GnR • RoomMates

-1-

"Isbell Stradlin!"

I storm into my roommates bedroom, holding wet socks in my hand.
"Why the fuck did you put your wet towels on my clean laundry? It had just dried!".

-It is september in the 1980's. My name is Sylvienne, but I go by Syl. I just started my first year of studying architecture in LA. I had to move out of my parents house for school and am now living in a small apartment with two roommates: Isbell, who we actually call Izzy and Duff.

Izzy shrugs"oh shit".
"Oh shit?" I shake my fist in anger and the drops go flying everywhere, "look at this!".
Izzy chuckles "okay, okay, I'm sorry, Syl. It won't happen again".

"Promise?"

Izzy offers me his pinky. I hook onto it with a smile.
Izzy goes "promise".

"Guys?"
Duff's voice sounds from the kitchen.
"Where are my fuckin cigs?".

I call back "in the fridge, remember?".

We hear Duff open the refrigerator and a surprised "hey, the fuck?".

I walk out of Izzy's room and say to Duff "you did that last night when you were drunk. You went on and on about how it 'kept them fresh'".

Duff and I laugh and then he takes off to our shitty balcony to smoke.

The inspection people had labeled that balcony as 'unsafe', but it is used every single day in this house with two chain smokers. And then there's me who rarely smokes. I've tried marijuana once too, but I didn't feel much.

I grab a soda-can from the fridge and toss the socks onto my ruined laundry pile. I'll deal with that later.

Sipping the soda I walk into my own room.
The walls are covered with posters. Most of them are sketches and floorplans for school. And then there are my music Idols. Posters of Queen, Mötley Crue, Joan Jett and Metallica are scattered in between the architectural drawings.
I check my planner and finish the soda.
Then I get up and grab my towel and toiletries.

I walk through the hallway and wave when I pass  Duff, who is smoking with the balcony doors open. He jerks his head up in response.

I turn on the shower. We have a surprisingly nice shower compared to the rest of our apartment. I've always been happy about that.

I do the whole routine. With shampoos, scrubs and scented lotions.

After I toweldry my hair I wrap it around my torso to walk back to my room.
When I open the door a little I hear laughing coming from the livingroom, and voices I don't recognize.
Shit.
Do Duff and Izz really have guests over right now? I have to walk through the livingroom to get to my room!

I wrap the towel a little tighter around me and step out. I decide to just go quickly. This is all part of having roommates.

I speedwalk through the hallway and reach the livingroom.
The voices suddenly stop when I appear.
I try not to look at them as I hastily get myself to my bedroom door "don't mind me".

I jump in and close the door behind me.
From what I gathered, Izzy and Duff are having three friends over... who all just saw me in nothing but a tiny toweldress... but it's fine, whatever.

I get dressed in one of my oversized t-shirts with pajama shorts and put on a Fleetwood Mac LP. I have a very old recordplayer that used to be my moms. I just needed to replace the needle and now it works like a charm.

I sit down at my desk and try to get some homework done, but the guys in the livingroom are talking kinda loud. So i switch to the Rolling Stones and turn the volume up a bit. That does the trick. I get back to my assignments for a little bit...

Until I hear a knock at my door.