Page 4 of Stuck with my Frenemy
Darting out of the horrible space, it didn’t take me long to get to the next door, diagonally across from the first I opened. “Now, this is more like it,” I shouted to Ebony.
Hot pink walls with zebra-print accents called to me, and I walked right in as if I was under the spell of a cult of pink lovers. The same almost black wood covered the floors, and a large king-sized bed sat in the center, a zebra-style comforter spread over it. Fluffy, fur-trimmed pillows in pinks, greys, and whites brought it all together. “Oh dear cupid, this is over-the-topamazing.” Squealing the words in a tone too high-pitched even to my own ears, I fanned my face as excited heat spread over it. I loved pink, so I just couldn’t help myself.
The sound of a door opening drew my attention to the hallway. A second later, it closed with a harsh slam that echoed through the hall and into my still wide-open door. Ebony must’ve liked her room since she claimed it right away. Of course, she would. The color of darkness followed her everywhere. I’d had many conversations with her to explain there must be something wrong with her for wearing nothing but the color black. She didn’t believe me, but one day, I’d prove to her that she had a brain imbalance or something.
There was just no other explanation.
Unless someone dropped her on her head as a child, but still, that would result in brain damage, and she’d have other symptoms too.
Popping another bubble, I put her out of my mind and leaped onto the bed. “This is amazing. I love everything about this trip so far.”
The lyrics to “Some guys have all the luck” rang through my head, but I changed the word “guy” to “girl” because I obviously didn’t have a penis.
Standing, I couldn’t help but play the air guitar through the room, singing at the top of my lungs. I was a singer; that was all there was to it. Everybody always told me how amazing I was when I belted it out, but for some reason, I never quite believed them. There was always this odd look on their faces, almost like they had to take a poop that was stuck and wouldn’t come out.
I didn’t get it.
Dancing close to the doorway, I spun, the gum shooting out of my mouth as if the gods themselves had used their super-speed to carry it. It smacked Ebony’s forehead, whom I didn’t even realize stood there, before landing on the floor at her feet. “Oh, no!” I rushed forward, wiping her face with my hand a little too roughly. She scrunched her features, swatting my hands away.
“What in all hells is the matter with you?”
Plastering an innocent look on my face, I batted my eyelashes at her. “Nothing.”
“There’s obviously something because nobody acts insane like you.”
Irritation swarmed me, and before I could change the path my lips decided to go down, I blurted, “At least I don’t wear black all the time.”
Blinking at me, Ebony brushed a hand down her arm, almost like a subconscious move to clean my happiness off her. “Was that supposed to be an insult?”
Silence stretched between us while my mind worked to come up with something else. Truth be told, I wasn’t too quick on the upkeep, but I gave it my all. At the end of the day, that was what mattered most, right?
Smiling like a deranged madwoman, I shook my head. “I got lots more where that came from, just you wait. You’ll be laughing so hard you won’t know what to do with yourself.”
“I’m sure I will,” she deadpanned, no inflection at all in her tone. It kind of made me want to slap her face off, but somehow, I kept my hands at my sides.
My eyes shifted to a movement behind her to find a black crow gliding closer and landing on her shoulder, while an even blacker cat wiggled around her legs, meowing up at her. Excitement flooded my whole being, but when the feline looked at me, it hissed.
Crouching, I patted its head. “Oh, what a sweet girl you are.”
Narrowing her eyes at me, Ebony nudged me with her foot, making me jump away from the animal whose green globes were spitting venom at me. It honestly looked like it was going to pounce any minute, its legs wobbling as it buckled down on the ground in the perfect position to take out an enemy.
But I wasn’t an enemy. I was a friend, so I reached out again. Its sharp teeth sank into my finger before I had a chance to touch it. “Ouch! What is wrong with that thing?”
“He’s smart.”
So it was a he? Interesting.
I had a lot to say, but just then, the window opened as if by magic, and in fluttered my bird, her wings flapping extra hard to keep up with her chubby body.
“Squirrel! You’re here!” The bird chirped lovingly before she landed on my shoulder, rubbing her face against mine. I snuggled her right back, happiness warming me from the inside out.
At my feet, claws raked my leg, and at first, I was a little scared to peek because I thought it might be Ebony’s nasty cat. Eye contact equaled bad in situations like that, which I knew from many personal experiences.
Animals just didn’t flock to me like I’d always hoped they would. Loving them with my whole heart never made a difference, either. It didn’t deter me from showering them with affection because everyone needed love regardless if they were aware of it or not.
When I finally braved a look, I noticed it was my squirrel, Bird.
“Bird! The gang’s all here,” I squealed, excitement kicking my heart into overdrive.
