Dreamland

Bad Shoes

I wake up having to pee. I'm slightly hung over; I had too much fun at the club last night. I walk into the bathroom. Two of my roommates, Karen and Dave, are showering together. I use the toilet quickly and leave, to allow them some privacy.

I'm renting a room in a five-bedroom apartment with several other people. We all share one large bathroom and a communal kitchen. The place isn't much for privacy but you get used to it, and the rent is cheap.

As I leave the bathroom I look down at the shoes. We all take our shoes off when we enter (house rules) and leave them near the front door, in the hallway next to the bathroom. My shoes are the shabbiest looking in the bunch. I decide to polish them, try to improve my image a little.

As I'm kneeling there in the hallway shining my shoes, the front door opens. It's Michelle, one of the lesbians who lives here. She says "Hi" and starts to take off her shoes. As she does, her girlfriend Laura walks out of their bedroom to meet her. She's not happy. "Where have you been all night? Have you been seeing someone else?"

"It's no big deal, I just met a girl at the club and spent the night with her," Michelle replies.

"Where did you get that skirt? And those shoes, they're terrible, not at all you!" Lauren says, pointing. (Michelle is wearing a maroon plaid "schoolgirl" miniskirt, and a pair of cheap "boat shoes", like those vinyl imitation topsiders they sell at Payless.)

"The girl I was with… we decided to trade clothes, just for fun," Michelle says.

I head back towards my bedroom to escape their argument. Michelle smiles at me sheepishly as I walk away. Laura is still ranting at her as I shut my door.

My head still hurts, probably from dehydration. And listening to them argue isn't helping either. I spot half a glass of warm water on my dresser. I should rinse it out and get some fresh, but I'm too lazy. I drink the stale water and lie down; I'll probably feel better after a couple more hours of sleep.

I start thinking about Michelle as I'm drifting off to sleep. She's kinda cute and a little bit wild. It's too bad she's gay; I bet she'd be fun in bed. One of the other guys in the house said he tried to talk her into switching teams after she'd had a few drinks one night, but no dice. Oh well, I can still dream, can't I?