As Andy began to wake from her deep slumber, she heard two feminine voices chatting quietly in the corner of the screened in porch. She instantly knew one of the voices to belong to a very talkative Lizzy. The other was not nearly as familiar. In fact, Andy didn't recognize this voice at all.
Growing more and more awake by the minute, Andy decided that she didn't like the idea of some strange person watching her sleep, most likely with tear stained cheeks. Andy groaned as she sat up, realizing that the all too familiar headache that had haunted her during the past week had decided to give an encore performance. She massaged her temples and yawned as she fought to open her eyes against the bright light shining directly towards them.
At this movement from the other side of the room, Lizzy immediately rushed to the chaise lounge where Andy had been sleeping. She sat beside her friend and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Rise and shine, An. How are you feeling?"
Andy groaned again at Lizzy's cheerful tone. "I think that's pretty obvious, Lizzy. I have one hell of a headache. Would you be a sweetheart, and get me some aspirin? Please?"
"Sure thing. Some aspirin and a glass of water coming right up."
Lizzy started to leave the room, when she remembered the quiet girl in the corner. "Oh! I almost forgot! Andy, this is my roommate, Sara. Sara, Andy. I'll be back faster than you can sing the Fraggle Rock theme song."
Andy shook her head at how much the same girl that Lizzy was. She'd even used that dumb expression that they'd used as children, when Fraggle Rock had been their all-time favorite show. Not that she was dissing Fraggle Rock or anything. She still loved it and even owned a T-shirt with the infamous Wembly adorning the front. Lizzy had a similar one, but with the rather loud Red across hers.
Andy laughed slightly. "That Lizzy. She's still the same girl she's always been. Crazy, but I love her just the same."
"That I can relate to. Lizzy is definitely one of a kind. I don't know how we ever became friends. Oh, wait a minute. Yes, I do. She saw me sitting alone one day and vowed to become my friend. When that girl sets her mind to something, she really follows through. I tried to get away, but it was hopeless."
"I HEARD THAT, SARA MARGARET MATTHEWS!" was heard radiating from the general direction of the kitchen.
Andy laughed at this completely Lizzy behavior. She then realized that she had barely acknowledged Sara's presence yet. Andy smiled at the soft-spoken brunette beside her. "This isn't exactly the first impression I like to make. Sorry for my unexpected arrival and for being so rude. It really is nice to meet you. Any friend of Lizzy's can't be all bad."
Sara grinned. "That goes for you, too. And there's no need to apologize. Lizzy explained your situation, as much as she knows, at least. We have an extra room here, if you'd like to join the chaos. I'm sure Lizzy was going to offer, but I thought maybe this way, you wouldn't feel like an inconvenience to me. Anyone is mild compared to Lizzy, but I'm sure you already know that much. "
Andy was taken aback by the sincerity and genuine kindness of this girl. She had just met Sara moments ago, and already Sara was opening her home to this girl, a mere friend of her roommate. "I know Lizzy all too well. I would love to move in here, Sara. To tell you the truth, I really didn't have many plans for once I got here. I can already tell that we're going to get along really well. We can join forces against the ever-hyper Lizzy."
Just then, Lizzy returned with Andy's drugs and a tall glass of ice water. "Oh, really? Joining forces against me? Hmpf...well, I can take the two of you down all by myself. Alliances are for the weak. Elizabeth the Beautiful is anything but weak."
The two girls on the couch doubled over in laughter at the mock arrogance of their friend. Andy managed to choke down the aspirin between laughs before Lizzy could take them away. Sara held back laughter to utter with a straight face, "Elizabeth the Beautiful, huh? That's really inspiring, but the title doesn't quite fit you. It doesn't have the right effect. I think Lizzy the Loudmouth would be more appropriate."
The look of shock on Lizzy's face sent the other two into a second round of giggles. Meanwhile, Lizzy was plotting her revenge. She grabbed the largest pillow in sight and approached her friends slowly, pillow tucked behind her.
