A Game Of Pawns

Chapter 4

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I woke up, back in my soft, warm bed, tangled in my sheets; the comforter had been unceremoniously tossed on the floor. Everything from my dream was gone. The hill, the man, the booth and, thankfully, the nausea.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The pizza. Man, I was hungry.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Why didn't I eat that pizza?

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

It wasn't until then that I realized the beeping was my alarm clock. Yes, I still use an alarm clock instead of my phone. I needed a distinctly loud and obnoxious tone to force me out of the bed in the mornings.

BEEP! BEEP! Click.

I silenced the hunk of plastic and yawned. What day was it again? Friday? No, Saturday. Why did I set my alarm on a Saturday? I must have turned it on last night without realizing it, too tired to remember that I wouldn't need it. I looked at the dimly lit numbers on the clock. Seven AM. I sighed and got up. There was no harm in getting up early; not to mention that the dream I just woke from had shaken me and I didn't want to drift back asleep only to have the same dream again or to continue it from where I had left off. Shrugging off a shiver, I stretched and rose from the bed.

I slipped into a pair of blue jeans and pulled on a green tee-shirt with three golden triangles that were center-placed in a design that many people would recognize. Zelda was my favorite game franchise and merchandise for the game was a fairly common Christmas or birthday gift from anyone who knew me. The famous golden triforce was emblazoned on many of these gifts, like this shirt. I didn't care much for shopping so I tend to use whatever I had until it was so worn that it would tear while I tried to fit my head through. However, this shirt was still relatively new and had no wear and tear yet.

I greeted the morning with eggs, sunny side up, toast, just a bit too burnt and bacon. Okay, it was turkey bacon. What? I'm on a diet...sometimes. I chased it all with a cold glass of chocolate milk, the wonderful premixed kind that I bought by the gallon. I liked breakfast. They say it's the most important meal of the day, but for me, it's also my favorite. There's just something about eating right when you first wake up that feels comforting. While I ate, I checked my phone for any messages.

I had three texts. One from each of my two best friends and one from my sister, Sidra. Sidra and I tried to keep in touch ever since she had moved to Tennessee for her degree. Whether it was little tidbits about our day or just a random joke, we tried to text a few times a week. We were never really close, but before she moved we had agreed that we didn't want to drift any farther and that we'd try to keep in touch. Our texts were a way for us to keep each other in mind and still have some fun with each other. My last text to her read:

The next time you see me, I might be in prison. Thinking about joining a mob to keep the drummer next door quiet. All my neighbors are doing it.

Sidra had responded with:

At least you're making friends that'll help you hide a body.

Her new text read:

Roommates suck. Wanna bring your mob friends over and help me hide a body?

I wrote back saying:

Oh? Joining the mob too? You should, we have cupcakes on Tuesdays. What's up with your roommates?

I checked my messages from Tommy and Michael next. Both had mentioned pretty much the same thing; Michael would be working later than usual so lunch at Bingo's was pushed back a half-hour. I gave an affirmative response to our delayed lunch plans and finished breakfast. Then I got up to do some dishes, which had piled up over the last few days. I usually did some light cleaning on Saturday mornings to maintain my apartment's semi-cleanliness. After the dishes were in the drying rack I wiped the counters and swept the floor. Satisfied with the rest of the apartment's tidiness, I decided to work out a bit before I took a shower.