UP IN SMOKE
MASSIE'S APARTMENT
6:03 AM
MARCH 7
Claire, through unspoken words, had decidedly slept over. It was a little awkward, almost, not having everyone else there. After all, Claire and Massie weren't generally the "sisterly" friends. However, it seemed right for Claire to stay.
Not much had happened. Massie had snapped back to zombie zone, her eyes unfocused, her thoughts years away. She was obviously thinking about Derrick. If she hadn't looked so helpless, Claire would have laughed. But mainly, she was a little scared. She had never seen Massie like this before. Maybe in the past she had for about a few minutes when she let her guard down, but never hours at a time. It was eerie.
So Claire and Massie had curled up on the couch, staring blankly at the TV. Massie never made a sound, except for a sigh when she had finally settled into sleep. Claire had just glanced at her, and back at the TV. She had a harder time sleeping.
So when Massie's cell went off early in the morning, Claire was forced angrily back to consciousness. She found herself lying on the floor, a few feet from the couch, with only a pillow and a small blanket.
Somehow, in the middle of the night, Massie had managed to take up the entire length of the couch, forcing Claire to move. Claire moaned and rolled over on the hard ground. Her back ached, and she was still exhausted from the lack of sleep. Thankfully, the phone stopped. Claire rolled onto her stomach, and tried to sleep.
Then, the phone rang again. Huffing, Claire pushed herself into a sitting position. She glanced over at the couch, but Massie was still fast asleep. Of course.
"Massie," Claire hissed, too lazy to move from her position. "MASSIE!"
But Massie did not stir. Claire let out a small UGH! and then heaved her pillow at Massie's head. It hit her hard, and then bounced the floor. Massie shot up, causing the chocolate and other remains of her sugar therapy to tumble to the floor.
"What…?" She said. Her eyes were hectic, there was a chocolate stain on her forehead, and her hair looked like she had been standing in a tornado. She was so out of it that for a moment Claire couldn't speak. Then she just jerked her finger to the phone that was ringing so loud it was shaking the coffee table.
Massie turned to the table, and considered it for a moment, as if confused. Then everything clicked. She blinked, and reached for her cell. She glanced at it, but she couldn't recognize the number. She flipped it open.
"Hello?" She said, hearing how raspy her voice was. Claire had stalked off towards the bathroom. Massie leaned back onto the couch, and settled into the pillows, closing her eyes.
"Hey, Massie," A man's voice said. Massie frowned. She had already started to doze off, and in her thick fog of fatigue she could not connect the voice with a face.
"Hmm?" She said, almost drifting off.
"Massie?" The voice said again.
"Yeah, Hi," Massie said, struggling to stay awake.
"Hi. This is... this is Derrick."
So sorry for the short chapter and the long time it took for an update, but I've decided to cut this chapter into two. Reviews welcomed.
-JacktheMonkey