Diva Princess (Laurmani / DC3)

Chapter 2

After that little monster was done terrorizing me, I was able to escape from my room. I passed Normani and Dinah in the living room laughing and chatting it up and headed out of the house to try the new vegan restaurant. The food must have been bad because I vomited half the night, but I'm not going to dwell on that bad memory.

Unfortunately, I had to go to class the next morning. I made some spearmint tea to soothe my stomach. Dinah was also in the kitchen making pancakes, and Normani was staring at the canister of oatmeal as if it was a puzzle to be solved.

"Why is this oatmeal so complicated to make. You can't just pour boiling water in it or stick it in the microwave?" she asked.

"It's not instant," Dinah informed her.

"That's stupid. Why would you buy oatmeal that takes longer to make?" Normani inquired. "It's not even flavored."

That's when I decided to cut in to defend my purchasing choices. "I don't like eating highly-processed foods. They aren't good for you."

"Oh, you're one of those people," said Normani.

Ignoring Normani's little jab at me, I sat down on the couch with my tea and turned on the morning news. Normani had the audacity to sit down right next to me while consuming one of my granola bars. "You should try sitting like a lady," she suggested.

That was it. I had to get away from her. I went back to the kitchen to talk to Dinah. "How come you didn't do anything when I was being held hostage by that critter?"

"I'm sorry, but that dog scares me," Dinah admitted.

"Tell me about it."

After finishing my tea, I went out to start my car and make my way to school. Like usual, the engine struggled to get going and popped loudly when it did. Then, I saw Normani stick her head out of the side door that led to the carport. "Damn, Lauren! You're going to wake up the whole neighborhood with that beater."

Again, I bit my tongue and pulled out as fast as I could to get away from her. My classes were great. They always were. I enjoyed learning about the human body and natural ways of healing it. But, what happened after class wasn't so great. I couldn't get my car to start up and had to pay $80 for it to be towed to a repair shop that didn't have shuttle service.

To make things worse, the nearest bus stop was almost two miles away. I couldn't bother Dinah for a ride because she was at work, and I didn't have Normani's phone number. God, I really didn't want to ask Normani for a ride, but she was my last hope. I called our house phone with the hope that she would be there and pick it up.

"Hamilton residence," said Normani when she answered the phone.

"Normani, it's not your house," I told her.

"How may I help you, Laureeennnn?" Normani asked with an attitude.

I explained, "My car is getting repaired at the shop, and no buses run out here. Can you give me a ride home?"

"Are you going to pay for my gas?" she asked.

"Are you going to pay rent?" I asked.

"I'll be there as soon as possible. What's the address?"

She wasn't lying when she said she was going to be there ASAP. I was happy that I didn't have to wait long. I climbed into her pink Range Rover. In a way, it was kind of cool, but it was also kind of embarrassing. The color on it looked ridiculous.

Normani tried to start a conversation as we drove off. "So, tell me about yourself, Lauren. What are you studying, and where are you going to school?"