The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller(33)

I pull the phone away until her shrieking stops. Only once I hear silence do I place it back against my ear.
“Thank you. I’m officially awake.”
Her laughter rolls through the line until she releases a sigh.
“Quinn hasn’t woken you already? Surprising.”
“No, she did. She started the process and you officially ended it. I am now…fully awake.”
More laughter. “Great. Well, you enjoy your day. I hear Quinn has a special event planned.”
My gaze shifts to the door as Linda exhales deeply, and for the first time since she called, I hear exhaustion in her voice.
“Are you okay? You sound wiped.”
Another long breath follows. “Oh, I’m fine. Long shift at the hospital. No biggie.”
“Okay. I miss you.”
“Aww, I miss you too, honey. Not too long until Winter Break. I’ll see you soon, yes?”
“Yep. Soon.”
The shuffling of her sheets lets me know she’s finally made her way to bed. “I’m finally going to sleep. I just wanted to call you first thing.”
A smile stretches across my face as I repeat something I said for the first time this summer. It just never gets old. “I love you, Linda.”
A small sigh hits my ear before she responds, “I love you too, Aubrey.”
Once we hang up, my heavy legs hit the floor and I make my way to the bathroom. While brushing my teeth, I laugh to myself as I recall the Halloween party last night. Kaeleb was in full costume as the Hulk which, unfortunately, came accompanied with several suggestive comments. As for me, well, I wasn’t dressed up at all. Quinn was donning a very revealing fairy get-up, which earned her an early retirement from the party with Josh. No wonder she’s all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning.
But the main source of my laughter is the fact that Sabrina and Candace showed up scandalously clad in Playboy Bunny costumes, complete with cotton tails that accented their lackluster behinds, which were hanging out for the entire world to see. Kaeleb, in response, overtly suggested that a skeleton unitard would have made a much more believable and eye-appealing costume, which resulted in a burst of laughter from me and a death glare from the two hungry hares.
I haven’t really spoken to either of them since the cereal incident last year, but Quinn refuses to tell them to both go to hell, so I’ve been forced to run into them from time to time. I’ve managed to keep my mouth shut, but Kaeleb…obviously hasn’t.
Grin still present on my face, I exit the bathroom dressed in my plaid pajama bottoms and white tank top. As soon as I reach the kitchen island, Quinn turns me back in the direction of my room with instructions to not come out until I’m dressed. Trudging away from my morning tormentor, I yell, “It’s MY birthday!” and complain about the lack of coffee.
She responds with the promise of my morning dose of caffeine once I’m dressed and ready.
With that threat, I get dressed in a matter of seconds and meet her in the living room. She hands me a warm, delicious cup of coffee and a toasted bagel covered in cream cheese.
“Let’s go!” she says, after shrugging on her jacket and snagging her keys off the entryway table.
“All right, all right,” I mutter. Make-up free, I open the door while she bounces her way through. It’s funny how I don’t even miss my morning ritual of blackening my eyes, or paling my face with powder, or applying my dark lipstick. I haven’t missed it for a while, actually.
Reveling in that fact, I smile as we head to the car.
Quinn drives until we end up in a random parking lot, the car idling quietly as we sit directly in front of…
Daybreaks Salon and Spa.
My eyebrows lift as I stare until I finally find the gaze of my roommate, who’s grinning from ear to ear. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
“What are you doing?” I ask hesitantly.
I didn’t think it possible, but her smile widens even more. “We’re getting makeovers today. The full treatment! Manis, pedis, massages, hair, and makeup. Then, we’re going out.”
I glance from the salon and back to her. “Um, I have no money,” I state, because it’s true. I have like twenty dollars in my bank account, and I won’t have any more until Linda makes my monthly deposit next week.
“No worries.” She takes my coffee and sets it in the cup holder. “It’s my birthday present to you.”
“Quinn. You don’t have—”
She cuts me off with a fierce wave of her hand. “I want to. Plus, what’s the use in winning pageants if I don’t get to spend the fun money?”
Oh, my reigning Princess Fi-Fi. Who, by the way, was indeed just crowned Miss Collegiate America.
I eye the salon for a while longer before releasing an exhale and opening my car door. Quinn yips with excitement before she steps out, and before you know it…my nails are buffed, filed, and coated with a very light beige nail color that matches my toes, my muscles are limp and soft from the massage, and I’m sitting in the hair station of Sergio, who tsks and shakes his head when he sees me.
Not long after he offers his blatant disapproval, he and Quinn find themselves deep in conversation, sporadically pausing only to give me scrutinizing glances, while I sit in the chair feeling like a science experiment. Once they finish their assessment, they both smile and nod in agreement, and I’m turned away from the mirror. Sergio coats my hair with some god-awful smelling colorant while lining several sections with foil packets.
Quinn is fully enthralled in some celebrity magazine, so I make use of my time by texting Kaeleb.