Loves Me Not

*REVISED* Chapter Thirty

"Wakey wakey Sleeping Beauty!"

My eyes fly open as I frantically look around my room, trying to figure out where the noise came from and how I can shut it up. I find the source at the foot of my bed. There stands Ellie, fully dressed with 2 cups of Dunkin Donuts' hot chocolate in her hands. She starts kicking at the wooden frame in front of her, shaking the bed.

"Get up get up get up!" She continues to shake the bed, making it impossible for me to sleep. "We've got shit to do today! It's already 10 and all the good shops opened hours ago. We'll be lucky if there is anything left from the post-Christmas sales!"

"I thought I told you to stay away," I mumble into the pillow. "Get out!"

"When you say 'stay away' I hear 'Get here bright and early!' Besides, we do this every year, Kaiydeen, I'd think you'd be used to this by now. So stop moping and get out of bed! If I didn't know any better I'd suspect there was a certain love-revolving reason you're all mopey in bed."

"I'm not in love with anyone!" I groan as I lash my foot out, hoping to blindly kick her out of my room so I can go back to sleep. "I'm only 17. I don't even know what love is."

I take the pillow from under my head and smash it on top to try and block out any noise. I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to go back to sleep while the grogginess still grasps on to me. "And maybe my mopey-ness has more to do with you not allowing me to sleep than a boy!"

"How long does it take you two get ready?" Archer yells from down the hallway.

"Yeah, can you girls hurry up?" A familiar deep voice echoes.

I shoot up in bed, the pillow flying onto the floor as I stare down the empty hallway that peeks out from the open door.

"Why is your brother here?" I ask quietly, subconsciously pulling the blanket higher on my barely clothed body.

"He always comes post-Christmas shopping with us. Are you okay? Did you hit your head and forget everything last night?" Ellie stops kicking the bed when she sees that I have given up on my effort to go back to sleep and walks over to hand me one of the Dunkin cups.

I take a sip and revel in the hot chocolaty goodness. Pushing aside any thoughts of going back to sleep, I sigh and throw the comforter off of me, swinging my legs down to the floor.

I might as well get up and get this day over with. I set the cup down on my bedside table next to a book I have lying there and walk over to the bathroom. I quickly brush my teeth and pull my hair back into a high ponytail. When I walk back into the room Ellie has already laid an outfit out on the bed for me.

I swear it's like I have my own personal stylist.

Without complaint I slip on the pair of faded light blue jeans and a long sleeve light grey V-neck she has chosen. Ellie hands me a pair of converse and I lace them up over the knee-high socks I'm already wearing under my jeans. I go to grab my hot chocolate from my nightstand and when I turn around Ellie is already disappearing out the door.

I reluctantly follow Ellie down the hallway toward Archer's room. The sound of gunshots and screaming blares out of the open bedroom door. Archer and Jeremiah don't even notice us walk into the room. I lean against the doorjamb quietly as I watch them try to kill each other on screen. They both burst out laughing as they hurl insults at each other, trying to get into the other's head.

"You suck ass!" Jeremiah laughs as he hurls grenades in Archer's direction, killing him.

As soon as Archer respawns he hunts Jeremiah down and knifes him. "Damn Masters. For someone so rich you'd think you would be able to buy some talent!"