Tossing the covers aside she hopped out of the bed and smoothed her hair down slightly, making her way to the bathroom and in and our of the shower quickly. She emerged from the bathroom fully clothed, her hair still dripping wet, and plopped herself down on the couch next to her friend. Daisy�s head rest on the side of the couch and her eyes were closed though Rose knew she was awake and waiting for her turn in the bathroom.
�What are your plans today?� Rose asked, her mood still heavy.
�Mmm,� Daisy answered.
Rose eyed her a little before asking again, �What are your plans today?�
�Books�� Daisy grumbled quietly without opening her eyes.
�Buying books. Anything else?� Rose urged.
Daisy shook her head without answering; smacking her lips together slightly to fight off the bad taste that Rose knew was resting in her mouth.
�Fine. I�ll wait for you then. I need to go to the bookstore too.� Rose waited for her friend to move, and when she didn�t she nudged her leg a little. �Well come on�I didn�t say I had all day.� Daisy opened one eye and peered at her friend. Seeing that Rose was serious, she scraped herself off the couch and flopped noisily to the bathroom, practically slamming the door once she was in. �Well someone�s crabby!� Rose called after her, still feeling a little crabby herself, though strangely comforted by Daisy�s sour mood. Misery loved company.
Less than a half an hour later, Daisy opened the bathroom door, steam billowing from the confines of the bathroom and sweeping through the living room. Rose lifted her eyes to her friend, her jaw dropping slightly. �Whoa, Dais, you alright?�
Daisy rolled her eyes. �Shut up, Ro. You�re not the ONLY one who can get ready quickly, you know.�
�Yeah? Then what has taken you two hours a day for the past twenty years?�
Daisy lifted her middle finger nonchalantly, and Rose immediately smirked and returned the sarcastic gesture.
�You want me to go take more time? Cause I could.�
�Uhhh NO. Just come on.� Rose lifted herself from the couch, stretching her arms above her head, her left hand quickly flying to pull the hem of her shirt back down over her slightly exposed tummy.
�Deal.� Daisy grabbed her sparkly pink purse off the floor by the couch, and flung it over her shoulder. The girls made their way down the hallway, and Daisy let out a tiny, excited squeal. �The elevators!� she pressed her French manicured fingernail against the �down� button, beaming as it lit up. Clapping softly as the doors opened with ease, the two of them stepped through, Rose allowing Daisy the privilege of pressing the button for the first floor. Moments later the girls found themselves in the front lobby, and as they stepped outside, Rose finally took a deep breath, letting the fresh air seep into her lungs, releasing it in one fowl swoosh.
Daisy lifted her eyebrow and glanced at Rose as they began walking across campus, their feet scraping quietly against the pavement with each step. �Stuff on your mind, Love Bird?� she inquired. Rose shot her a disgusted glance, not even honoring her with a response. �Alright, alright,� Daisy caved. �Seriously, though. What�s with you? You�re all colors of crabby this morning.�
Rose shrugged, pulling her hair back on top of her head and fastening it with a hair tie. �Didn�t sleep much, I guess��
��why not?�
Rose�s sideways glance was answered with a curious look from Daisy. Shrugging again, Rose answered. �Promise not to flip out and act stupid?�
�No�� Daisy answered sincerely after a small pause.
Making the decision to talk anyway, Rose sighed. �Joel. And that song he showed me. I haven�t had a melody in my head in so long�� her voice trailed off, letting a momentary silence fall between them.
Resisting the urge to squeal with cheesy excitement, Daisy�s voice rose in pitch as she said, �RO! That�s GOOD news!! You should be GRINNING right now!!�
Rose ignored her friend�s excitement and quickened her pace, crossing her arms over her chest uncomfortably as they continued on. Shrugging slightly she said, �It annoys me. I should come up with melodies for my OWN lyrics, Dais, not someone else�s. That�s not the way it should work,� she huffs.
