Medusa (A Fairytale Green FanFic)

NEW Chapter 3: Green Crack

Monday can't come quick enough. It does of course, but Saturday is painful while Sunday is agony. By the time four am on Monday rolls around, the sun not yet up, I roll out of the bed and start doing pushups and sit ups, and when they aren't enough, I settle on my forearms and challenge myself to last for ten minutes in plank - as though I wasn't suffering enough, I know.

But it's a welcome distraction. The engagement ring I'd bought was on what Brennan had dubbed my "Ella Shrine" because it was placed with such reverence in front of my copy of The Great Gatsby on my bookcase.

Huffing out a breath at the seven minute mark, my muscles tremble and fight to take in more air. Mindful not to hold my breath, I begin to twist side to side allowing my sides to touch the floor as I do hip dips.

Obliques on fucking fire, I hold until failure, and when I look up, I watch the rosy fingers of dawn traipse across the sky, dragging a pink sky behind her, promising a storm.

Twisting to lie on my back on the floor, I sigh and stare at the smooth ceiling, and as I stare at the smooth texture, I tilt my head slightly noting the slight smudge of the greyish blue paint on the corner of my ceiling. I stare at it for a long while - far longer than I should.

"At least it isn't a popcorn ceiling," I mutter lowly, and my rampant, errant, silly brain moves back to a certain green-haired, fun-sized troublemaker.

The clock on my bedside table tells me it's time to shower. I mean, the clock didn't open it's bleary, alarming red eyes and tune in to say, "Good morning, Valentine. It's now time to get in the fucking shower, my dude, otherwise you'll scare little miss Stone away and then you'll be sad and alone..." but... I heard it anyway.

So.

I got in the shower. When I got out, I rubbed the steam away from the mirror, a towel wrapped around my hips and fussed. Brennan hates when I rub the mirror this way, but Brennan does stupid shit too, so... I don't care.

Swiping my hair up and off my forhead, my eyes zero in on the right side.

"Aw, fuck," I mutter, noticing the start of a pimple. "Hair down, hair down," I say, nodding to myself as I comb through my hair with my fingers as it dries.

I get through my morning routine, but... I give it more effort than I may or may not have otherwise done since I have the knowledge I will certainly be seeing Ella again - even if I skip my classes to discover where hers are.

Baring my teeth at the mirror, I turn my head right and left to make sure I properly cleaned and flossed, and then make sure to put on deodorant. Inspecting the label, I lift the cap and sniff.

Silently, I say, yes, but nothing about my expression or actions would tell you that. It smells vaguely of leather, spice, and something woody, but I couldn't be sure because all the label says is "Dynasty".

When I put mine back, I can't help the snort that emerges when I see Brennan's: KRAKENGARD. Rolling my eyes at all his ocean related paraphernelia, I nearly judge it, but then stop because honestly... if there was a deodorant called GREEN CRACK in the scent of Ella, I'd buy the business out so that I was the sole owner of the scent, which is slightly more unhinged.

"Stone? You almost done in there?" Brennan asks, knocking on the door.

"Yeah," I grumble, glaring at my covered zit one last time before leaving the room and opening it for Brennan to get in. Ambling in with what Brennan probably thought was swagger, I playfully nudged him into the wall and he smacked my shoulder as I left.

"Asshole," he taunts.

Raising my eyebrows, I turn around and walk backwards into my room.

"Frothy, fat-kidneyed, foot-licker."