Dart and Dash - Mary Smith Page 0,7

look like a person who wants to eat?”

“Every Sunday morning we all eat together, and you’re coming along. So, please get up and ready,” I gently ordered her.

“I can’t move, and I’m not hungry.” She closed her eyes, snuggling into her pillow. Her deep red hair splayed across it. I missed her light brown hair; it was exactly like Mom’s.

“I’m not leaving until you get out of that bed.” I figured I needed to be more forceful if she wasn’t going to get out of the bed.

“Go away, Daisy.” Her jaw was tight, and I knew she was growing frustrated.

“Nope.”

Garnet opened her eyes again, giving me a mean look. She knew I wasn’t going to leave. I had my own stubborn streak in me.

“Fine,” Garnet yelled, jerking the sheet away. She got up and headed into the bathroom.

Once I heard the shower start, I started making her bed. When I went to fluff the pillows, I saw something. It was a picture frame. I softly gasped when I saw the picture. It was the four of us and had been taken at one of Garnet’s last dance performances before Mom died.

I remembered it because I had come back home after my first year at Marshall. Garnet’s brown hair was tucked under a large top hat, and she was dressed in a girly tuxedo. Her smile was bright as she clung to her first place trophy. It was in the tap dancing division. I had always thought she would dance on Broadway someday. I was so proud of her.

My eyes teared up looking at Mom. Her bob styled hair-do was in perfect place, as was her tan pantsuit. Her light brown eyes were shining with pride for Garnet, and the family. This was shortly before she got sick. She lost all of her hair and became so thin; it was still hard to picture how sick she really became.

I missed her every day. I wished she were here now. She would have known how to handle Garnet and this situation. Maybe Garnet wouldn’t be acting this way if Mom hadn’t died.

“My diary is under the mattress.” Garnet was standing in the doorway in her black robe.

“You don’t have one.”

“That’s true.” She walked into the room and over to her closet.

I finished making the bed, placing the picture under the pillow where I found it. “You seem in a better mood since you showered.”

She scoffed. “Not really. I’m pretty sure I have a marching band in my head at this moment.”

When she turned back to me she was slipping on a tank top, and without thinking, I groaned in disgust. “I hate that tattoo.”

Garnet narrowed her eyes at me. “I love it, so don’t start.”

She had gotten the monstrosity on her eighteenth birthday. I thought it was the dumbest thing she could have ever done to her body, but she was proud of it.

“Are you ready?”

“Yep.” Garnet flipped her long hair into a ponytail, wiggled into a pair of black flip-flops that matched her jean shorts. Garnet glanced at herself in the full-length mirror, smoothing her red tank top down. I noticed that she had layered the black make up on, just like last night.

We walked across Sixth Avenue to the boy’s house. I loved our location. It was close to campus, and there were numerous apartment buildings around us, and students everywhere most of the time. The aroma hit me when I opened the door. Dash might not be my favorite person, but he could cook.

“We’re here.” I announced, heading for the kitchen.

It didn’t matter how many times I suggested some minor décor changes to the guys, they just weren’t going to make them. This place was a picture perfect bachelor pad: posters on the wall, limited furniture, and a large TV with a gaming system attached to it.

Dash was sitting a large bowl of scrambled eggs on the table as I went to kiss Dart.

“Garnet, you look nice,” Dart said as we all settled into our seats.

“Thanks,” she gave him a tiny smile.

We began to pass the food around, and for a little while we ate in silence.

“Garnet, you still excited for classes to start tomorrow?” Dart asked.

I admired how he tried to make her feel so welcome.

“Yeah I guess,” she shrugged.

“Well, I know I’m happy this is my last year,” I said excitedly. No more school for me.”

“I agree,” Dart added. “What about you, Dash?”

“Yep,” he said while shoveling food into his mouth.

I don’t know what it was, but