Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
I half expected Angela to be sitting pretty on the couch, doing her nails and laughing me. Luckily, she wasn’t there.
Great. Maybe she’s already in her bedroom with Hunter and the banging and squealing is going to start any second again. I couldn’t deal. I grabbed my keys hanging from the front door hook.
“See ya, Ang,” I said as left the apartment, slamming the door behind me. I practically ran down the hall, trying to get away from the upcoming chorus of moans and groans.
But then, a sinking feeling came over me, and I paused at the elevator. I was forgetting something. No, it wasn’t forgetfulness. It was just the overwhelming realization that my life sucked, and that it would continue to suck until something changed. I resolved, then and there, that I was going to move out of this apartment. I wasn’t going to wait for Angela to graduate. I didn’t need to put up with a raucous cacophony all the time. I’m a grown woman, and I deserve to have a calm, serene place to live without my sister banging her boyfriend every other night.
“Fuck that,” I grumble, tugging the backpack further up my shoulder as the ding of the elevator chimes. I don’t usually swear, but the curse words definitely made me feel better.
I step into the small box and press the lobby button. As the doors close, so do my eyes.
“Please don’t let it be a bad day. Please,” I beg as the doors open. Bright sunlight greets me as I make my way through the lobby and to the front door of our apartment complex. Living off campus has its benefits, but unfortunately, our apartment is about 30 minutes away from Mesa. Why my sister chose this place, I have no idea.
Scanning right and left, I darted across the street and got in line for the bus. A light vibration jiggled my bag. Pulling the strap off my shoulder, I unzipped the first pocket. A smile played at the corner of my lips as I looked at the text message.
“Meet me at the front steps.”
Sighing, I slipped the phone back into my pocket. The message was from my bestie Corinne, and of course, she’ll have a load of gossip to share. Corinne is just like that. We’ve been best friends since meeting freshman year, and she’s always got her nose in everything.
I don’t want to tell her about Angela though. Corinne is steadfastly on my side, but just like everyone at Mesa, she regards Angela with a bit of awe.
“How much time does Angela spend getting ready in the mornings?” Corinne has asked while brushing her own blonde hair back. “Does she use any special products?”
Or, “Where does Angela like to hang out? Where does she buy her clothes? Does she shop on-line, or does she go into the store to try everything on?”
Just like everyone at school, Corinne is a bit infatuated with my glamorous, beautiful sister. Even when I tell her about Angela’s cellulite, or the not-so-nice parts of her personality, Corinne just brushes it off.
“Oh, everyone has cellulite,” she giggles. “I have some on my chin, see?”
Of course, my best friend doesn’t have cellulite on her chin. Corinne is tall, willowy, and very beautiful. But somehow, we’ve managed to stay friends all these years, and our friendship is real. I don’t know what I’d do without her.
The bus pulls up to the sidewalk with a hiss and I snap out of my reverie. Slowly, the other passengers board, but when I get onto the bus, everyone seemed to turn to glare at me. I can already tell this is going to be an awful day.
Self-consciously, I slip into the first seat I can, hoping to disappear. Normally, I sit in the back, but that isn’t going to happen today. I want their eyes off me, and as quickly as possible.
With my heart pounding and hands sweaty, I sit still in my seat until the bus starts moving. As the scenery rolls by, I notice the woman seated across the aisle staring at me with wide eyes. She looks really confused and cocks her head at me curiously. Tucking my hair behind my ear, I try to ignore her and stare out the window, wishing the bus could move just a bit faster.
Twenty-three agonizing minutes later, I find myself in front of the campus library. Turning around, I scan the area. Boys toss a football on the lawn as pretty girls lounge around in the shade of the mesquite trees. Every so often, a student passing by stops and stares at me with the most peculiar look. What the hell? This is like being in that nightmare where you show up at school, only to realize that everyone’s laughing at you because you’re naked.