about removing the covers from the "sleeping" Paige she didn't won't to wake her and have to deal with the cranky, angry, fully awake Paige. She drowsily walked out of the room even though it was time to get up and start a new day the sun was beaming outside, Manny felt bushed, she only needed one hour, two, tops in order to feel refreshed and anew. Her legs felt like wet noodles and she knew she had a bruise on her leg the result from the frequent unplanned meetings with the bedroom floor. She closed the door slowly and walked in the hall from the looks of it, it seemed like she was the first to get up, everyone had there door closed and she didn't hear the sounds of laughter and happiness from teens who were in a parent free house complete with playful monkey shines and rambunctious behavior she often heard at this time it was if their vacation was really over and everyone was resting up from the aftermath.

"Must get to a bed." Manny thought before mumbling it out loud but it sounded more like, "Munch gip toob bad." Her legs were still weak but were slowly growing stronger before her left one gave out on her or as her mother called it her leg was asleep, something she had yet to achieve. "Great." Manny muttered. Her body needed rest and she needed to find a quiet spot before the gang woke up. She walked drunkenly down the hall and just as her body was about to give in she turned into the nearest opened room. She skimmed over it before realizing it was the music room or what she had been told, she rarely went this way knowing full well Craig would be here and even though they were under the same roof and joined in the gangs rambunctious hi-jinx she made sure that was the only contact they shared. She didn't know if this was Craig's room or not and thought that it couldn't be because it didn't have a bed just eccentrically decorated couches, chairs and furniture. She came to a conclusion this room was used more for recreation this sleep and for that reason she wanted to turn around and search for a room at least with a bed but her body had it's own agenda and before she knew it she crashed on the nearest couch and slumbered off into dream land.

"Get up." Hazel pulled the cover off of Paige. "I know you're awake." Hazel exclaimed before Paige opened her eyes and sneered. "Time to get up. Where's Manny?" Hazel bent down on the floor to see if she was on the other side of the bed, on the floor that is.

"What do you want, Haze," Paige mumbled while trying to pull some of the comforter back onto her body. "I need to get some beauty sleep. I have to prepare myself for the long ride home."

"We'll, its not today." Hazel pulled Paige's pillow from underneath her head.

"Ow, what is up with you," Paige exclaimed as she angrily got up from the bed.

"Sean wants to check to make sure the car's in good condition before we leave and you have the keys to car and he needs them."

"You woke me up for that." Paige bent down, picked up the comforter,threw it back on her bed, before throwing her self on the bed and pulling the comforter over her head. "Come back when your done in fact I'll come done when I'm done, resting."

Hazel pulled the comforter off of Paige and held onto it for dear life while Paige tugged at the little piece of fabric that was in her hand. "Let go!" Hazel pulled even harder until she had won the tug of war with Paige who tumbled on the floor. "You'll get it back after we're done." Hazel rolled the large comforter as best as she could and held it underneath her arm.

"Fine, fine." Paige got up from the floor and brushed herself off. "You know if you weren't my best friend I would have."

"What would you have done Paige?" Hazel gave Paige a threatening stare that could've scared a convict escaping from jail to run back to the confines of his nice comfortable cell.

"Never mind." Paige sighed. "Can you give me a couple of minutes so I can take a shower or at least brush my teeth?"

"OK, just make it quick." Hazel threw the comforter back on the bed but fearing her friend would try to pull a fast one she scooped it back up. "I think I'll give this to Jenny, she might want to take it to the dry cleaners or something. Oh-" She opened up the door and moved back. "After you."

"Thanks." Paige sarcastically feigned her gratitude. "Thanks a lot."

Emma had been up for hours now she was always a early riser and unfortunately a very light sleeper. Hazels snores and snorts throughout the night was enough to wake the dead and even though Emma lightly place a pillow over her head Hazel snores were sooo loud it resembled the horn from a mack trunk while going through a long spiraling dark tunnel. She was grateful she woke up early enough because in the middle of the night she had to find another resting place, on the couch in the living room and she didn't want to wake up in the morning to sound of Hazel and Paige practicing new cheers for next year, Jimmy finally getting the hang of bouncing a basketball in his wheelchair, Craig strumming furiously on his guitar while trying to fight off his block, Jenny screaming at her agent for deals he should have or shouldn't have made or people she didn't want to see like Sean watching music videos and turning the volume up sooo loud it was if a live band were there and Manny practicing lines from plays from Tennessee Williams, Thorton Wilder or Shakespeare while begging Jenny for tips or at least show her resume to her agent for representation.

