K
KattDclaw
Guest
Esther Fisher stared at herself in wide eyed wonder. Her gaze lingered intently upon her reflect in the hand mirror she held before herself, though she was preoccupied with her hair. She sat in a barber chair at her favorite salon, a large apron draped over her to keep from getting hair all over her clothes. It certainly was needed today, since most of that mane was currently surrounding her on the tiled floor in large clumps. Once her hair had been exceptionally long, well past her shoulder blades, though more often than not she wore it up in a braid or a bun. Finally though she had bit the bullet and impulsively cut it all off, something that had both terrified and exhilarated her. Tess, as she liked to be called, wasn't the impulsive type, something that her current roommate was very happy to point out. She was still in her early twenties but had the schedule of a sixty year old married woman. Life revolved around a set schedule, very rarely did things deviate without precise planning and thought. Yet this had been a very spur of the moment kind of thing, even if Tess had thought about it for months.
“What do you think?” Her stylish asked as she brushed off the remaining hair from Tess' shoulders. Still the girl gawked at herself, her brown eyes wide, like a deer caught in headlights. It wasn't until she felt the brush against the back of her neck that she jolted back to reality. The sensation tickled, something she hadn't experienced in, well, ever! Unconsciously she reached for the back of her neck, brushing her fingers against the soft skin before slipping into that short, coal black mane. It was a radical change from her previous look, from long and fastidious to short and wild. Her bangs were long and swept to the right, reaching almost to her chin. The rest gradually shortened till it was almost a burr at the back of her neck. Tess felt her heart racing within her breast as she looked over herself once more, habitually worrying her bottom lip.
“Well?” She was prompted again by the girl, who's hair was a bright and unnatural red. Finally Tess looked up at her and offered a shy, almost sheepish smile. She felt a certain guilt in the pleasure she got from looking at it, since everyone always said she had such lovely hair, especially her parents. But there was no denying the joy behind those brown eyes or the smile that tugged at her plush lips. The stylish flashed a grin at the sight, Tess really didn't need to say it, her expression said it all for her.
“Here. Lemme show you how to brush it so you look super hot.”
Tess left the salon with a soaring heart and a light step. It had been a most glorious day indeed, Tess couldn't think of one thing that could ruin it, not as she felt the wind caress her neck in a way it rarely ever did. Her smile was bright and infectious, adding to the angelic quality of her already considerable attractiveness. Standing at five foot two inches tall, Tess was a tiny, delicate little thing. Her frame was slender yet shapely, with wide shapely 'child bearing' hips and a modest bustline. All in all she was quite the looker, though it was rare that anyone caught a glimpse of her hourglass figure. While not as conservative as some of the flock, Tess' style was considerably down key. She wasn't stuck in the dark ages though, none of those horrible, flat skirts and blouses, no, she was a modern day christian woman, it didn't mean she couldn't have some fashion sense. She wore a pair of jeans, fashionably faded right off the shelf, and a baggy T-shirt that read God First Bro.
Over that she wore a baggy hoodie that shielded her from the cool weather and more importantly the impure eyes of her peers. She was at that age when certain questions began to rise up from within, though Tess had no one to turn to for answers. She had been raised right though so that was all they were, just thoughts. She tried to banish them, any little notion of doubt was pure and simple blasphemy; or so she thought.
Funny how life can change though. All it took was a haircut.
Tess retrieved her phone from her pocket as she walked and checked her messages, finding several texts waiting. She answered them as she walked, some from her family and others from her church. It had been a rather productive day so far, Church in the early morning and then lunch with her parents, after which she had decided to get her hair cut and later Tess had planned a bible study group at her apartment. She was reminded of that fact as she shot off a few text reminders, before her thumb wavered over the photo gallery icon. She pressed it and brought up the list of pictures she had taken, finding the most recent ones consisting of a certain person. Tess brought up the first picture and closely examined it. The person in the picture was a pretty girl about the same age as Tess, though that was where the similarities ended. Her hair was a bright and loud neon teal, short and wild, very reminiscent of Tess' current style. She wore a sinner's smile upon her angelic features, a mixture that intrigued and worried Tess. It was hard to see the woman's eyes in the picture, since they were scrunched up but Tess knew they were an intense olive green, shining with passion and if she was right, a little insanity.
