CHAPTER THREE
741 Words
Mirabel didn’t knock—she never knocked. The door flew open with a bang that could wake the dead, and before Nuellah could process anything, her best friend stormed into the room like a hurricane with legs.
“NUE-LLAH CHUKS!” Mirabel screamed, waving an envelope over her head. “PACK YOUR BAGS! WE GOT THE APARTMENT!”
Nuellah’s heartbeat jumped. She had been calmly typing an article on her laptop, enjoying her quiet evening, when Mirabel’s explosion shattered the peace.
“Mirabel, what is wrong with you?” Nuellah pressed a hand over her chest. “You want to send me to heaven early?”
Mirabel leaped onto the bed, nearly knocking the laptop off. “Don’t ‘what is wrong with you’ me! Celebrate me!”
Nuellah blinked. “Apartment… as in the one we wanted?”
Mirabel grinned like a madwoman. “YES! No more hostel! No more noise! No more fighting over sockets!”
Nuellah’s eyes widened. Relief washed over her so fast she almost melted. “Thank God,” she whispered. “Mirabel, I swear, I couldn’t stay in that hostel again.”
Mirabel collapsed beside her dramatically. “Same! If one more girl accused me of stealing her spoon, I would have thrown hands.”
They both burst into laughter.
“Third year is stressful enough,” Nuellah said. “I need peace. Like peace of mind OMG!
“And I can’t keep pretending I don’t hear people fighting at 2 a.m.” Mirabel shook her head. “We’re free, babe. Free!”
They held hands and shook them dramatically like they were on a movie poster.
Then Mirabel paused.
She stared.
She squinted.
“… Why are you smiling?”
Nuellah froze. “I’m… smiling?”
“Yes,” Mirabel said suspiciously, leaning in. “Your mouth is doing the thing it does when there is gist.”
“There is no gist.”
“Nuellah.” Mirabel pointed at her face. “THIS is gist-face.”
Nuellah tried to look away.
Mirabel gasped. “OH MY GOD, WHO TEXTED YOU?”
“No one!”
“The tall guy from your class?”
“No!”
“That fine boy from the café?”
“Mirabellllll—”
“Talk now!” she cried, shaking her shoulders.
Nuellah sighed and finally gave up. “Okay, fine.”
Mirabel straightened instantly. “I’m listening.”
“Well…” Nuellah bit her lip nervously. “My blog blew up.”
Mirabel blinked. “Blew up as in… what?”
“As in… views. Comments. People share my posts. Everything.”
Mirabel’s mouth fell open. “STOP PLAYING.”
“I’m serious.”
“Which post?”
“An old one. The one I wrote about Reed Empire Global.”
Mirabel screamed into a pillow. “NUELLAAAAH! YOU ARE VIRAL?!”
Nuellah covered her face, blushing. “It’s not that deep.”
“Not that deep?!” Mirabel dragged her into a suffocating hug. “Do you know how many writers would sacrifice their left shoe for this?!”
“I don’t think shoes are—”
“Nuellah!” Mirabel shook her again. “This is huge!”
Nuellah giggled shyly. “Okay, maybe it’s kind of huge.”
“Kind of?!” Mirabel started pacing dramatically around the room. “We need to celebrate! We need cake! We need ice cream! We need—”
“Calm down,” Nuellah laughed.
Mirabel stopped suddenly. Her eyes softened. “I’m proud of you. Honestly.”
Nuellah felt her chest warm. “Thank you, Mira.”
Mirabel flopped back onto the bed again. “Between your blog going viral and us getting an apartment… today is a blessed day.”
“A very blessed day,” Nuellah agreed.
Mirabel sat up again. “Okay, stand up! Let’s go and eat something! Preferably sweet and expensive!”
“Who is paying?”
Mirabel gasped as if offended. “You, of course. Viral blogger!”
Nuellah grabbed a pillow and hit her. “Get out!”
Mirabel burst into loud laughter. “I’m going. But wear shoes. We’re celebrating!”
She skipped toward the door, then paused and turned with a mischievous grin.
“And tomorrow,” she said, “we start packing for our new apartment.”
Nuellah smiled—wide, genuine, hopeful.
Their life was about to change.
In more ways than either of them knew.
- Writer
