Page 83 of Absorbed

Belvedere immediately snuffled Stacey’s hand and thumped his body against her thigh, pushing her sideways a step.

“Hi, Belvedere. Hey Buddy.” Stacey petted his ribs while trying to keep his weight off her bum ankle. She looked up. “I’m Stacey. Is Desiree here?”

The woman’s face softened. “Yes. She and Melissa are up in her room.” She had a thick, musical accent. She motioned at Stacey’s foot. “Are you okay to get up there on your own?”

“I can manage. Thanks.” Stacey removed her shoes and carried them as she gripped the railing and eased herself up the winding staircase. Each step burned up her shin and the painradiated throughout her foot. She stopped at the top and caught her breath.So much for staying off it.

She knocked on Desiree’s bedroom door, and a voice called, “Come in.”

Seated on the floor in front of her mirror, her legs crossed, Desiree wore boxers and a tank top, her hair up in a towel like she’d just gotten out of the shower. She had a pair of tweezers and was squinting at her reflection as she plucked between her brows.

“Hey, Stace. Missy’s in the shower. She’ll be out in a sec.”

Stacey sat on the rug and leaned against the end of the bed, reclaiming her spot from the evening before. She set her shoes on the rug beside her, then looked around, confused. The room was spotless. The pile of magazines and snacks were gone, and the clothes had all been put away. The bed looked as if it hadn’t been slept in at all, and all of the makeup on the vanity had been cleaned up. “When did you clean your room if you both went to work at eight this morning?”

“Roselba comes every day. My mom’s a lawyer. She doesn’t have time to clean or shop or cook or anything.”

“I want your life,” Stacey muttered.

Desiree shrugged and pulled the towel off her head. “It’s nice, I guess. But I can’t ever find anything.” She set the tweezers aside and started to squeeze a small pimple on her chin.

Stacey pursed her mouth and raised her eyebrows.Maybe you need less stuff.

The room was quiet and Stacey felt uncomfortable watching Desiree poke at her face. She looked toward the closet, envying the abundance of designer clothes and accessories crammed inside. She heard retching. She tilted her ear in the direction of the bathroom, and heard another retch, followed by a muffled cough.

Stacey looked at Desiree, who either didn’t hear or was unphased.

Melissa is throwing up? She didn’t seem hungover at The Plunge.

A few seconds later the toilet flushed, followed by the shower being turned off.

When Melissa stepped out of the bathroom, surrounded in steam, she was dragging a wide-toothed comb through her long, wet hair. A towel was wrapped around her body under her arms.

“Hey, Stacey.” She smiled, her cheeks flushed.

“Hi. How’s it goin’? You feeling okay?”

“Yeah,” Melissa scoffed. “Why?”

Desiree turned to watch their exchange.

“I thought I heard you getting sick in there.”

Melissa lifted one eyebrow, shaking her head at Stacey like she was crazy. “You should get your hearing checked. I was just taking a shower.”

Desiree’s jaw clenched before she looked away again.

“My mistake,” Stacey mumbled, too exhausted to argue.

Melissa pulled the closet door closed behind her, returning a minute later in baggy pajama pants and an oversized tee. Stacey had never seen Melissa so covered up.

Melissa hung the towel over the back of the desk chair and plunked beside Stacey on the rug. “It’s time to spill. Whathappenedlast night?”

Stacey’s cheeks burned.

Desiree scooted over to form a small circle with them on the rug. “Yeah, this afternoon Chad said there was a fight? And your friend basically carried you away.”

“Well…” Stacey pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I don’t exactly…remember.”

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