Daisy could not quite hide the obnoxious smirk that was forming on her lips. �You�re just pissed because he has so much of an affect on you.�
Rose shot her a glance, not saying anything for a few long moments. Allowing a small sigh to escape her lips, she confirmed Daisy�s accusation without saying it, and the two continued on in silence for a few minutes, Rose�s mind wandering here and there. Daisy absently twirled her hair around her forefinger, humming quietly to herself. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, turning abruptly towards Rose. Stopping slightly in front of Daisy, Rose threw her a puzzled look over her shoulder, �What?�
Furrowing her eyebrows, Daisy chewed her bottom lip softly. �Did you lock the door�?�
Rose lifted an eyebrow, a blank stare fluttering across her features as she thought it over. �Uhh�I don�t exactly remember�� her voice trailed off and her gaze wandered back towards the path they had just traveled, her stomach sinking at the thought of walking all the way back. �Maaaan,� she groaned after a moment. �C�mon, let�s walk back.�
Daisy shuffled reluctantly after her before exclaiming, �Oh! Rose, do you have your cell phone?� Rose nodded, her hand slipping into her pocket and closing around the cool plastic of the cell phone. �Good, then just call Joel or Benji and have them go check on it for us.�
Rose wrinkled her nose. �No way.�
��why not? Would you rather walk all the way back?�
�No�but what are they gonna do if it is unlocked? It�s not like they have a key to lock it up. We�ll have to go back anyway.�
Daisy stared at her friend. �Ro. If we call, and find it locked, then we won�t have to go back AT ALL. Get it? Instead of walking all the way over there to find it locked anyway?� she spoke slowly.
Rose clenched her jaw, fully aware that her friend was right she thrust her phone towards Daisy. �Fine. But you call. I�m not going to.� Daisy rolled her eyes and scrolled down to the apartment complex�s number, quickly getting patched through to room 417.
�Wuhh?� Benji lifted his chin from his chest, his head weighing a ton, as he heard the shrill ringing of the telephone erupting in the silence of the apartment. Squeezing his eyes closed he resisted the sunlight seeping through the curtains, his mind rejecting the notion of answering the telephone. After the third ring, he finally grasped the concept, fumbling violently with the receiver before mumbling, �Hullo?�
�Hi!� Daisy exclaimed cheerfully into her end, clicking her gum. �It�s Daisy. Is this Joel?�
A sour look consumed Benji�s features and he grumbled in sharp annoyance, �No.�
Daisy paused, sensing the irritation in his voice, �Oh�.hi Benji. Uh�is Joel there?� she made a wounded face at Rose, who rolled her eyes in response.
�Hang on.� Benji dropped the phone to the couch, standing on wobbly legs, his vision blurring momentarily with his hangover. Silently, he made his way to the bathroom and proceeded to relieve himself. Hearing the toilet flush, Daisy shot a now impatient Rose a confused glance. Flopping heavily back onto the couch, Benji picks the receiver back up and mutters, �No.�
�Oh. Um�well. Could you maybe do Rose and I a small favor?� she winces, predicting his answer.
�What?� he inquires, his tone flat.
�Well,� Daisy says in a small voice, �we�re on our way to the bookstore and we�re almost there and we can�t remember if we locked our door�would it be too much trouble for you to go check it and let us know if we need to come back and lock it?�
Benji brought his fingers to his eyelids, trying to rub away both the sleep in them and pain behind them. After a long pause he murmured, �Sure.�
Realizing she had been holding her breath, Daisy sighed. �Thank you so much, Benj. Do you want me to call you back?�
�Yeah. Give me ten.�
�Okay, I�ll call you then. Thanks!� she exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch slightly as she flipped Rose�s phone closed with a satisfied smile.
�No shit. The crabby twin is actually going to be of some use.� Rose slid her hands into her pockets, chewing her bottom lip. Giving in, she finally asked, attempting to sound nonchalant, �Did he say where Joel was?�
Daisy shook her head with a smile, letting Rose off the hook. �He sure didn�t. But I could ask him when we call him back, if you want.�
�No. I don�t really care,� Rose noted with a small scowl.
Meanwhile, Benji regained his composure and once again forced himself up from the couch, grabbing his keys off the table near the doorway and slipping into the hallway. Turning to lock his own door, he saw that Joel had left a note on the dry erase board. �Went to buy books. Try to do something productive while I�m gone. Like clean. �Joel�
Chapter 3, Part 3 | More to come soon...