The woman was her roommate, a one Sidney Gunn, or Sid as she was called by everyone. How the two had become roommates was straight out of the script of a lackluster sitcom. Sid had been looking for someone to share a rather nice apartment with and Tess just happened to be looking for a reasonably priced place where she could branch out on her own. The two were night and day, that much was obvious from the start. Sid was a blasphemous deviant, given to excessive drinking and drug usage, while Tess had only taken a puff from a cigarette once on a dare (she was sick the rest of the day). Where Tess was pious and regularly communed with God, Sid couldn't have cared less about anything to do with religion or Jesus. She actively tried to infuriate Tess at times too, while Sid never said she was an Atheist or anything else, she still constantly badgered Tess on the existence of the Lord. It was a battle that neither side could really win, though Sid more often than not came out on top. It took Tess quite some time to realize that Sid actually enjoyed provoking her, watching the typically calm and collected young woman fly into a fury only made her grin all the more. She was sure there was something mentally wrong with the woman, or perhaps she was possessed by a demon. No, she didn't display any signs of possession, not that Tess really knew what they were. Sid was just a bad, horrible person that was going straight to hell when she died.
So why was Tess still staring at her picture? And why for that matter had she shown the very same picture to her stylist and told her she wanted the same hairstyle? The question was as troubling as the possibility of the answers. Instead of giving them any weight thought Tess simply pocketed her phone and did what she did best; she just ignored it.
The walk home was refreshing and by the time she made it there and unlocked the door Tess had all but forgotten about the troubling questions that had plagued her. The pleasant mood was short lived though as she passed the threshold of their abode and was instantly hit in the face by a most atrocious scent. She outwardly flinched and gasped as it assaulted her senses, forcing her to muffle it behind the sleeve of her hoodie. At first she thought it belonged to a dead body, though after a few breathes Tess came to realize the stench. It was, unfortunately, one she was very accustomed to by now. The scent was a mixture of many things, alcohol, cigarette smoke and most of all marijuana. Her roommate was a prolific smoker, something that made Tess' stomach turn. She openly smoked in the house, much to Tess' chagrin. After a lengthy battle Tess managed to get Sid to keep it confined to her bedroom at least, though it seemed the night's events spilled out into the living room. Tess had woken early in the morning for Church and found Sid still awake on the couch, bleary eyed and tweaking on over-caffeinated beverages. She had pulled another all nighter of gaming, something that Tess simply completely comprehend. Just to watch Sid play those games gave her a headache, and she really didn't want to know what teabagging a noob meant.
Still, it hadn't been this bad when she left, how on Earth could Sid ruin the entire apartment in the time span of four or five hours? Cautiously Tess made her way down the hallway, still not completely sure Sid or someone else wasn't dead, and finally emerged in the living room. It split the apartment in two, with the kitchen in the back and Sid and Tess' apartments on either side. The bathroom happened to be closer to Sid's room, which Tess felt was a boon, especially after one of Sid's nights of heavy drinking. Tess slowly glanced about, finding the living room bathed in darkness save for the blue glow from the flatscreen TV against the far wall. There was no movement, not from the TV or the couch where she had last seen Sid. She kept her pace slow as she approached it, circling it around the left and taking in the sight before her.
To her surprise, though it really shouldn't have been, she found Sid passed out in a very un-womanly pose. It almost looked like she had passed out mid-game, since the controller she had been clutching previously was sitting in the space between her spread eagle thighs. She wore little clothing but a over-sized T-shirt with a satanic band logo across the front. Tess gasped and flushed at the sight of Sid hanging out for everyone to see. She turned from the scene, shielding her eyes as she called out, “Sid!”
The teal haired woman didn't move an inch. She was sprawled back against the couch with her head cocked to the right against her shoulder, her lips parted and a hint of a trickle of drool dribbling from the corner of her mouth. All about her were empty wrappers from Taco Bell and energy drink cans, an ashtray on the coffee table was piled high with cigarette butts and no doubt more, the black ash was simply everywhere! But what drew Tess' attention the most was the large black bottle that sat on its side near the edge of the table, stopped from tumbling to the floor by a plastic lighter. Nearby was a red plastic cup, still partially filled with a curious substance. As Tess approached the smell grew, while she had no idea what it was she was pretty sure it was some type of hard liquor.
