Roomie Wars Box Set

“Quit the weird act, Zo. Did I do something? I want to apologize for last night. I drank a lot, and I don’t remember much after—”

“After what?” she brutally interrupts me, stopping on her heels as she turns to face me. She’s wearing her silver ballet flats and falls just under my chin. But even then, her glare is enough to intimidate me. Shit, I must have done something really bad.

“After you told me to fuck off in the cab.”

With an odd stare, she withdraws, turning her attention to the shopping bags and unpacking her lingerie as if I’m not even in the room.

“So you remember nothing after that cab ride?”

I shake my head.

“Nothing at all?”

“Nothing, Zo. C’mon, you’re freaking me out. Did I do something? Or say something? I’m sorry.”

“Nothing. You did nothing. Except for smash Jess’s face at the reception,” she adds.

He deserved it. That much I know.

“Yeah, I know you’ll pull out some macho comment, so I don’t want to hear it. I’ve got some stuff I need to get done if you’ll excuse me.”

I back off until she turns around. “And just so you know, I was with Mia having lunch today before she left for the airport. She was distraught over your altercation.”

Okay, so now I officially feel like shit. Even though the guy deserved it, Mia and Troy didn’t. I remind myself to apologize in person upon their return.

Zoey stays locked in her room all afternoon, and I make the conscious decision not to bother her.

With boredom comes hunger. It’s not until I raid the kitchen cupboard I realize we’re low on food. I have a crazy idea—the both of us could go grocery shopping together. We haven’t done it in years, and maybe she’ll tell me what I did that has made her so moody. A bonding session over food.

“Zo,” I yell out. “Let’s go out. We need groceries.”

No response.

I walk to her room and hear some music playing. Upon closer inspection, I can hear the sounds of P!nk playing. How odd and very unusual for her to play something modern. Something in the universe is not right. I bet it’s a full moon tonight. I bang on the door again, repeating my words.

“What?” she says, opening the door.

“Let’s go grocery shopping. We’ve got nothing.”

“We haven’t done that since you first moved in,” she points out, eyeing me dubiously. “Besides, I’m busy.”

My glance moves past her. The iPad sits on the bed, and the screen is on with a game of solitaire playing.

“No, you’re not. C’mon. The fresh air might do us both some good.”

***

I remember why we never shop together anymore. Zoey throws junk into the cart while I sneak it out. Behind the organic carrots and fresh parsley sits a box of Oreos and a jumbo pack of Cheetos. She knows how to rile me up, but I allow the items to sit in the cart hoping she will finally open up to me about last night.

The six-pack of Coke, bag of Reese’s, and some bacon-flavored candy pushes me over the edge. The second she turns around, the candy and Coke go back on the shelf.

“If you’re going to keep doing that, I don’t know why you bothered to ask me to come,” she says blankly, pretending to read the back of the Lucky Charms box.

Is she seriously reading the ingredients? Sugar, sugar, plus more sugar.

I grip the bar on the shopping cart, fed up and frustrated with her attitude. “For the love of God, just tell me what the fuck I did wrong, so we can move forward like we always do.”

She pretends to be interested in a magazine she dumped into the cart earlier, but I know she’s procrastinating. I grab it out of her hands, placing it back on the shelf, certain the store workers will be angry at me for discarding it in the cereal aisle.