Hero » l.p. au

Chapter 4

"Is that all?" Briana asked, her head on the table.

"Yes, you're a free elf now," I said monotonically.

"Yes!" All of a sudden, Bri's hands were up in the air, and she was staring at the ceiling of my living room like Jesus was there. I couldn't blame her though; we'd just spent two and a half hours on homework, no breaks, nothing. And I thought high school was a bitch.

"Well, I'd love to stay and celebrate..." Briana sighed before continuing. "But I need to go to work."

"Good luck." I smirked to myself, and could practically feel my best friend killing me in her mind. No one hated working more than her. She'd often tell me I'm her role model.

"Ha ha. I hope your car breaks down when you have to go to Holcomb's," She said in a whiney tone, and fell back into her previous seat again. I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Your car broke down?"

"Yeah. My dad took it to the mechanic, but I won't be able to drive it today," Briana said through a sigh. "Now I have to walk two kilometers to that godforsaken place."

"Can't you like, take a cab or a bus or something?" I asked, and she shook her head. Why was I finding it amusing? "Nah, I spent all of my money last night." She rolled her eyes and I nodded; we'd gone out the previous evening, not caring about the consequences. But hey, it was a Friday night and it wasn't raining or anything, in the middle of October. In Wolverhampton, we learn to cherish those kind of days.

I nodded again. "I'll drive you. I'll borrow my mum's car."

Briana looked at me as if I'd told her I robbed a bank. "Seriously?" She said and I shrugged. "Yeah, I've nothing to do anyways. You'll just have to give me directions."

"You sure though? Remember the last time you drove me to work?" Briana raised her eyebrows at me.

I sighed and looked out the window. 2011 is definitely not one of my favourite years, not when I got arrested for accidentally driving my mum's car on the pavement and pretty much destroying a public mailbox, and running over a cat's tail. She hadn't lent me her car since, until we started uni about a month ago; saying that she was pissed was an understatement.

"Don't blame me, I told you that pizza place is cursed." Bri laughed at my comment about her previous workplace, and packed her own books.

"And is this store cursed as well?" She asked. Ironically, she worked at a pet store, a very large one indeed. It was creepy how she loved animals so much more than humans.

"Oh, you're meant to be at the shop. But I'll tell you if it's damned when we get there."

*******

"So, is it cursed?" Briana questioned as we walked out of my mum's car, and I shook my head.

"Nah, I didn't run over anything," I said, quite proud of myself. It wasn't often that I drove cars without breaking a law. Bri chuckled at my statement, and walked me into the short, long building. The smell of cat food and cat poop immediately got my head spinning.

"Oh my God," I mumbled. "How do you not die here?!"

Briana took a bottle of air freshener, shook it, and sprayed the room with it, careful not to get any of it on the animals there. The smell instantly became a thousand times more bearable.

"That's how," She muttered and took a deep breath, leaving the small bottle on the counter. I assumed they had to use that a lot.

I heard a door open somewhere behind me, and saw another girl walk out. She inhaled deeply as well. "Ah, that is much better," She commented as she leaned over the counter and took a handbag, presumably hers.