A Sun Full of Marigold

Chapter 6: Adventure of a Lifetime

Just a little side note before I start the chapter: Everyone be safe during this time! If you're stuck cooped up in the house one of the best things to do is curl up with a good novel and lose yourself in a world other than the reality we're living in right now. Make sure that you're staying out of harm's way and being healthy; your health is very important! With that being said, grab your quarantine snacks and read as much as you want.

Early the next morning I hear knocking at my door. I groan, putting a pillow over my head. One more minute, just one more minute of sleep. The knocking persists and all I want to do is lay in bed and ignore it, but I know I can't.

I run a hand over my face, clenching my teeth, and walk over to the door. This better be good, especially since it's so early in the morning.

I open the door to Theo with two large snowballs in his hands.

"Howdy Toby the prick," he says, his voice full of laughter. I try to shut the door as fast as I can, but he gets to me before I can. Damn the sleep still on my mind.

He chases me around my room and yells like a small child. The snowballs melt in his hands and create puddles of water, but all he cares about is getting his revenge. Serves me right for trying to pummel him without using too much force. Well, I did leave a little ice and gravel in my snowball.

He smashes one into the sleep-matted mass of my hair and the cold seeps into my bones. The water trickles down my back and plasters my shirt to my body. I mutter profanities under my breath, watching Theo cackle. He turns, his back to me, and walks out the door, just like that. I realize that he has the remnants of one more snowball in his hand, and I hope it's not for Hazel. He wouldn't do that to her, would he?

I hear the heavy patter of his feet as he sprints back into my room, a war cry escaping past his lips. He lands on top of me and smashes it on my face. I can feel the grit from the road slip past my lips, into my mouth, and I resist the urge to spit it into his face. The water drips down my face, onto the floor, and I watch as Theo's face turns from happy to scared just like that. He must've taken in the pissy look on my face.

He scrambles off of me and runs to Hazel's room, probably to hide behind her. I don't want to barge in there if she's sleeping, but Theo needs to be reminded of what he can and can't do. I clench my jaw. Even though we've been getting along lately, that doesn't mean that a fight isn't going to start soon.

I decide to let it drop for now, grabbing my things to take a shower. If Nita is coming over then I need to look my best. I'm going to put as much effort in as I can. I want this. No, I need this. I need this as much as I need oxygen.

I let the hot water rush over me and I scrub my body, washing my trip and the cold off of me. A shiver climbs up my back at the thought of what happened the last time Nita saw me in the shower.

She sat on the edge of the sink, swinging her legs back and forth. I could see the foggy outline of her from the frosted pane of glass in the door, and she was content sitting in the muggy bathroom as I took a shower. I turned away from her, trying to get my thoughts in order. She shouldn't have been in there. Who know what I would've done if she had asked to come in with me.

I rinsed the soap off of my face and body, letting the hot spray wash over me. I turned off the water and peered out of the glass to see if she was still there. She wasn't anywhere in sight, but that didn't mean anything. She could still be lurking somewhere, watching me from afar. Not that I minded.

I cautiously opened the door and whipped the towel off of the peg next to the door. I wrapped it around me as best as I could, letting the fabric sling low on my hips. I ran a hand over my face, remembering that I needed to shave.