“Oh Jesus,” Tess muttered to herself as she tip-toed through the mess. She bent at the waist and picked up the bottle, not knowing if it still had anything inside. She hefted it up only to find it completely empty, much to her surprise. She turned it in her grasp to regard the label, a cartoon pirate in a purple coat grinned up at her and the words above it read: Big Black Dick Rum. She nearly dropped the bottle, the surprise on her face evident to no one in particular. Why did everything have to be so vulgar with Sid? With a contemptuous sigh she set the bottle down on the coffee table and started to pick up crumbled wrappers and cigarette butts.
“Sid,” Tess began as she leaned up, peering at the still unconscious girl. She hadn't moved one bit, though there was certainly more drool. Tess huffed and thumped the bottle loudly on the table, crunched a few wrappers in her hand and cleared her throat loudly.
Absolutely nothing.
Her face slowly contorted in a disapproving scowl, her bangs fell across her face from the activity and she was constantly pushing them back in annoyance. Stupid hair, how did Sid deal with it always getting in her face? She waited impatiently for some kind of reaction for the teal haired girl, though she heard nothing but a garbled snore. It was all too much for Tess, who’s mind was racing with the ideas of what was going to have to be cleaned and perhaps sterilized before her friends would even think of stepping foot in here.
“Sidney Gunn!” Tess finally lost it and let her temper get the better of her. She nearly shouted her roommate’s, much like an angry Mother calling out their child by their full name. Perhaps it was that, or the volume of her voice that finally did it. Sid gave a twitch, something like a full body spasm and a sharp snort before snapping up straight into a sitting position.
“You ninja lootin’ motherfucker!” Sid snapped, her olive gaze flaring open as she hit the brick wall of reality with all the intensity of a freight train. All too quickly Sid was awake and the pain of a thousand anguished souls filled her at once. They screamed and howled inside her mind, tearing at the space behind her eyes with Ghost-Touched daggers. Only after a second of staring straight ahead dumbfounded Sid doubled over from the pain in her head. Her hands clawed at her face, trying to keep the hurtful dim light from invading her retinas. She let out an tormented groan and fought off a bout of nausea to the tune of a disgusted huff from her nearby roommate.
“What. The. Actual. Fuck. Tess!” Sid growled, her voice low and dangerous and husky. Tess straightened her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips, glaring down at the partially dressed girl in obvious distress. No doubt she was suffering from the effects of a hangover, or at least slight alcohol poisoning (was slight alcohol poisoning even a thing?). She let Sid’s words hang in the air for a few moments before she answered.
“What in God’s name did you do?” She demanded, a hard edge to her voice that she knew Sid hated. She often referred to her as her ‘Momma’, mostly along with the words ‘you ain’t my’.
“What the fuck are you babbling about? I was fuckin’ sleepin’ you twat!” Sid groaned, slowly rising as she peered up at Tess through squinted eyes. She managed to tolerate the light, as dim as it was, though it did nothing to abate the pain that jolted through her like lightning every few moments. She reached for the nearby blanket, tugging it up and around her, throwing it over her head so she huddled in it for warmth and to block out the light just a bit more. The movement of the blanket shook a few more items loose, another empty can, a wrapper with a half-eaten supreme taco, and another bottle. Tess let out an incredulous gasp of laughter at the sight, needlessly pointing at the bottle.
“Two? Two bottles of booze? Are you trying to kill yourself, Sid? What on Earth made you do such horrible things to your own body?”
“Payday,” Sid muttered, glancing towards the newly found contents. She leaned over herself and picked up the taco, brought it to her nose for a sniff and then took a bite out of it. “Mmm. Still kinda crunchy.”
Tess felt a wave of nausea over take her at the sight, her right hand dramatically rising to her mouth. “I think that was a soft taco.”
“Hmmhm,” Sid murmured in contemplation, her gaze lingering on the taco briefly before she shrugged and took another bite. “Still good. You want some? I might have a burrito somewhere here. Just give the blanket a few good shakes.”
“That’s not funny, Sid!” Tess bellowed, pointing at the amassed pile of trash. “You ruined the living room. You promised me you wouldn’t smoke anywhere but your bedroom! I have guests coming over later for Bible Study. What do you think they’ll say when they see this?”
“It was pretty funny. And they’ll probably say daaaayum girl. Who’s that hottie over there?” Sid muttered between bites of ground beef and sour cream. She paused briefly to point at herself. “The hottie there was me. Cuz I’m hawt.”
