Flying Free (MAC Security 2.50)

Taking the stairs two at a time, I climb the three flights before I come to the door marked 6B and push my key in the lock. That would need to be changed, there’s no way I’m having a flimsy thing like that on my door. I haven’t even viewed the place yet, deciding to take it just from the photos I saw online.

I’ll only be sleeping here anyway so I don’t care what it looks like or how many square feet it is.

I step straight into the living space and look left then right. To the right is a kitchen, off to the side and completely open planned. A hallway veers off to the left and I walk down it, opening all three doors. Bedroom... bathroom... bedroom.

It all looks pretty new and modern. Looks like I lucked out with this place.

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Throwing my keys up in the air, I catch them and go back out the door.

Now it’s time for me to kit the place out.

Rolling over, I groan and smack my lips together; my mouth feeling like cotton. It takes me a couple of minutes to focus on anything and when I do, I just stare out the window.

You know that feeling that you get when you haven’t got a clue how you got somewhere and don’t know what’s going on?

Yeah... I feel like that.

“Ahh... she rises from the dead.” I roll my head on the pillow to look at Jackson and squint at him.

“I need-” I swallow, my throat cracking. “I-”

“Water?” He smirks, handing over a bottle.

I sit up, leaning against the pillows and take the cold bottle from him, swallowing it greedily. It feels like I haven’t drunk for weeks.

“Slow down there.” He chuckles, pulling it back out of my hand and placing the top back on it.

“Ugh... what happened?” I sniff the air and squirm in my bed.

I need a shower and this room needs to be aired.

“You came down with the flu,” Jackson tells me. “You’ve been asleep for daaaays,” he groans, dragging out the last word.

“I did? I have?” I push the covers aside, standing on wobbly legs and pick up my cell. “Shit! It’s Tuesday. How the hell have I lost four days?”

“I just-”

Waving him away, I step over all the stuff on the floor and open the window wide then pull my bedroom door open. I don’t have time for idle chit chat, I have to clean this place up and clean myself and then go to class.

Jumping straight into the shower, I let the water wash over me and scrub my skin clean, needing to get rid of that stench you get when you’ve been sick.

Squirting some coconut shampoo into my hands, I wash my hair three times and then step out, grabbing my toothbrush and cleaning my teeth three times too.

I wipe away the condensation that’s built up on the mirror and take a good look at myself. The bags that are normally under my eyes have disappeared and my skin looks flawless. How does that even happen after being sick?

Not bothering to think about it too much, I grab a small towel and pull the door open, drying my hair as I walk into the kitchen, my stomach rumbling at the thought of food.

“Hey! I’m starving, do we have any food in?” I shout out to no one in particular.

When no one answers me, I huff and pull the fridge open, hoping that there’s something in there but nope, just a block of cheese and a bottle of half and half. Looks like pancakes and syrup from the pancake house is on the menu today.

I flip my head down and dry the underside of my hair with the towel and then flip it back and walk out of the kitchen.

“Ow!” I squeal at the brick wall I just walked into, my hand flying to my face as I step back. Swallowing when I look up, my eyes widen. “Corey?”

I’m sure I had dreamed Corey being in town but now that he stands in front of me with that smile on his face, all I can think about it how his stubble would feel against my face.