the sounds of slow, labored breathing echoed on the walls of room four. peering around the room, margaery checked to ensure both nina and athena were sound asleep. riddled with boredom, the girl browsed through social media. the buzz she earned from the three empty wine coolers resting on the ground was slowly fading, a sour mood replacing said buzz. margaery racked her brain with ideas to banish the feeling, but she was coming up short. that’s when it hit — vera. should i text or just ... show up ??, margaery wondered. after a moment of contemplation, she hoped and prayed kaia was off in dream land — or maybe out elsewhere. careful not to disturb her best friends’ slumber, marge slowly pulled the covers off of her body, stopping at the end of her torso before crawling out. steering clear from the bundle of wine coolers, she creeped out of the room.
blinding bright lights emanating from the living space attacked her eyes, fumbling hands moving up to wipe the grogginess away as they adjusted. as she made her way to the kitchen through small sets of stairs and varying floor material, margaery tugged her shirt down, hiding her shorts from the view of others. a low rumble sounded from all corners from the house, reminding her that the late hour did not mean everyone was asleep. the kitchen, however, was void of human presence. spotting a 1.75L bottle of smirnoff vodka atop a shelf, marge reached on her tiptoes to grab the heavy bottle. setting the liquid courage on the island counter, she set off to the fridge to snag what was left of the pulp free orange juice. to her surprise, the jug stood unopened. next on the list: two glasses — wine glasses, specifically — to add some classiness to the not-so-classy act. positioning the jug, bottle, and two glasses on a faux wood tray and headed off.
the trek to room six was long and complicated. margaery couldn’t count how many close calls she encountered, each one almost ending in shattered wine glasses — especially in areas where the floor was hardwood. the villa was huge and confusing to the girl, even though her buzz had vanished. nearing room six, marge’s nerves began to take over — her constant fear of being a bother gnawing at her mind. what if vera was busy? what if vera wasn’t even at the villa? what if vera is in a bad mood? banishing the thoughts, she focused on the task at hand: greeting her company of choice with the bottle and glasses intact. finally reaching the familiar door, margaery shifted the tray under her right hand, using her left to knock, knock, knock against the door. the weighty tray began to wobble, even with the support of her dominant hand. bringing her left hand down to help steady the tray, she called out, “ vera ?? ”