A Friend of Another Friend

Chapter Forty-Four

-Misty's P.O.V.-

I was startled awake the next morning with my phone's alarm blaring loudly and I couldn't tell you how fast I flew out of bed thinking I was late, only to look at the clock and see that I woke up way too early. I shut my eyes and rubbed my hands against my face.

"Great." I muttered to myself. If I was awake now, I wasn't going back to bed...I was up for the rest of the day. I looked back at my phone at the time.

7:12.

Why the hell would my alarm be set for that time anyway? I must have not been looking when I set it up or something. I threw my phone back onto the over-sized bed and headed into the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face.

I flicked on the lights and headed straight for the sink, turning it on and feeling the cool liquid graze my warm and tired face. I took a nearby towel and patted my face dry and looked into the mirror.

I looked exhausted. Those extra hours of sleep could have done me good, but that potential was dead and gone and I had to spend extra time in my mother's house doing God knows what.

My stomach growled. Well, at least I knew I'd be spending some of that time eating.

I immediately turned and headed down the hall and down the stairs where I knew the kitchen would be located, when I got there Maria was already there preparing breakfast because I could smell the eggs and pancakes on the stove.

My mouth watered at the scent. "Morning, Maria." I said to her grabbing a seat on a bar stool not too far from where she was cooking.

She turned to me briefly and smiled, "Buenos Dias, Misty." She replied to me.

I played with a salt and pepper shaker on the table beside me, I was a bit too shy to ask for food so suddenly after all I was a guest here.

Maria spoke. "I see you are up early." She stated.

I nodded, "My alarm clock woke me up earlier than anticipated, now I'm here." I said.

"Are you hungry?" She asked me.

I smiled over at her. "A bit." I said.

She laughed. "Don't be afraid to express your hunger, Misty...I only ever cook for your mother or whenever her business associates are over." She said business associates a little sarcastically, indicating to me that they weren't actually what she claimed them to be. I stifled a laugh but that was cut short before I heard the clacking sounds of heels against the pristine marble floors of this expensive Malibu home.

"Buenos Dias, Maria." My mother casually strutted into the kitchen dropping her Louis Vuitton bag onto the table along with her iPhone, before she headed towards the fridge and grabbed some orange juice and a glass from the cabinet.

She poured herself a glass and looked up for a moment. She scrunched her eyes like she was trying to remember something and then she looked at me.

"I see you're up." She said.

"Good morning to you too." I said sarcastically.

She quirked her eyebrow and stopped pouring her drink and put the carton back into the refrigerator.

My mother took her glass and at over on the table closest to the patio door and continued to stare at me. I furrowed my brow but did not return her gaze although I knew she was looking at me. She was probably just trying to provoke me. Not today.

Maria noticed the tension spurring from our collective silence and quickly filled the air with stories about her days in Barcelona. They were funny and even a bit insightful, but I could feel my mind drifting to other things, one of them being the video I had later on today. I was a mess about it, most days I tried putting myself in a relaxing mode but that didn't work out so often. I've been getting a lot of stress lately and it mostly came from making music and going to school at the same time. I sighed.