No Rules To Love

Chapter Two -Part One

The next morning, the obnoxious high-pitched tones of my alarm clock woke me up. Rude. Blinded by sleep, I let my arm crawl out from under the covers, refusing to open my eyes. I scanned the area with my hand, trying to find the alarm clock, so I could stop the God-awful sound. When I found the offending item, I slapped it with all my might to shut the blasted thing up.

I opened my eyes to the bright morning light, winced, and clamped my eyes shut. The intensity of the light spilling through the curtains was too much to handle this early in the morning. I groaned. I hated getting up in the morning, but it remained a task I had to do.

On a usual night, I dreamed about making my debut on the West End stage, and it was such a delightful dream that I never wanted it to end. Although I knew I had to wake up to make that dream a reality.

I pushed the covers down, letting the chilly air hit my body, and I fell out of bed, letting gravity do most of the work. Slow from the remnants of sleep, I walked to the bathroom, yawning and stretching as I did so.

I took a quick shower, shoving my hair up before I did so. I had only recently washed my hair, and it took too long to blow-dry it. When I got out, I brushed my teeth. As I brushed my teeth, I walked out of the bathroom and out of my room; I then faced the door that stood next to my own. Ashley’s room. I raised my fist and rapped three hard, rapid knocks on the door.

“Come on, Ash,” I said around my toothbrush. “You’re going to be late!”

If I was terrible at getting up in the morning, Ashley was ten times worse. I liked to think I went to bed at a reasonable time to make sure I had enough rest for the next day. I used to think that Ashley shared the same values.

However, about a year ago, on an excruciatingly warm summer night, I wanted a refreshing glass of water. This was a rare move for me, as I never interrupted my sleep for anything. As I passed Ashley’s room, I heard giggling coming from the other side of the door. I wondered what it could be; perhaps I had only just discovered her sleep-talking habits. So, I confronted her about it the next morning. It turns out she was talking to Michael... At 2:00. In the morning. No wonder she was always so tired in the morning.

Unfortunately, it then fell into my hands to get her up in the morning. I mean, I didn’t have to do it, but she was my best friend and I didn’t want her to be late for class. But it was an arduous task and one I was tired of.

Ashley mumbled from the other side of the door, and I took that as an ‘okay, Talia. Whatever you say, Talia’. At least she’d heard me. So, I shrugged, rolled my eyes, and headed back to the bathroom to spit and put my toothbrush back in its holder. I’d done the best I could do.

I then went and opened my wardrobe so that I could change. When I opened the doors and pushed them back, a sea of black, with odd bits of colour dotted throughout, met my eyes. As it was obvious, when I wasn’t in classes, I was in some form of rehearsal. Other than work, I did little else. I clearly had a very exciting life. The dress code for rehearsals and classes was ‘blacks’, which meant black clothing.

I had an internal debate about clothing. As we had this guest speaker, what would be appropriate to wear? I thought back to all the other guest speakers we had visiting us over the past three years. But they all had vastly unique styles and diverse ways of dealing with us. Some of them stood there and talked to us for a good hour, almost like a lecture. Others liked everyone to get up and get involved; they sometimes conducted this in a dance class or acting workshop. While some picked random people from the audience as a sort of masterclass. So, it is always better to prepare for any outcome.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed at myself. Why did I overthink my clothing choices? I never put much thought into what I would wear. I always decided on comfort over style, so I didn’t know why I was currently worried about something as trivial as clothing. After I pulled a pair of black leggings and a black tank top from the closet, I threw them on my bed. Then I got a pair of red converse from the bottom of the closet and placed them near my bed. I figured I would add a splash of colour to my outfit.

After I dressed, I threw my hair up into a messy ponytail, with a few wisps of hair framing my face. After exiting my room, I headed into the kitchen to make myself some breakfast. I didn’t bother wearing make-up, I never did. I didn’t bother too much about my appearance, and I wore enough stage make-up to last me a lifetime. Yes, it was nice to look professional and make an effort. I didn’t want to appear like a slob, of course. But I made sure I had a good skincare routine, so I wasn’t self-conscious when I didn’t wear make-up. And because of all the activity I usually did during rehearsal, any make-up I did put on, I would sweat off within an hour.

A lovely mental image for you all there.

I then went and grabbed a bowl of cereal for my breakfast. As I was halfway through munching on my food, the door to Ashley’s room burst open. She walked out with a radiant smile on her face and looking perfect, as usual. She, like me, had gone for the all-black approach. However, she had literally gone all black. She wore a black tank top and black leggings, with a black pair of Vans on her feet. Donning her shoulders was her leather jacket and in her manicured hand perched her iPhone. Her hair lay down her back in long blonde, flowing waves, and she had completed her make-up to perfection, as per usual.

“Hey," I greeted her with a smile. I placed the spoon back in the bowl before continuing. “Glad to see that you’re up and out of your pit. Want some breakfast?”

She smiled at me. “I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.” She waved her phone at me and grinned. “Michael called; he’s taking me out for breakfast, his treat. You’ll be okay going to class on your own, won’t you?”

This was a regular occurrence, but she still got excited, and it flattered her every time he offered to take her out. Which I guess was cute to witness after all this time.

“Ash, you’ve had your fair share of breakfasts with Michael in the almost three years we’ve been here. I think I can manage going there on my own.” I chuckled at my best friend and her maternal tendencies. Some solitude was enjoyable for me and I always remained comfortable with it.

“Just making sure.” She told me, blinking her innocent eyes. She then started to make her way out of the door, calling over her shoulder as she did so. “If we get to class before you, we’ll save you a seat. See ya later!”

I could barely nod my head and respond before the front door slammed on Ashley’s retreating back. I got back to my breakfast, and it didn’t take me long to finish it. That was a good thing, as the class drew closer and closer with each passing second. I washed my bowl, dried it, and placed it back in the cupboard before I fetched my bag. My bag was quite large, as it usually held bottles of water and towels. This was in case I had a particularly tough rehearsal.

One can never be too prepared.