I Turn To You | Eminem

Fifteen

At 6:50 AM, Marshall's alarm blared, dragging him out of a deep sleep. He grumbled, struggling to leave the comfort of his bed.

Marshall, still buried under the covers, squinted at the blaring alarm clock. "What the hell? It's way too early," he mumbled, pulling the sheets tighter.

He knew Snoop was a morning person — up at 5:45 AM sharp and in bed by 8 PM. It was a routine Marshall had come to recognise, and it made Snoop's grumpiness the night before make sense.

Yawning, he sat up and shifted in bed. Noticing a tightness beneath his sweatpants, he glanced down with a smirk and thought, Still got it, huh?

He hadn't expected to feel so... alert, but there it was. It was a small but satisfying reminder that he wasn't as washed up as he sometimes felt.

Not that his endowment was anything small, if that's what you were thinking.

He swung his legs out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, the cool morning air hitting him as he moved. In the bathroom, he took care of business, then jumped into a quick, invigorating shower to wake himself up.

After the shower, Marshall stumbled downstairs. The kitchen was already set up with breakfast. Snoop had left him an empty plate with some leftover bacon and pancakes on the counter. It was clear the West Coast rapper had already eaten and was out.

Marshall served himself, grabbing a plate and helping himself to the food. As he ate, he pulled out his phone and saw a message from Christina. Damn, she was up early too.

Marshall sighed as he sank into the couch, plate balanced on his knee. He flipped through his phone, reading Christina's text again. There was no time set yet, just a casual "Hey, let's meet later."

He licked his lips, wiping syrup from the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

He glanced around the quiet house. Snoop's absence was loud, the usual noise replaced by the soft hum of the refrigerator and the distant murmur of traffic outside.

Marshall could tell Snoop had been up and out for a while. The kitchen was too tidy; dishes already done, counters wiped down. He imagined Snoop, up at the crack of dawn, probably on his third blunt by now, cruising around LA before the city was even awake.

The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. Marshall's mind wandered as he sipped his coffee. For once, there was no chaos, no urgent need to be somewhere or do something. It was a rare pause, a moment where he could just breathe.

But his mind didn't stay still for long. He thought about Christina and their dinner last night. He knew she meant business, and for him, it was like standing on the edge of a cliff. One wrong move, and he'd tumble over.

His phone buzzed, breaking his thoughts. A text from Christina popped up: "How about noon? My place?"

Marshall smiled, typing back a quick, "Sounds good. See you then." He set the phone down and leaned back. Today, at least for a little while, things felt almost normal. And for a guy like Marshall, that was saying something.