The living room was chilly Jenny always turned the a/c up full blast at night because she swore that it felt great sleeping under the warm 600 count sheets and down stuffed comforters. Emma couldn't take the comforter with her because Hazel grasped on it for dear life even in her sleep and she hadn't a clue where Jenny kept the extra sheets so she picked up a small crotched throw that was laying on a rocket chair in her room before she crept downstairs to the living room. She couldn't see in the late night and she couldn't find the light switch so she bumped into chair after chair before tripping over the throw she was carrying and falling on what she realized was the leather love seat couch, crouched her long legs so she could fit into the two person seater as best as she could, threw the throw over her which barely covered her shivering body, closed her eyes and made the best of the situation.

After going to sleep to with the sound of chirping cicadas and crickets in the night she woke up to chirping birds and sunlight peeking through a barely open vertical blind."Hmmm" Emma moaned she couldn't believe that she slept so we'll but the wonderful feeling didn't last she suddenly got a sharp pain in her back from the cramped position she held all night. "Oh great," She thought and just as she was going to release herself from the cramped position she heard someone walking or more like running down the stairs. Clip clop clip clop was all she heard Emma was sure it was heels but it could have been a horse for all she knew and she wouldn't have been surprised. "Oops" The mystery person said. Suddenly the clopping stopped and the person decided to take their shoes off but the tip toeing wasn't enough to stop the floor boards from squeaking no matter how new they were. If Emma wasn't so sure she wouldn't fall or wobble on the floor embarrassing herself she would have examined who that person was but the scent from the flowery perfume was all she needed to know it was Jenny, but she wouldn't get the opportunity to confirm it because she heard the kitchen door slowly opening and closing and she knew Jenny either was going to cook breakfast in the kitchen or had decided to exit out back, Emma went with latter it was more believable even though she couldn't understand why Jenny was sneaking out back.

Emma waited a couple of minutes to see if Jenny would return and when she realized she wasn't returning and the pain from her back had went from a painful stab, to numb and then to pure agony, she knew it was time to get up. She stretched out her legs on the couch and when she was confident her legs wouldn't buckle under the pressure she stood up from the small temporary bed and stretched. She did a back bend slowly and even though she was upside down she still noticed she wasn't alone. "Oh my.." Emma fell to the ground before finishing her sentence.

"Good morning" Sean smiled. " Sorry, I hope I didn't scare you."

Emma quickly got up and brushed herself off. "Sean what are you doing here?" Emma looked at Sean but before he could answer her question she interrupted him. "What, spying on me when I was awake wasn't enough you have to do it when I'm asleep too."

"Hey, I just got here and why are you sleeping on the couch anyway?"

"Sleeping, although it's none of your business." Emma looked at Sean as if she was waiting for him to reply with a snarky remark but when he didn't respond after a very long awkward silence she picked up the throw and started to fold it.

"Let me help you with that." Sean picked up the small section of the throw that was lying on the floor.

"I don't need your help." Emma pulled the throw but she pulled it with so much force she felt herself falling to ground but realized she never touched the hard floor she was in Sean's arms. It felt so awkward yet so right she wanted to say "Thank you" but instead released herself from his arms, bent down, picked up the throw and threw it at him.

Sean dodged the quilted throw that was flying right at him. "Hey, what was that for?"

"For being such a jerk, you want to help me-" Emma threw a pillow at Sean who caught it with as much as technique as a baseball player catching a 90 mph baseball "-just stay away from me, you already caused enough damage."

"Damage, I'm not the one throwing things, keep it up Emma your going to break something soon."

"Arrrrghhhh." Emma screamed. She picked up another pillow and threw it at him this time she hit him on the forehead. "Oh my god. Sean!" Emma ran to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sean rubbed his forehead. "It was only a pillow. I'm just glad it wasn't a lamp or something you could've hurt me but you hit like a girl so it wouldn't have..OUCH!" Emma hit him the arm. What was that for?" Sean rubbed his arm.

"If I have to tell you you're a bigger jerk then I thought you were." Emma stomped up the stairs and almost bumped into Hazel and Paige.

"Hey," Hazel said watching Emma marching up the stairs. "What's with her?"

"I don't know but I swear I saw smoke shooting out of her ears." Paige giggled.

Hazel and Paige walked down the rest of the stair case and saw Sean folding a throw and carefully placing the pillows back on the love-seat.

"Ready to go." Hazel asked.

"Yeah just give me a second." Sean replied. "Why don't you two meet me outside."

Hazel and Paige shrugged before walking out the front door.

Sean could still hear Emma marching up the stairs until he heard a loud crash as a bedroom door slammed shut. He rubbed his arm and smiled that was one of the things he liked about Emma he never knew what she would do she was always so unpredictable and full of surprises he just hoped tonight he could be the one to surprise her.

Note: Everyone's getting angry that I haven't updated in a while but time's have been rough. It's hard to update like I planned with my now topsy-turvey schedule. I haven't suffered from block or anything it's just going to take longer then I thought two to three chapters will follow sometime this week all I ask for is you're patience. :)