Lay in the Atmosphere (Brendon Urie) Wattys 2017

THREE

I had gotten roughly one hour of sleep... I was literally a zombie.

I tied my apron around my body, sitting down at the pottery wheel with a long sigh. It was Saturday and my friend Vanessa and I, Nessa for short, had signed up for a throwing class today, and she was meeting me here.

It wasn't surprising that she was late, but when I saw her step in, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing, it was hard not to notice. Everyone watched her prance in. She just glowed.

She handed me a cup of coffee but I ignored it, focusing on how good the clay felt on my hands. I could probably fall straight onto this slab and pass out. I hadn't done my makeup, I was still in sweat pants and I think I actually forgot to brush me teeth. Yet, Nessa is the one who showed up late.

"Eely? You alright?" Nessa asks, setting my coffee down by my feet.

I could barely even hear her I was so tired.

"It's driving again, isn't it? You stay out way too late with that Uber crap, Eely, why do you do it anyways?"

Partially she was correct, but this is the most tired I've been from this side job. And only I know why.

"I need the extra income. Ever since my roommate dipped on rent and me, I've needed the money. You know that, Nessa." I was being a little short.

But, knowing Nessa, she wasn't going to put up with my shit.

"I will straight up leave if you're gonna be a bitch all day." She grunts.

I stop my wheel and without even washing my hands, I grab my coffee, feeling the clay squish onto the paper cup as I chugged majority of it down.

Nessa's eyes widened.

"Dude, what's up?" She asked, curling a lip in disgust seeing as how I just downed a black coffee in three seconds.

"Some guy was getting head in the back seat of my car last night." I decided not to tell her about Brendon, the game, the advancements.

Maybe another time, but Nessa was protective and I needed to do this on my own.

"Ew! What the hell?! You didn't boot him?!"

I shook my head and took my final sip of joe.

"He tipped me 200 dollars, gave me five stars and after he left, I had a zillion customers. He seemed like a pretty important, but arrogant, guy. I figured, no harm no fowl."

"Did you... have to clean your backseat?" Nessa gagged.

"No, he didn't finish." I laugh a little.

But I knew he finished, inside, with blondie. Too much information I didn't need to know but it made me heat up inside, angry. How could he hit on me, look at me while receiving oral and fuck someone else? I was jealous, you bet, but, this was a game after all. And I think so far I was winning, seeing as how I rejected him. Even if I didn't really want to.

"We can go back to my place, watch movies and you can nap."

"I'd rather nap at my own place, thanks." Nessa knew exactly what I was talking about, why I didn't want to go to her house.

And it was because of her douchey boyfriend. He was the stereotypical, sport loving conservative that I never wanted to be around. Their relationship was so vanilla it physically pained me. Not only that, but he makes crude remarks about my ass, and Nessa just put up with it. They've been living together for six months now and it has separated us some, but I'll be damned if he thinks he can take my bff from me.