#hnaf

A party of one.

Vanessa rang the doorbell out of habit, not expecting Ruby-Jane to hear it over the pounding beat. She let herself in. 

The music surrounded her and she covered her ears. It didn’t help at all. 

She scanned the living room and found it empty. Where did she keep the speakers? 

Vanessa rushed into the TV room to find her best friend laying on the floor in swim trunks, a tank top, and a plate of nachos resting on her chest. 

“Ruby-Jane!” Vanessa yelled. She tried again, but to no avail. Her friend lay as if dead. Maybe she was asleep? With the sunglasses she couldn’t tell. 

There! Ruby-Jane’s phone rested on top of a large Bluetooth speaker. A playlist with only one song displayed on the screen. How long had she been listening to this?

Vanessa pressed pause. 

Bless. Her ears were free. 

“Ruby-Jane.”

“Eh?” She pulled her sunglasses down and blinked in confusion. “Where did you come from?”

“How long have you been laying here?”

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, the plate of nachos cascading into her lap. “Since like . . . 11:30?”

“It’s 4 pm!”

“Is it?” she squinted at the clock on the wall. “No, it’s 3:56.”

“Get up.” Vanessa held out her hand. “Stop being depressed.”

“I’m not depressed. This is my personality.”

“You have guacamole all over you and I’m 80% sure you have hearing damage.”

“I never said it was a good personality.” She picked a chip off her lap and popped it in her mouth. 

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