𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐱 ~ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙

The sleepover was a huge big bust. They had plugged in a movie at around one am, needless to say, nobody actually watched it. Randy was out first, his eyes kept shutting down but then he would open them once more, refusing to go to sleep. He eventually succumbed to the magic of the sandman and called it a night. He snored all night long without respite. Tatum never even glanced at the flat screen, her eyes were glued to her phone, she would not leave it out of her sight. Billy's paramour thought she must've been texting Stu or rather Stu was sending her lewd and inappropriate texts. She wasn't so sure anymore though; Billy had said that Stu had accidently left his phone in Billy's car. Dewey had retired to bed when he had made sure that everyone was safe and accounted for and that all the doors were locked and secure. She did not see Dewey for the rest of the night. She ignored the movie once Billy slid his arm around her waist, they did not move forward from there but she did enjoy the feeling. She enjoyed the affection and the way he glanced at her every now and then, it was clear that he wasn't paying any attention to the movie. They did not need to speak, they just sat there on the couch, holding each other while Randy sniffed and snorted like a hog in his sleep.

When the morning came, she untangled herself from Billy's arms and stretched like a lazy cat. She checked the clock, five am it said. Perfect, she thought, I can have some time to myself. She picked up the duffle bag and locked herself in the bathroom. She stripped and got into a shower. She let the hot water run all over her body for only a few minutes, she was out pretty quick. She opened the duffle bag and took out a black tank top and some clean underwear. She rapidly changed and made herself more presentable. When she was fully satisfied, she exited the bathroom on the second floor. She tiptoed and made sure not to make a sound, she heard nothing though, Dewey must still be fast asleep. 

She returned to the living room; nobody had awakened yet. Billy's head flopped backwards on the pillow but he did not wake up just yet. Randy rubbed his feet against each other and snorted. Tatum remained asleep on the far end of the second couch, she barely even moved from her original spot. She left them and walked into the kitchen. She found the coffeepot and some powdered coffee to go with it. When the coffeepot had accomplished its only purpose, she opened the cabinet and found a lone grey mug. She grabbed the mug and poured the dark bitter liquid into it, she sniffed and sighed contently. She blew and took a tiny sip, it was scalding hot, she would have to wait for a while before it was drinkable. She sat at the kitchen counter on a high chair, the coffee mug in front of her as she faced the large windows. She continued to stare at the outside world, the sun was not out yet but she could hear the birds, now roused from their sleep. She smiled and sipped her coffee; it was a bit more manageable now. Or maybe, she was just used to the heat. Her ears perked up, she heard a small sound in the living room, one of them must've risen up and joined the land of the living once again. The figure shuffled forwards, they advanced towards the kitchen in search of something. She waited until the figure popped its head in. It placed a hand on its mouth as it yawned and scratched its head.

"What are you doing up so early?" It asked in between yawns, she thought his head might just explode.

"It's more peaceful at this time", she sipped her coffee. "Want some?" She gestured towards her mug.

"Yeah, sure. I'd love a cup".

"Well then, pour it yourself, dear", she smirked.

He sighed loudly. "Gee, thanks". He shuffled towards the coffee pot as he continued to scratch his back.

"You need a damn shower boy. I haven't seen anybody scratch their back as much as you have". She sniffed the air and pretended that there had been an awful smell in the area. "Gee, you stink".

"Ha ha ha", Randy replied without humor. "You could give me a break you know? I was attacked and nearly scalped last night".

"Oh please, nobody wants to scalp you. They'd be horrified by the contents of your brain, trust me".