Dibs! (Lesbian, GxG)

Chapter 5

The next day is Jules-free, which makes me feel relaxed. I still have people calling out, "Dibs," to me in the hallway, but I can ignore them with my head down and looking at the floor. Mr. Neven has given me another chance to do the recital in private, and I ace it without a worry in my mind. 

     The day ends with minimum homework to do, and I can practically hear my last class's relief at the one page we have to do. Before the bell's rung, I've finished it along with the other assignments. I've been able to get through the day without having to worry about whether Jules will bother me again. It's been a couple of days since the Cafeterrible scene, but that doesn't change my great mood.

     As soon as I walk in the door, I grab my gym bag full of the things I need for the lesson. Today happens to be Nancy's day off from her college, so I can use her car to get to the place instead of taking the bus to get there. 

     Bus full of strangers does not a happy Callie make.

     "Nan, where are the keys?" I call out, searching in jacket pockets and (ew) looking inside shoes. "I need them."

     A muffled reply comes from the upstairs. Sighing, I walk up the stairs. Nancy's door is open on the first left, revealing a ton of junk she's hoarded over the years. "Ever thought about getting a Hazmat team in this room?" I ask my sister. 

     She's laying on her back, her head hanging off the edge while reading a graphic novel. "Yeah, yeah," she dismisses me. Nancy promptly closes her book after turning a page. "What did you want again?"

     "The car keys. Where are they?"

     Nancy seems to be thinking, and she gets up. Standing up, she holds her index fingers up, pauses, and walks past me. Without saying anything, I follow her down the stairs and . . . to the kitchen fridge. "What were you doing with the keys in the kitchen?" I ask as Nancy opens the door and lifts up the lid of an egg carton.

     Taking the keys out of one of the egg holders, Nancy absentmindedly hands it over to me. "There was a reason I did that," she says. "I don't remember what that reason was."

     I resist the urge to face-palm. "Nan, you're nineteen. I'm pretty sure you would have gotten some things down by now."

     "Eh. Whatever. At least you got the keys." Nancy looks inside the fridge a little more before shutting it. I watch as she opens the pantry doors next to the fridge. After no luck of whatever she's looking for, my sister looks at me. "Can you pick up food on your way home?"

     I peer in the many boxes and cans of goods. "Can you not see what's inside the pantry?" I ask.

     "Can you not see it's full of health shit?" Nancy retorts. "Not even a vegan would want to eat what we have right now." She closes the door. "So can you get some Oreos?"

     "Only if you quit putting car keys in fridges for no reason," I say. I duck for cover when my sister chucks a health trail mix bag at me.

_________

With a new move being practiced and re-practiced in my head, I walk out of the building with my head so busy I wouldn't have responded like a normal person if someone came up to me and demanded I give him my valuables. 

     Hey, you never know.

     With my wallet in one hand, the car keys in another hand, and the gym bag hanging from one shoulder, I walk to the car. Putting the bag in the back, I shove my wallet in the cup holder next to me, and I put the keys in the ignition. I take a couple of breaths instead of turning the key to make the engine come to life.