Chapter 4: July 8, 2001

Sasha yawned as she woke up and stretched. Then she sat up in her bed and swung her legs over the edge. She sat there for a moment and rubbed her eyes as she yawned again.

"Mm, maybe I'll make myself some pancakes for breakfast."

She got up from the bed. Then she looked down before picking up her shorts and putting them on.

"I need to take a shower today, but first coffee."

Her mouth stretched into another yawn. Then she made her way out of the bedroom and walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. She walked over to the coffee maker and let out a sigh.

"Goddammit, why didn't they make coffee before they went to work."

She mumbled to herself before she reached up into the cabinet and grabbed the bag of ground coffee. She placed the coffee bag on the counter before she reached back up and grabbed a filter. Then she got the coffee maker all set up and started it.

"Forget the pancakes. I'll just go take a shower while I wait for the coffee."

After that, she walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway towards the bathroom.

"On second thought, maybe I'll take a bath. It is my birthday, after all."

She said to herself as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

- - -

Milo let out a loud as he woke up and stretched before he sat up in bed. Then he rubbed his eyes as he got up and walked over to his closet.

"Hmm, what the fuck should I wear today?"

He asked himself as he looked through his t-shirts. He yawned as he grabbed one of his 'Depeche Mode' shirts. Then he tossed the shirt on top of his dresser as he grabbed a pair of socks and put them on. He looked down and picked up his favorite black skinny jeans, then he sniffed them and shrugged.

"They smell fine to me."

The words left his lips as he shrugged again and put the jeans on. Then he grabbed his shirt from atop the dresser and put it on as he walked out of his bedroom. As he walked into the kitchen to make himself some breakfast, he stopped and remembered what day it was.

"Oh fuck, I forgot to buy Sasha something for her birthday."

A sigh escaped him before he grabbed a can of Coca-Cola. Then he walked over toward the house phone as he took a drink from the Coke.

- - -

Sasha sat there in the bathtub with her eyes closed as she listened to her favorite 'Nirvana' album. Then she splashed the warm bath water on her face before washing her body. A loud sigh escaped as her body relaxed against the back of the tub. She opened her eyes and looked towards the edge of the bathtub. Her gaze danced over the razor blade she had placed there before she had got into the tub. She sighed again before carefully picking up the razor blade. She looked at it as if she was in some sort of trance. The music slowly faded away as she moved the razor blade to her wrist. After a few moments, she snapped back to her senses and tossed the razor blade across the bathroom.

"What's wrong with me? Why would I even think about doing something like that?"

A tone of sadness and self-concern was in her voice as she sat there and cried for a few minutes. Then when she thought about Milo and Nemesis, she could feel her moon start to improve.

"They're coming over today. I gotta get ready."

A warm smile spread across her face as she continued to think about them. Then she got out of the tub and grabbed her towel before she turned off her CD player.

Nemesis put the phone back on the receiver and chewed on her lower lip before going back to her bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. As she ate, she talked to herself.

"Okay, finish this, take a shower, then go meet up with Milo and go to the mall."

After she placed the last spoonful of cereal in her mouth, she stood up and took the bowl over to the sink.

"Now, shower time."

She nodded her head before walking to her bedroom and grabbed her clothes. She looked around the room to make sure she didn't forget anything. She nodded again as she walked out of the room and made her way into the bathroom. Then she closed the door behind her before locking it. After she started the water, she undressed and looked at herself in the mirror before grabbing her breasts, then sighed.

"I wish these were bigger."

Her expression changed as she looked at a bruise on her hip, then she gently brushed her fingertips over it. She looked over and saw the hot steam emerging from the shower. She walked over and opened the curtain before getting in, then closed the curtain as she proceeded to bathe herself.

- - -

Milo sat on the stairs that lead to the front door of his house and listened to the 'Satanica' album by Behemoth on his black Sony Walkman as he waited for Nemesis.

"Where is she? I called her almost two hours ago."

He mumbled to himself as he looked down the sidewalk and finally saw her, way down at the end of the street. He sighed as he stood up and powered off his Walkman, then placed it in his backpack. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes as he made his way down the street towards her. Then he pulled out a single cigarette and placed it between his lips.

"What took you so long, Nyx?"

The question playfully left his lips before he lit the cigarette. She looked at him as she shook her head.

"I'll tell you what took me so long, but not before you let me have one of your cigs."

She said before reaching into his backpack and pulling out his pack of cigarettes. Then she placed one of the cigarettes between her lips.