Tess twitched, feeling herself split down the middle. At once she wanted to throw something at Sid and laugh at her. She was ridiculous and self-serving, but she had to admit she was funny. But Tess couldn’t let Sid win this one with a stupid joke. Instead she stomped a foot and snorted derisively.
“Not at all. You look like someone hit you with….a shit stick!” Tess struggled for an insult and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Sid blinked, glanced back up at Tess and gave an approving nod.
“Not bad, Ms. Priss.” She commented and finished the taco. She crumpled the wrapper and tossed it aside, ignoring the gasp and finger Tess pointed at it as she did.
“Sid!”
“Fuckin’, wat!” Sid growled, finally growing tired of the bickering. She turned to the couch and bundled the covers about herself more, flopping down on it and curling into a ball.
“I need you to clean this place up, right now!” Tess demanded and stood there expectantly. Sid grumbled lowly before she lifted her head and said, “Go fuck yourself.” And promptly buried herself back into the covers.
Tess felt a hot flush of anger rise to her cheeks. This was ridiculous, her roommate was nothing more than a spoiled child! In a blind fit of anger Tess leapt at Sid, grasped the cover and yanked it from her. Sid didn’t have as good a hold as she thought, and with nothing to cover herself with she buried her face into her arms. Tess wasn’t done, no, she tossed the cover aside and hurried to the windows, where she promptly threw back the shades one by one, bathing the room in the blinding light of the mid-day sun.
Sid howled in agony, as if she were a vampire stepping into the burning radiance of the sun. She clawed at her head, her hair, anything to block it out but she didn’t have anything to combat it.
“Gahn! You fuckin’ cunt!” She roared, though she was pretty much defenseless at the moment. Tess stood near the window and gloated in her triumph. She watched Sid spasm about like a junkie detoxing, it felt good to have one up on Sid even if she had to stoop to her level.
“It sure is a lovely day out today. Perfect day for cleaning and contemplating life choices,” Tess said and hummed a soft prayer. Sid screamed, bolted up from the couch and looked about like a blinded, wild beast.
“Imma gonna shit on yer fuckin’ Bible next time I see it! You hear me you bible thumpin’ cock sucker?!” Sid threatened without pause. There was no sarcastic edge to her words, no, Sid was truly and honestly pissed. Tess felt for a moment she had pushed the girl too far, a guilty tingle in her stomach caused her to take a step back. Sid lunged at her, in her direction at least, as she was standing on her side of the apartment. There was nothing but death in those olive eyes as she stalked closer, though Sid did nothing but bark, no bite, before she threw open her bedroom door and disappeared within.
“Sid!” Tess began, though she was cut off by the thunderous boom of the door slamming closed, promptly followed by a boisterous, “Fuck you!”
Tess stood there dumbfounded for a brief moment, her hands clutched together before her as she began to doubt herself. She really hadn’t handled the situation well at all, anger wasn’t the way, especially not with Sid. She should have tried to reason with her better instead of throwing accusations. She debated on knocking and trying to apologize, though before she could even finish her inner debate the door threw itself open once more, nearly smashing her in the face. Sid emerged in an obviously thrown together wardrobe, Tess couldn’t help but notice her shirt was on backwards and inside out. The glare on Sid’s typically pretty face was partially concealed under a baseball cap and the cowl of her hoodie.
“Sid. Please…I want to-“ Tess began, still partially in shock from almost getting hit in the face. Yet Sid didn’t stop, she stomped away in heavy boots and snatched up her keychain from the wall near the door.
“Wait! Where are you going!? The mess!” Tess took several steps towards the door, as if she could stop Sid from doing what she was obviously going to do. Sid snarled, like an angry dog, and flipped her the bird before she stormed out and slammed the door behind her, knocking something off a table or the wall in the process. Tess stood there near the hallway for several minutes as she absorbed the moment fully. She worried her bottom lip before letting out a heavy sigh.
“Well. Shit.”
Sid blindly drove her beat up Oldsmobile across the city to the only place she could think of: The Lion’s Den. Alright, it wasn’t called that, but it was Leo’s place and it was just funny. At least to her. He was a dude she had hooked up with in the past and found herself spending more and more time with. Tess was really becoming a hassle and Sid wasn’t rightly sure what she could do about it. So Sid did what Sid Gunn did best.
