RoomHates Carmen Black (best affordable ebook reader txt) 📖

my cell phone, turning to my bedroom and closing the door lightly. I am immediately greeted by the smell of sweat permeating off my gym clothes lying in piles around my bed and dresser. I open a window and lean against the wall next to it, inhaling the fresh air deeply to keep my stomach steady. Pressing the dial button, I listen to the rings, hoping she answers. I look at the clock on my dresser, flashing 5am. It’s early in the morning, but I know she’s an early riser.

“Hello.”

I smile at the sound of her voice. “Hey Mom, how are you?”

7

RACHEL

 

I sniff, shoving my hands into my pockets to keep them from punching the air. I try to ignore my roommate’s laughter echoing in my head and shake it to keep myself from remembering this morning. Why did I have to open my door? Would they have kept banging it incessantly?

Sure.

But eventually they would have stopped and gone to bed. Better a few moments of torture rather than serving them as their slave.

Ugh.

And that race. What the hell? I don’t even know why I agreed to something so stupid. Honestly, it was just to stop Seth from going on and on, and for a moment I genuinely thought I was going to win.

Only to realize that stupid asshole, Lucas was just playing with me.

“What the hell is this?” I remember Lucas scowling down at me, holding out his plate as if I served him vomit rather than the egg white omelet he demanded.

I don’t know how to make an egg white omelet! Hell, I barely cook!

“Ugh,” I remember Hunter groaning, spilling his coffee onto the newly cleaned floor. The floor they made me clean last night! I think my mouth legit dropped to the floor when he did that. “This is disgusting.”

“Hey, Rachel,” I remember hearing Seth; remember cringing even before turning around and looking at him, knowing he was going to do some completely terrible. I scowl now even thinking about it. I made him French toast. French freaking Toast. He should have been bowing down and thanking me. Instead, he threw the syrupy slices of bread at my face. I remember standing there, completely shocked while the slices slipped to the floor, leaving a syrupy mess all over my striped blouse. “Aren’t women supposed to be good at cooking?”

I don’t remember hearing the rest. I think it was something about women being meant to be barefoot in the kitchen. Obviously, it was something misogynistic like that. At the time, I was too focused on my beautiful striped blouse, ruined by maple syrup.

I don’t actually remember what happened after. I know I changed and left, which is why I am on my way to the art department now, but I don’t actually remember doing those things. I do remember seeing red and nearly punching Seth in his stupid, smug face.

“You’ll have to clean this up when you get back, roomie.”

Ugh. Even his voice just grates on my nerves.

I groan, walking into the classroom. A part of me perks up at seeing Charlie, Lauren, and Josh all sitting in the back of the room. Thank freaking God for my new friends. I think they are the only ones keeping me sane.

“What’s wrong?” Asks Charlie while I sit in the seat between her and Lauren.

“Yeah, you look terrible,” says Lauren. I try not to scowl at her, but I feel it already scrunching up my face. She offers me a soft smile. “Sorry. I mean, you don’t look very happy.”

“My asshole roommates woke me up this morning, demanding for breakfast.”

“No,” Charlie gasps.

I sniff and wipe my eyes, already feeling the water works about to release. “Yep.”

“Please don’t tell me you did,” says Josh, resting a hand on mine.

I blush while looking down at his hand. Whatever hell I go through with those idiots, at least I know not all men are like them. “We had a whole race and of course I lost. So yeah, I did.”

“No,” everyone says in unison.

I sniff again, grinding my teeth together to keep down a sob. I am not going to cry. I am a strong, independent woman and I am not going to let a bunch of hoodlums break me. “Yeah,” I squeak. I sniff several times, trying to calm my racing heart. My face feels like I stuck it into a pyre. Josh squeezes my hand and I hold onto it, trying to put in words the rest of my horrific morning. “And then…” I sniff. Don’t you dare. “And then they.” I swallow and Josh pats my hand.

“They did what?” He leans in close.

I feel my face crumbling and there’s no way I can remain strong any longer. “They threw it on the floor,” I sob, burying my face in my hands. “The floor I just cleaned after losing the push-up challenge.”

“Push-up challenge?” I hear Charlie above me, stroking my head and shushing me like I am a toddler who just scabbed her knees. “What push-up challenge?”

I sniff, lifting my head and wiping my eyes. I pause for a moment, worried I just smeared all my makeup, then scowl, realizing I didn’t have time to put on makeup because I was too busy making my five star breakfast for a bunch of bratty, self-serving pigs. “The place was a mess and I wanted to have a talk about cleaning it together. But they didn’t want to so they called for a push-up challenge. Loser has to clean the whole place.”

Lauren grimaces. “And you lost.”

“Obviously she lost.” Charlie motions to me. “Just look at her.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I wipe my eyes.

Charlie shakes her head and pats my hand. “It means you are a bohemian, not an athlete.” I scowl at her and she shrugs. “It’s not an insult. Just fact.”

“Don’t worry.” Josh winks. “I’m a bohemian, too.”

I chuckle before groaning. “What am I going to do? I can’t go back there.”

“Why can’t you just say no?”