elevator music | | ash

one: the meeting

"Erika, you're so freaking lazy! Just get out of bed so you can get the damn milk. My cereal is dry." Penny screams from outside my door. It's noon, and I still haven't gotten the energy to get out of bed. Bed is calling my name. No, the sheets and the pillows and my stuffed bunny, Jerry, are also calling my name.

Slowly and reluctantly, I slide my legs over the bed and trudge out of bed. Penny is right outside my door with her fist up as if she was just about to knock again. I smirk and cock my head to the side. "You needed me?" I ask in a very chirpy voice. Well, as chirpy as I can manage. It's still pretty damn early in the morning ... or afternoon.

Penny just sighs. "Get the milk please. You promise me you'd get me milk last week, and you haven't!" When did I think moving in with my best friend would be a good idea? Penny and I have been roommates for about three months now, and I did not know moving in with someone entailed me running errands for them every week.

Well, that's not true. But right now, with my mind set, it's pretty damn true.

I groan and shake my head. "I don't want to, Penny! I want to lay in my bed all day and watch Criminal Minds and just eat food all day! I'm pretty sure that's how God intended me to be."

Penny furrows her brow. "I'm an atheist."

"Penny! Stop doing that to me!"

"I'm sorry if my lack of religion bothers you, but your God would probably want you to get me some damn milk." Penny walks off leaving me speechless in my own room. Cursing under my breath, I slide on some shorts and a Good Charlotte t-shirt. I went to go see them in concert when I was a kid, but I'm pretty sure I still have post-concert depression. Their show was everything I needed in life.

I walk into the kitchen to see Penny on her phone. Why doesn't she just get the damn milk for herself if she wants it so bad? Sure, I don't want dry cereal, either, but does she really have to do this? It's so hot in the sweltering Los Angeles heat, and I'm not in the mood to go out.

"You're killing me," I say with my hands placed every so carefully on my hips.

Penny looks up from her phone and gives me a good once over. "You promised me milk."

"All this for a carton of milk?"

"Get the gallon. We're gonna need it since you can't control your milk needs." She turns back to her phone after giving me a wave with her hands.

I march over to her spot on the stool in front of the counter and lean up against the counter, itself. "Excuse me! Last time I checked, you use the milk just as much as I do!"

Penny doesn't even look up at me. "You use it more than just for cereal purposes. You make those smoothies after your workouts while I, on the other hand, just use it for cereal. That's where all the milk goes, and you always use all of it up."

I sigh and turn away from her so I'm not exactly right in her face. "You do realize we're having a fight about milk, right?"

Penny looks up at me and shrugs. I see a small smile peak up at the corners of her lips, but I can also tell she's trying not to smile, as well. It's failing, but I won't point it out this time. "You do realize we're breaking up if you don't get milk, right?"

"You know how I feel about you bossing me around, Penelope."

"You know I hate it when you pull your feminist bullshit on me, Erika."

I sigh. "Touche. If this takes long and I miss the Criminal Minds marathon on Ion, I'm killing you." I grab my wallet, keys, and lanyard before walking out the front door. Before I leave, I hear Penny call out, "I'll DVR it, if necessary." I chuckle to myself, and with the shake of a head, I'm out the front door.