She ran!
It didn’t take very long to get there. Sid stumbled out, bundled up in her hoodie and baggy jeans. She shuffled like one of the walking dead towards the door and pressed the buzzer. Then she pressed it again, and again, and again, and kept doing it till someone answered the door.
“Hurry up! I need a place to crash…er…and maybe a bucket to barf in!” She called out through the door, giving the doorbell a few more quick presses.
“What do you think?” Her stylish asked as she brushed off the remaining hair from Tess' shoulders. Still the girl gawked at herself, her brown eyes wide, like a deer caught in headlights. It wasn't until she felt the brush against the back of her neck that she jolted back to reality. The sensation tickled, something she hadn't experienced in, well, ever! Unconsciously she reached for the back of her neck, brushing her fingers against the soft skin before slipping into that short, coal black mane. It was a radical change from her previous look, from long and fastidious to short and wild. Her bangs were long and swept to the right, reaching almost to her chin. The rest gradually shortened till it was almost a burr at the back of her neck. Tess felt her heart racing within her breast as she looked over herself once more, habitually worrying her bottom lip.
“Well?” She was prompted again by the girl, who's hair was a bright and unnatural red. Finally Tess looked up at her and offered a shy, almost sheepish smile. She felt a certain guilt in the pleasure she got from looking at it, since everyone always said she had such lovely hair, especially her parents. But there was no denying the joy behind those brown eyes or the smile that tugged at her plush lips. The stylish flashed a grin at the sight, Tess really didn't need to say it, her expression said it all for her.
“Here. Lemme show you how to brush it so you look super hot.”
Tess left the salon with a soaring heart and a light step. It had been a most glorious day indeed, Tess couldn't think of one thing that could ruin it, not as she felt the wind caress her neck in a way it rarely ever did. Her smile was bright and infectious, adding to the angelic quality of her already considerable attractiveness. Standing at five foot two inches tall, Tess was a tiny, delicate little thing. Her frame was slender yet shapely, with wide shapely 'child bearing' hips and a modest bustline. All in all she was quite the looker, though it was rare that anyone caught a glimpse of her hourglass figure. While not as conservative as some of the flock, Tess' style was considerably down key. She wasn't stuck in the dark ages though, none of those horrible, flat skirts and blouses, no, she was a modern day christian woman, it didn't mean she couldn't have some fashion sense. She wore a pair of jeans, fashionably faded right off the shelf, and a baggy T-shirt that read God First Bro.
Over that she wore a baggy hoodie that shielded her from the cool weather and more importantly the impure eyes of her peers. She was at that age when certain questions began to rise up from within, though Tess had no one to turn to for answers. She had been raised right though so that was all they were, just thoughts. She tried to banish them, any little notion of doubt was pure and simple blasphemy; or so she thought.
Funny how life can change though. All it took was a haircut.
Tess retrieved her phone from her pocket as she walked and checked her messages, finding several texts waiting. She answered them as she walked, some from her family and others from her church. It had been a rather productive day so far, Church in the early morning and then lunch with her parents, after which she had decided to get her hair cut and later Tess had planned a bible study group at her apartment. She was reminded of that fact as she shot off a few text reminders, before her thumb wavered over the photo gallery icon. She pressed it and brought up the list of pictures she had taken, finding the most recent ones consisting of a certain person. Tess brought up the first picture and closely examined it. The person in the picture was a pretty girl about the same age as Tess, though that was where the similarities ended. Her hair was a bright and loud neon teal, short and wild, very reminiscent of Tess' current style. She wore a sinner's smile upon her angelic features, a mixture that intrigued and worried Tess. It was hard to see the woman's eyes in the picture, since they were scrunched up but Tess knew they were an intense olive green, shining with passion and if she was right, a little insanity.