"Now, light this for me, please?"

There was a mock demanding yet cut tone to her voice as she pointed at the cigarette.

A light sigh escaped him before he let out a little laugh, then he pulled the lighter back out of his pocket then lit her cigarette.

"Okay, there you go."

The words danced out from between his lips then he placed the lighter in the front pocket of his leather jacket.

"Now, what took you so long?"

He asked as they started walking in the direction of the mall.

She took a long drag from her cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke before finally answering his question.

"It takes time to look this good."

The words danced from her lips with a sarcastic yet cute little grin plastered on her face. Then she took another drag from her cigarette.

He rolled his eyes as he took a drag from his cigarette, then he looked at her.

"I did all of this in ten minutes, even my makeup."

His words escaped from his lips along with the cigarette smoke as he pointed at his outfit.

She let out an adorable giggle as she looked at him.

"I did more than just eyeliner, Milo."

They kept walking and talking until they finally made it to the mall. When they got to the door, he reached out and opened it.

"Ladies first."

He said before gesturing for her to walk in, then he took one last drag from his cigarette and threw the butt onto the ground.

"Thanks, babe."

Then she too threw her cigarette butt onto the ground before giving him a quick but loving kiss.

"Love you."

She winked at him as she turned and walked in.

He walked up behind her, then playfully grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him.

"Love you too."

Then he pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss and rubbed her cheek.

- - -

Sasha stood in the kitchen as she chewed on her lower lip and looked around.

"Hmm, I should probably start getting everything ready for when Nyx and Milo get here."

She opened and looked through the refrigerator for something to snack on while she waited. Then she pulled out a bag of baby carrots and vegetable dip and started eating. After a few seconds, a very unwelcome memory of her Uncle's last visit flooded her thoughts, which caused painful tears to form in her eyes.

- - -

"What do you think?"

Nemesis asked as she held a shirt up to herself with a devious yet cute little smile on her face.

Milo looked at her, then looked down at the shirt.

"Cute, but weren't you looking for something for Sasha."

He asked as he gave her a slightly confused look.

She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I already found something for her. Now, I'm shopping for myself."

Then she playfully punched him on the arm. She watched as he reacted but spoke again before he had the chance to.

"So, what are you looking for?"

She looked at the rack of jeans as she waited for him to answer.

He looked from her to the rack of jeans.

"Oh, Sasha told me about a pair of jeans she wanted, but she didn't have enough money to buy them."

He started looking through the jeans again. Then she started helping him look for them, which brought a smile to his face.

"Thanks, babe."

Her gaze lifted to look at him, and she smiled.

"No problem, babe."

She went back to looking for them. Then after a minute or two, she found them.

"Oh, these are cute. Now, I see why Sasha liked them so much."

She examined them as she held the jeans up for him to see.

"I wonder if there's another pair?"

She said as she handed him the jeans. Then she started looking for a pair in her size.

He walked over to a wallet chain that caught his eye and grabbed it. Then he noticed that she was still looking at the jeans and walked back over to her.

"Let me guess now you want a pair of those too?"

He asked as he watched her.

She smiled at him.

"Of course."

Her gorgeous smile grew when she found another pair of jeans in her size.

"Fuck yeah."

She exclaimed as she pulled them off the rack. Then she started to walk over towards the fitting room. She turned and had an expression on her face that matched the question she was about to ask.

"Are you coming?"

Her question lingered for a moment as she motioned for him to follow her.

He looked at her with questioning eyes before he spoke.

"Why do you want me to join you?"

He asked as he continued to look at her.

She let out a sigh before giving him a shy little smile.

"I want your opinion on something, babe."

Her gaze locked onto his before she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him into the fitting room. Then she closed the door behind them and dropped the clothes that she had on the bench.

He continued to watch her questioningly.

"So, what did you want my opinion on, babe?"

Without another word, she proceeded to remove her black tank top and bra, then she grabbed both of his hands and placed them on her breasts.

"Tell me, these are too small, aren't they?"

The question hung there as she held his hands in place.

A sympathetic sigh left his lips as he looked into her eyes, then he leaned in so that he was only an inch away from her face.

"I think they're perfect, baby."

He whispered just loud enough for her to hear him before he planted a firm, loving kiss on her lips.

She reciprocated the kiss as she let go of his hands and reached for the top button of his skinny jeans. She undid the button just as he playfully pushed her up against the wall, and they helped each other get naked.