Exhale

Chapter 16: Dizziness

Well, hello there. :3

2:45 pm

Zuri

Nothing could have prepared me for my second year at Juilliard. My feet are blistering and sore, my legs are mushy. I can't believe I considered going out tonight.

I have bruises and lots of them. No way I'm going out. Marley has this pain cream in her room, but the door is locked.

So I'll have to settle for Tylenol l instead. Reaching for my pills, I opened it to find an empty bottle.

"Great, no pain relief." I sigh, falling back. Days like this, I wanna bang my head against the wall. Sometimes this can be hard, and final exams aren't even here yet. I let out a much-needed groan.

"Deep breaths, Z in and out. In and out." I close my eyes. Keeping up appearances can be tiring.  I'm trying to make an impression, but I want to seem happy and unfazed, but that's not the case.

Sometimes I feel like I'm being tied down limb by limb, and every time I try to call out, someone tapes my mouth.

"I just want some peace, even if it's for a little while."

Roman is my peace, and so is Marley. Ballet is my peace sometimes, music, and food. I open my eyes and let out another breath.

"Life is what we make it, blah blah."

Sitting up, I fix my hair in a bun, grab my sweater, and head for the living room. Maybe Ro wants to stay in, too; we're both so exhausted.

When I open my bedroom door, I'm immediately swooned by the smell of garlic butter.

I follow the scent up the hall, finding the living room empty. I walk through, making my way to the kitchen. There's no one sitting at the counter, and when I look past the wall, there's no one in the kitchen either.

Walking past the Kitchen I find a feast on the dining table. The lasagna is the main thing that catches my eye. We haven't even been here that long. How the heck did he manage to pull off lasagna?

Just when I was walking out of the kitchen. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and before I could turn around. I'm spun on my heels.

Face to face with Marley. She smiles and pulls me in for a squeeze. Holding her tight, I scratch her head. She pulls back laughing, but never lets my hands go. "I thought you were busy."

She shakes her head to disagree.

"I wanted to cook dinner for you and Ro."

"Lemon, are you okay?" I was a little concerned.

"I really need to talk to you. You and Roman. Are you hungry?" She smiled. "I made dinner."

"It's three o'clock, Mars."

"Yeah, and I know you have plans. I wanted to cook and eat with you guys before you left." She shimmies, giving me her shut-up look and screams, "ROMAN GET IN HERE!"

He comes rushing from the balcony. "Okay, calm down, will you?"

"No!" She rebuttals with a grin. Walking me to the table, Marley pulls a chair and helps me sit down.

"So how's Mrs. Lane? Does she miss me yet?"

Roman laughs, taking his seat. "So Vicky is learning your part for the Spring Show, and every time she misses a step, Mrs. Lane says, "Marley can do better." It's the best thing about rehearsal." He drops his head, hiding a chuckle.

"I agree the witch is getting what she deserves." Marley looks shocked and happy. Vicky is the worst, always so hostile and still a little slut.

Before she joins us, Marley puts the garlic bread on the table and grabs some napkins.

"Okay, now that we're all here. I want to apologize for my actions and the way I treated you guys through my rough...everything. I know I have a lot of kisses to give, but I wanted to start here. With you two."

Roman buds in "We love and care about you, and we'll support you with anything and everything."

"Everything," I add.

She smiles and takes my hand.

"Everything?" She emphasizes.

I go pale.

.

.

Marley needs her friend's input on something important. On top of apologizing, she has a few secrets to expose.

Any Thoughts?

Hello, beautiful people. See you next week!!