A Fanfiction

Part One

July 17, Friday

Tessa King

"Where is Em? Can she hurry the hell up? I'm hungry." Delilah is sitting on my sofa in front of the television, complaining about how Emily is late again. She should be used to it by now. Emily is always the late one.

I can see her from my kitchen, the counter separating the two rooms. "Calm down, D. You can't be that hungry."

"Don't tell me how to feel."

I laugh while Dezzi starts tossing the salad in my green salad bowl. "Why is that you're always the one with an attitude?"

Delilah pauses whatever movie she's watching. "Uh, I am not the one with an attitude. That's Tessa."

I scoff, a little offended. "Sis, I am not the one with an attitude. I'm the chill one." Delilah and Dezzi both laugh hysterically. "What? I am the chill one." They continue laughing, and I smile.

I know I'm not the chill one. Out of the four of us, I'm the one who is always ready to swing if I need to. I'm the one they give the talk to before we go anywhere. I'm the one who always has an attitude. It's okay, though, because it balances out the group. I'm not sure where I would be without Delilah Phifer, Emily Shaw, and Dezzi Soto in my life. I'm grateful and blessed to have them by my side while we all tackle this crazy ass world together. Who would have thought a country bumpkin from Georgia, a dedicated Mississippi girl, a cheesehead from Wisconsin, and a Brit would find each other on the internet and start a lifelong friendship?

Years ago, we found each other, and I actually don't remember how we became such good friends. I remember following them on Twitter, starting a group chat, exchanging numbers, and then moving to West Virginia together almost five years later. We all lived in the same place when we first got here to Minder. It's a small town on the edge of the state line. We could walk to Kentucky if we wanted. The most Minder has is a Walmart, a miniature movie theatre that only shows one movie at a time, and a lot of country land. We love it here.

After settling down in our careers and knowing we would eventually need space for our own, we all moved out of the two-bedroom apartment into our own places. I enjoy living in a similar two-bedroom home. It's perfect for me, and the modern condo embodies my personality. Delilah lives right across the hall. If it wasn't for me, she would have ended up in the apartment underneath, which has a distinct cat smell. Emily was able to find a cute cottage on the outskirts of town while Dezzi lives in the middle of town in her two-story, two-bedroom house.

Every week, on Friday, we meet here at my place to have dinner together and catch up on any crazy events that happened to us during the week. It usually ends with us arguing over Uno and whether or not three of us are ganging up on one person. I enjoy the time with these amazing women, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

The door to my apartment opens, and finally, Emily comes in with a brown paper bag. Her accent still strong even after living in America for years. "It's actually hella hot outside, and I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt."

Delilah snorts. "You're such a dumbass."

Emily sets the bag on the table that's between the kitchen and the front door. It lands with a small thud, and I know it's a bottle of wine. She loves supplying alcohol. Dezzi and I bring the platters of food to the table. It was our turn to prepare dinner, and we settled on chicken alfredo, a Caesar salad, with baked potatoes on the side. Once we got the table set, we finally sat down and started eating.

Delilah takes a bite of her salad. "Okay, so, I want to make sure the plans we originally had this weekend are canceled."

I sigh, thinking about how much fun it would be to go bowling with my girls, but unfortunately, my job permits it. "I have interviews this weekend, starting tomorrow, actually."