Page 4 of The Snowball Effect

She cut her gaze to the window as she threw the sheet away from her body, hopping out of bed. The sun was high in the sky, brightly shining into her room, and she could hear the sounds of the city, very much awake, muffled from the street below.

It didn’t look or sound like it should when she rolled out of bed at seven.

Adrenaline-fueled panic coursed through her veins as she threw open her bedroom door and ran into the kitchen to check the clock over the stove.

Which did nothing to help, as the digital clock flashed the time back at her in blinking numbers that read 12:13.

She rushed back down the hallway to her bedroom, where the artful yet functional – and battery-operated – clock hung on the wall, and informed her that it was currently 8:02.

Even though she’d already been stressed, her stomach now tied in knots so tight, she thought she might be sick from them.

“Fuck,” she swore under her breath, wheeling around so quickly she needed to brace her hand on the opposite wall to keep from falling in her haste.

Bathroom. She needed to get into the bathroom, brush her teeth and hair, and make herself as presentable as possible. She’d have to skip her morning shower, but that was… fine. Whatwouldn’tbe fine would be arriving even later to work than she already would be.

She’d only started atOllythree weeks ago, and she was pretty certain that Allegra Pantone, her boss, hadn’t taken a special liking to her in that short time. Emma wasn’t really sure if Allegra had ever taken a liking to anyone.

Reaching out, she tried to open the bathroom door, only to find that it was locked.

Which –locked? What the –?

“Regan? Are you in there?” She called out, hearing the desperation in her own voice.

Showing a vulnerability to anyone at any point in time made her feel uncomfortable, but she absolutely loathed displaying it to Regan even more.

However, desperate times called for desperate measures, and she banged on the door with her palm. “Hello? Regan?”

“This is she,” Regan’s smart-aleck voice replied from the other side of the door. “Who’s asking?”

Ah. There it was, that sharp feeling of annoyance at Regan. Honestly, this was such a terrible morning she welcomed that feeling right about now.

She narrowed her eyes at the door, huffing out a breath. “Obviously Emma.”

“I thought so. But since you asked if I was occupying the bathroom in our two-person apartment, I figured I would make sure that you were the person doing the asking.”

Emma’s foot started to tap against the hardwood floor as agitation, impatience, and anxiety twisted together inside of her. She took a deep breath before setting her jaw and letting go of the retort she normally would have said.

Instead, she asked, “Are you almost done in there?”

There was a beat before Regan responded, “Um… I guess I could be. Why?”

“Because I need to use the bathroom!” Really, she tried for patience.

But,jesus, she swore Regan Gallagher made it a point to be as irritating as possible. She couldn’t say yes or no to a simple question, couldn’t make anything easier.

Typical.

“Like, a pee-emergency?”

“Oh my god.” Emma strove for control, dropping her forehead to the door jamb and closing her eyes. “No.”

Though, now that Regan mentioned it, Emma was due for her morning pee.

“A little,” she amended. “But I overslept, and I need to get ready for work literally as fast as humanly possible, okay?”

She jumped as the door, only inches from her face, suddenly swung open.

“Why didn’t you just say that?” Regan asked, stepping out from where she stood in the doorway.

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