The woman was her roommate, a one Sidney Gunn, or Sid as she was called by everyone. How the two had become roommates was straight out of the script of a lackluster sitcom. Sid had been looking for someone to share a rather nice apartment with and Tess just happened to be looking for a reasonably priced place where she could branch out on her own. The two were night and day, that much was obvious from the start. Sid was a blasphemous deviant, given to excessive drinking and drug usage, while Tess had only taken a puff from a cigarette once on a dare (she was sick the rest of the day). Where Tess was pious and regularly communed with God, Sid couldn't have cared less about anything to do with religion or Jesus. She actively tried to infuriate Tess at times too, while Sid never said she was an Atheist or anything else, she still constantly badgered Tess on the existence of the Lord. It was a battle that neither side could really win, though Sid more often than not came out on top. It took Tess quite some time to realize that Sid actually enjoyed provoking her, watching the typically calm and collected young woman fly into a fury only made her grin all the more. She was sure there was something mentally wrong with the woman, or perhaps she was possessed by a demon. No, she didn't display any signs of possession, not that Tess really knew what they were. Sid was just a bad, horrible person that was going straight to hell when she died.
So why was Tess still staring at her picture? And why for that matter had she shown the very same picture to her stylist and told her she wanted the same hairstyle? The question was as troubling as the possibility of the answers. Instead of giving them any weight thought Tess simply pocketed her phone and did what she did best; she just ignored it.
The walk home was refreshing and by the time she made it there and unlocked the door Tess had all but forgotten about the troubling questions that had plagued her. The pleasant mood was short lived though as she passed the threshold of their abode and was instantly hit in the face by a most atrocious scent. She outwardly flinched and gasped as it assaulted her senses, forcing her to muffle it behind the sleeve of her hoodie. At first she thought it belonged to a dead body, though after a few breathes Tess came to realize the stench. It was, unfortunately, one she was very accustomed to by now. The scent was a mixture of many things, alcohol, cigarette smoke and most of all marijuana. Her roommate was a prolific smoker, something that made Tess' stomach turn. She openly smoked in the house, much to Tess' chagrin. After a lengthy battle Tess managed to get Sid to keep it confined to her bedroom at least, though it seemed the night's events spilled out into the living room. Tess had woken early in the morning for Church and found Sid still awake on the couch, bleary eyed and tweaking on over-caffeinated beverages. She had pulled another all nighter of gaming, something that Tess simply completely comprehend. Just to watch Sid play those games gave her a headache, and she really didn't want to know what teabagging a noob meant.
Still, it hadn't been this bad when she left, how on Earth could Sid ruin the entire apartment in the time span of four or five hours? Cautiously Tess made her way down the hallway, still not completely sure Sid or someone else wasn't dead, and finally emerged in the living room. It split the apartment in two, with the kitchen in the back and Sid and Tess' apartments on either side. The bathroom happened to be closer to Sid's room, which Tess felt was a boon, especially after one of Sid's nights of heavy drinking. Tess slowly glanced about, finding the living room bathed in darkness save for the blue glow from the flatscreen TV against the far wall. There was no movement, not from the TV or the couch where she had last seen Sid. She kept her pace slow as she approached it, circling it around the left and taking in the sight before her.
To her surprise, though it really shouldn't have been, she found Sid passed out in a very un-womanly pose. It almost looked like she had passed out mid-game, since the controller she had been clutching previously was sitting in the space between her spread eagle thighs. She wore little clothing but a over-sized T-shirt with a satanic band logo across the front. Tess gasped and flushed at the sight of Sid hanging out for everyone to see. She turned from the scene, shielding her eyes as she called out, “Sid!”
The teal haired woman didn't move an inch. She was sprawled back against the couch with her head cocked to the right against her shoulder, her lips parted and a hint of a trickle of drool dribbling from the corner of her mouth. All about her were empty wrappers from Taco Bell and energy drink cans, an ashtray on the coffee table was piled high with cigarette butts and no doubt more, the black ash was simply everywhere! But what drew Tess' attention the most was the large black bottle that sat on its side near the edge of the table, stopped from tumbling to the floor by a plastic lighter. Nearby was a red plastic cup, still partially filled with a curious substance. As Tess approached the smell grew, while she had no idea what it was she was pretty sure it was some type of hard liquor.
“Oh Jesus,” Tess muttered to herself as she tip-toed through the mess. She bent at the waist and picked up the bottle, not knowing if it still had anything inside. She hefted it up only to find it completely empty, much to her surprise. She turned it in her grasp to regard the label, a cartoon pirate in a purple coat grinned up at her and the words above it read: Big Black Dick Rum. She nearly dropped the bottle, the surprise on her face evident to no one in particular. Why did everything have to be so vulgar with Sid? With a contemptuous sigh she set the bottle down on the coffee table and started to pick up crumbled wrappers and cigarette butts.
