Yellow Lines

Chapter 2 - Headache

I turned over, pulling my pillow over my ear to drown the constant vibration on my nightstand.

Two minutes. Just two...

I shot upright when the phone buzzed again. I bit into my cheek when Cara's smug face flashed across my screen. Not today... Swiping ignore, I flopped back on the bed.

It vibrated again.

I grabbed the phone, slamming it to my ear, "What, bitch, what?"

"Why weren't—"

"Cara, it's freaking 5:00 a.m. and I really don't have the energy right now." I rubbed my legs beneath the sheets, "I don't have work until tomorrow and you're disturbing me. Goodbye!" I hung up and threw the phone across the room, into my dirty clothes basket.

Later on, I got up and decided to fetch something to eat. I opened the fridge, fetched a box of apple juice and a container of yogurt and almost puked on spot. "Wait a minute," I sniffed the yogurt, "Ew!" I emptied the yogurt into the bin and carried the apple juice to the couch with me. At least it was the only fresh thing I had.

My stomach growled. I probably would have lasted a bit longer if my tummy didn't stab me repeatedly. I hadn't eaten since the plane ride and seeing that I had nothing to cook, I had no choice but to call my favorite pizza deli.

I retrieved my phone from the life-saving clothes basket and hissed when I saw twelve missed calls -- ten from Cara and two from Marko. Why was everyone bothering me today? No idea. They should have called this much when I was back in Grenada. But as I peered at the screen, I figured Luke gave them a heads up about the fight and now they saw it fit to harass me. Sucking my teeth, I speed-dialed the pizza place.

"Hello, thanks for calling Doughy's Pizza Deli; Jerry speaking, how may I take your order?"

"Jerry! It's me, Leila." I flopped into the couch and curled my legs beneath me. Hearing his sexy voice always highlighted my day.

"Hey, hun. What's up? Nice to hear your voice."

"Same here," I smiled.

"So, what can I get you today? The same as always?" I could hear the playful grin in his voice.

"You know how I do it."

"Sure do. Missed you for some time. Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm good, stepped out of the country for a while because my dad was sick, he passed though," I sighed. Somehow mentioning my dad made me queasy. It was as if his death happened a few hours ago. I inhaled deeply, trying my best not to sound a complete mess.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry to hear that Lei, but you don't sound good." Jerry went silent for a while then said, "I'm going to give you a special surprise when I make the order, Lei. I promise it's going to make you smile."

I sniffed, "Thanks, Jerry." Every time someone tried to console me, I fall into despair. It's as if they knew how to push those exact buttons to make me cry. "Thanks," I croaked. "Talk to you later, bye." I hung up.

I filled a glass with water, gulping it down. I thought I wouldn't have any triggers but apparently, I still did. Or maybe Jerry got to me. He'd been my pizza buddy since I started university. And from day one, he had impeccable customer service and always ensured my order was right--perfect, even.

I first heard about Doughy's Pizza Deli when someone slipped a flyer under my door. I called the number around 10:00 p.m. some night in my dorm while studying for an exam. Surprisingly, they were open and delivering. The pizza tasted like heaven and never stopped tasting that way. Jerry was the guy who took my order and had been making it special ever since. I could never call another pizza place. Never.