"Hey, Smart Ass Sara and Andrea the Annoying. I have one thing to say to you and one thing only. Payback's a bitch."
With that, Lizzy began to whack the girls repeatedly with the pillow until they finally were able to snatch some of their own. Soon, a full-fledged pillow war was in action, feathers flying everywhere and furniture overturned. Sara and Andy soon forgot their alliance and began attacking each other as well as Lizzy.
After nearly fifteen minutes of hard core battle, the three girls collapsed on the living room floor in a heap of arms, legs and various other parts. The fight had been mobile and had moved from the deck to the kitchen and across the entire ground floor. All in all, the house was a wreck. Lizzy groaned at the vast amounts of feathers and various clutter surrounding them. "Guess we're gonna hafta clean this all up."
Andy quickly spoke up. "Well, you did start it, Lizzy, and I'm still recovering from the emotional trauma of earlier. I nominate Lizzy to clean up. Who seconds it?"
Before Sara could second the motion, Lizzy smacked them both upside the head, and replied, "Get your sorry butts off the ground and start cleaning."
"Yes'm, Lizzy the Loudmouth, SIR." The sounds of a grumbling Lizzy and the laughter of the others echoed throughout the house, as the trio began the clean up.
Several hours and a lot of hard labor later, the three roommates had managed to both clean up the mess and move the contents of the U-Haul into the former guestroom. They were now in the process of de-guestroom-izing the room that Andy would now call her own.
The bedroom furniture that Andy had brought replaced the musty couch and the old rocker. Two antique dressers stood against one wall, a desk was placed underneath one window, and the other window was transformed into a cushioned
window seat. The bed sheets were changed, the floor vacuumed, curtains hung.
Lizzy looked around the room. "We need to go shopping tomorrow or the next day. This room needs something to brighten it up, maybe some framed pictures and a clock or something. Sound good?"
Sara nodded and Andy glanced around in thought. "This room will be perfect by the time we're finished with it. You guys rock. Thank you so much for everything."
"Awwww...group hug!"
Sara and Andy took Lizzy's advice and the three gathered in the middle of the room, Andy's room. They sat on the floor, surveying their work. Andy sighed with content. "You know, I better start looking for some kind of work. I graduated college in May. I should start looking for a teaching job, I guess, but truthfully, I'm not really looking forward to it all that
much. Maybe I'll just get a summer job or something, until I figure out what I'm looking for. I may decide to go back to school, if teaching doesn't start to get more exciting..."
Sara smiled reassuringly. "You'll find something that appeals to you, Andy. Don't worry about it. It might be good to rest for awhile before you start to work full time."
Lizzy chimed in. "Yeah, An. Anyone who wouldn't want you working for them is a fool. Maybe you could just work at a daycare this summer or something to get you back in the swing of things. There are a couple of daycares really close to here. I'm sure you could find something. Plus, you know that you're grandparents would be glad to help you out financially until you're in a stable job."
Andy knew her grandparents would be willing to help her out. They had been so supportive of her ever since she had moved in with them at age sixteen. Her mother's parents had understood her need to leave that house, her father. She only wished that Chase could have come with her. Her baby brother, Chase. Well he was hardly a baby anymore, but just the same, he was her baby brother. Andy had hated leaving Chase with that abusive alcoholic, the man she hated to call her father. The worst part was that she hadn't been able to protect him since she'd moved out, and also the fact that she hadn't even spoken to him in months. Shaking her head, Andy brought herself back from the past. Now it was time to be adult and time to make her grandparents proud. She needed to stand on her own two feet, and be independent for once.
She finally responded to Lizzy's comment. "I know they'd help, Liz, I know. It's just that they've done so much for me already. I don't want them to have to support me even longer than they already have."
Sara glanced up and grinned. "What do you say we forget about all of this until morning and get ourselves some ice cream. We can veg out and watch old movies."
The other two quickly agreed, and the plans for the night were set. A girls' night in was just what they needed.
HOME