NO LONGER THERE

STRAND ELEVEN

LILLIAN & LESLIE

Why in the hell was Lillian in my room?

All I heard was Lillian and Roxy rambling on about body parts and blood circulation. Roxy was a bit of a biology nerd, for theatrical reasons. Whenever she could corner Lillian and pluck her medical brain, she did, and Lillian liked it.

I could typically give a crap, but I went to bed at 6 A.M. It was 8:45...A.M. I had a few choice thoughts on what I could do to their body parts so they would shut up... for theatrical reasons.

I tried to burn a hole in the back of her head with my eyes. Lillian must have felt it. She turned and countered with those soul piercing, hazel orbs.

"Avery Grace you are not a call girl. There is no explanation for you to be in the bed this late."

I groaned, growled, then rolled my brown, almond shaped eyes —at Lillian. Lillian saw me roll my brown, almond shaped eyes. Roxy saw me roll my brown, almond shaped eyes. Lillian stood up, and I immediately hopped my non-call girl behind out of bed.

"That's better. Now clean yourself up. We're not going to be late for brunch with Leslie."

Who the hell was Leslie? Oh, Dean Baker. 

Sounded exciting, but I still wanted to go back to bed, at least until ,y phone rang. Obviously, no one on planet Earth wanted me to get some sleep. I didn't even bother to look at it because Lillian was looking at me. I had to get myself together. After all, we couldn't be late for brunch with Leslie.

While Roxy continued her quest for knowledge and Lillian continued enjoying it, I went into the bathroom, plopped onto the cold, gray, laminate tile floor, and cried. It was 8:48 am. I went to bed at 6...am. I was what you call, dead-ass tired.

For a good seven seconds, I had planned to lock the door, ball up a towel and lay on that cold, gray, laminate tile, bathroom floor. It could be my new bed, away from ringing phones, conversations about body parts and circulating blood.  It beckoned to me, like a half bird, half woman creature luring sailors to destruction by the sweetness of her song, a bewitching siren and I wanted to follow.

With a towel in my hand, the eighth second ended my forbidden relationship with that cold, gray, laminate tile, bathroom floor and broke the siren's song. At 8:56 A.M., there was a knock at the door. No one on planet Earth wanted me to sleep.

It wasn't unusual though.. the knock. UT Austin was a big campus, and  it took a while for word to get around there was no longer weed growing in the no fish, fish tank in our dorm room. Thanks, Imani.

I leaned on the door and waited for Roxy to give the typical speech. Instead, I heard Lillian say, "I'll get it."

I was now wide the hell awake. I jumped up like Pirañas were on the floor, bumped my head on the door handle and bolted pass Lillian.

"Avery Grace."

"I got it," I shouted over my shoulder. "Roxy, tell Mom about the bleeding heart ya'll made that looked like a bunch of vaginas stuck together."

Roxy's eyes lit up. She loved that story, and Lillian wanted to know how they thought a bunch of vaginas looked like a heart. So, she went back to being entertained by Roxy while me and my knot answered the door. I opened the it, ready to give our speech. Instead, I received a surprise.

"Avery Reed?" He asked.

"Yes?" I answered.

The stranger then handed me the most beautiful bouquet of daffodils and a card. The only thing written on it: With adoration, Bryce Allen Phillips.