You Are the Shell to My Tortoise | ✓

28

When the knocking on my door started, I groaned.

I knew we should have started heading back to school before five last night. As I lay there in my bed, I slowly contemplated all the viable-sounding excuses I could use to get out of going out with my friends today.

"Chelsea, are you still sleeping?" Ashley's slightly muffled voice traveled through the door.

"Is she even in here?" Melissa's voice came next.

"She has to be," I heard Ashley say as I pulled my pillow over my face. "She hasn't replied a single one of our texts yet."

The dull, throbbing pain at the back of my head intensified.

Realizing that they weren't going to leave any time soon, I forced myself up into a sitting position. My bleary gaze landed on my digital alarm clock.

It was already eleven.

I was supposed to meet the three of them at the courtyard at ten.

Another sigh left my mouth as another sharp rap on the door came.

"I'm coming," I called out, grabbing my phone off the table and heading for the door.

When I yanked the door open, Melissa almost fell into me.

Reflexively, I stepped back. "Whoa!"

"Melissa!" Ashley grabbed onto her arm before she could stumble forward any further. "I told you not to do that!"

"Chelsea, give me some warning, would you?" Melissa said, putting a hand to her chest. "What if we were both leaning on your door? We could both have fallen on you."

"I wouldn't be leaning on the door in the first place," Ashley said, already launching into lecture mode. "I was the one telling you to stop doing that!"

"I did warn you!" I protested, unlocking my phone to check my notifications. "I said that I was coming!"

There were seven missed calls from Ashley and one missed call from Derek. Despite my sleepiness, my heart skipped a beat when I saw I had a text from Nolan.

"Well, I didn't hear it," she said, crossing her arms.

I stifled a yawn that I felt was coming on. "Sorry I'm late, guys. I just woke up."

"Yeah, we can kind of tell," Melissa said, giving me a pointed once-over. "Good morning, Chelsea."

"It's rare for you to oversleep on the weekends we go out," Ashley said. "We'll wait for you to get ready, so hurry up."

Nudging the door open, Melissa stepped into my room. "We'll wait for you here."

I stared at the both of them in horror. My headache hammered insistently on my brain as I considered asking them to go without me. We were supposed to go to the movies today. I was the one who had suggested it since a new action film that I had been looking forward to watching had finally been released.

They would definitely think that there was something wrong with me if I told them I decided I wanted to stay in bed instead.

Ashley cocked her head and looked at me quizzically. "What is it?"

"Nothing," I said finally, sighing inwardly as I placed my phone back on the desk. "I'll go take a shower now. I'll be right back."

As they made themselves comfortable on my bed, I trudged over to my dresser to get my towel and toiletries.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Melissa said suddenly. "Why are you walking like a snail?"

"Snails glide, but whatever," I said, shutting the drawer when I had gotten my stuff. "I'm just tired."