“Sid,” Tess began as she leaned up, peering at the still unconscious girl. She hadn't moved one bit, though there was certainly more drool. Tess huffed and thumped the bottle loudly on the table, crunched a few wrappers in her hand and cleared her throat loudly.
Absolutely nothing.
Her face slowly contorted in a disapproving scowl, her bangs fell across her face from the activity and she was constantly pushing them back in annoyance. Stupid hair, how did Sid deal with it always getting in her face? She waited impatiently for some kind of reaction for the teal haired girl, though she heard nothing but a garbled snore. It was all too much for Tess, who’s mind was racing with the ideas of what was going to have to be cleaned and perhaps sterilized before her friends would even think of stepping foot in here.
“Sidney Gunn!” Tess finally lost it and let her temper get the better of her. She nearly shouted her roommate’s, much like an angry Mother calling out their child by their full name. Perhaps it was that, or the volume of her voice that finally did it. Sid gave a twitch, something like a full body spasm and a sharp snort before snapping up straight into a sitting position.
“You ninja lootin’ motherfucker!” Sid snapped, her olive gaze flaring open as she hit the brick wall of reality with all the intensity of a freight train. All too quickly Sid was awake and the pain of a thousand anguished souls filled her at once. They screamed and howled inside her mind, tearing at the space behind her eyes with Ghost-Touched daggers. Only after a second of staring straight ahead dumbfounded Sid doubled over from the pain in her head. Her hands clawed at her face, trying to keep the hurtful dim light from invading her retinas. She let out an tormented groan and fought off a bout of nausea to the tune of a disgusted huff from her nearby roommate.
“What. The. Actual. Fuck. Tess!” Sid growled, her voice low and dangerous and husky. Tess straightened her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips, glaring down at the partially dressed girl in obvious distress. No doubt she was suffering from the effects of a hangover, or at least slight alcohol poisoning (was slight alcohol poisoning even a thing?). She let Sid’s words hang in the air for a few moments before she answered.
“What in God’s name did you do?” She demanded, a hard edge to her voice that she knew Sid hated. She often referred to her as her ‘Momma’, mostly along with the words ‘you ain’t my’.
“What the fuck are you babbling about? I was fuckin’ sleepin’ you twat!” Sid groaned, slowly rising as she peered up at Tess through squinted eyes. She managed to tolerate the light, as dim as it was, though it did nothing to abate the pain that jolted through her like lightning every few moments. She reached for the nearby blanket, tugging it up and around her, throwing it over her head so she huddled in it for warmth and to block out the light just a bit more. The movement of the blanket shook a few more items loose, another empty can, a wrapper with a half-eaten supreme taco, and another bottle. Tess let out an incredulous gasp of laughter at the sight, needlessly pointing at the bottle.
“Two? Two bottles of booze? Are you trying to kill yourself, Sid? What on Earth made you do such horrible things to your own body?”
“Payday,” Sid muttered, glancing towards the newly found contents. She leaned over herself and picked up the taco, brought it to her nose for a sniff and then took a bite out of it. “Mmm. Still kinda crunchy.”
Tess felt a wave of nausea over take her at the sight, her right hand dramatically rising to her mouth. “I think that was a soft taco.”
“Hmmhm,” Sid murmured in contemplation, her gaze lingering on the taco briefly before she shrugged and took another bite. “Still good. You want some? I might have a burrito somewhere here. Just give the blanket a few good shakes.”
“That’s not funny, Sid!” Tess bellowed, pointing at the amassed pile of trash. “You ruined the living room. You promised me you wouldn’t smoke anywhere but your bedroom! I have guests coming over later for Bible Study. What do you think they’ll say when they see this?”
“It was pretty funny. And they’ll probably say daaaayum girl. Who’s that hottie over there?” Sid muttered between bites of ground beef and sour cream. She paused briefly to point at herself. “The hottie there was me. Cuz I’m hawt.”
Tess twitched, feeling herself split down the middle. At once she wanted to throw something at Sid and laugh at her. She was ridiculous and self-serving, but she had to admit she was funny. But Tess couldn’t let Sid win this one with a stupid joke. Instead she stomped a foot and snorted derisively.
“Not at all. You look like someone hit you with….a shit stick!” Tess struggled for an insult and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Sid blinked, glanced back up at Tess and gave an approving nod.
“Not bad, Ms. Priss.” She commented and finished the taco. She crumpled the wrapper and tossed it aside, ignoring the gasp and finger Tess pointed at it as she did.
“Sid!”
“Fuckin’, wat!” Sid growled, finally growing tired of the bickering. She turned to the couch and bundled the covers about herself more, flopping down on it and curling into a ball.
“I need you to clean this place up, right now!” Tess demanded and stood there expectantly. Sid grumbled lowly before she lifted her head and said, “Go fuck yourself.” And promptly buried herself back into the covers.
Tess felt a hot flush of anger rise to her cheeks. This was ridiculous, her roommate was nothing more than a spoiled child! In a blind fit of anger Tess leapt at Sid, grasped the cover and yanked it from her. Sid didn’t have as good a hold as she thought, and with nothing to cover herself with she buried her face into her arms. Tess wasn’t done, no, she tossed the cover aside and hurried to the windows, where she promptly threw back the shades one by one, bathing the room in the blinding light of the mid-day sun.
Sid howled in agony, as if she were a vampire stepping into the burning radiance of the sun. She clawed at her head, her hair, anything to block it out but she didn’t have anything to combat it.
“Gahn! You fuckin’ cunt!” She roared, though she was pretty much defenseless at the moment. Tess stood near the window and gloated in her triumph. She watched Sid spasm about like a junkie detoxing, it felt good to have one up on Sid even if she had to stoop to her level.
“It sure is a lovely day out today. Perfect day for cleaning and contemplating life choices,” Tess said and hummed a soft prayer. Sid screamed, bolted up from the couch and looked about like a blinded, wild beast.
“Imma gonna shit on yer fuckin’ Bible next time I see it! You hear me you bible thumpin’ cock sucker?!” Sid threatened without pause. There was no sarcastic edge to her words, no, Sid was truly and honestly pissed. Tess felt for a moment she had pushed the girl too far, a guilty tingle in her stomach caused her to take a step back. Sid lunged at her, in her direction at least, as she was standing on her side of the apartment. There was nothing but death in those olive eyes as she stalked closer, though Sid did nothing but bark, no bite, before she threw open her bedroom door and disappeared within.
“Sid!” Tess began, though she was cut off by the thunderous boom of the door slamming closed, promptly followed by a boisterous, “Fuck you!”
Tess stood there dumbfounded for a brief moment, her hands clutched together before her as she began to doubt herself. She really hadn’t handled the situation well at all, anger wasn’t the way, especially not with Sid. She should have tried to reason with her better instead of throwing accusations. She debated on knocking and trying to apologize, though before she could even finish her inner debate the door threw itself open once more, nearly smashing her in the face. Sid emerged in an obviously thrown together wardrobe, Tess couldn’t help but notice her shirt was on backwards and inside out. The glare on Sid’s typically pretty face was partially concealed under a baseball cap and the cowl of her hoodie.
“Sid. Please…I want to-“ Tess began, still partially in shock from almost getting hit in the face. Yet Sid didn’t stop, she stomped away in heavy boots and snatched up her keychain from the wall near the door.
“Wait! Where are you going!? The mess!” Tess took several steps towards the door, as if she could stop Sid from doing what she was obviously going to do. Sid snarled, like an angry dog, and flipped her the bird before she stormed out and slammed the door behind her, knocking something off a table or the wall in the process. Tess stood there near the hallway for several minutes as she absorbed the moment fully. She worried her bottom lip before letting out a heavy sigh.
“Well. Shit.”
Sid blindly drove her beat up Oldsmobile across the city to the only place she could think of: The Lion’s Den. Alright, it wasn’t called that, but it was Leo’s place and it was just funny. At least to her. He was a dude she had hooked up with in the past and found herself spending more and more time with. Tess was really becoming a hassle and Sid wasn’t rightly sure what she could do about it. So Sid did what Sid Gunn did best.
She ran!
It didn’t take very long to get there. Sid stumbled out, bundled up in her hoodie and baggy jeans. She shuffled like one of the walking dead towards the door and pressed the buzzer. Then she pressed it again, and again, and again, and kept doing it till someone answered the door.
“Hurry up! I need a place to crash…er…and maybe a bucket to barf in!” She called out through the door, giving the doorbell a few more quick presses.
