CHAPTER 19- BAMBOOZLED ENCOUNTER

Chloe had barely slept before her bedside clock woke her from the dreamy land.

She felt her body shaking without her consent and she had no choice but to wake up. With tired eyes, she stared into the already made up face of Lopez.

"Wake up girl! Even sleeping beauty woke after her Prince kissed her." Lopez smirked.

"Umm, good morning?" Chloe stretched in bed.

With a scornful laugh, she responded and told her it was almost dusk.

"What do you mean? What time is it? Why did I hear my bedside clock ring out? What did you do?" Chloe fumed.

"Easy feisty pants. One question at a time." Lopez answered.

"Okay, start talking bitch!" Chloe yelled.

Watch your language Missy! I anger easily if you provide the means." She snapped.

Chloe stayed mute and watched her roommate with some level of fear. Most definitely, those bloodshot eyes weren't leaving her memory soon.

"So, I did everything. I reset your timer on the clock."

Chloe was about to speak when Lopez cut in, "let me finish."

"You slept off without eating anything, then you went to the fridge to get the brownies in my cookie jar. So, you grabbed a few and slept till about 3pm. That's all. And yes, don't worry you didn't miss any classes. It is the big day today." Lopez smiled.

"I'm still confused. 3pm? Big day? No classes, why?" Chloe probed further.

"Oh Chloe, I used to think you are smarter than this. Yes, the brownies were sprinkled with weed. Like, made with the substance. Understand now?"

"Hold on, you mean I ate five brownies made with weed. Goodness me, what if I had ODed?!!" Chloe asked, fuming.

The same reason you should have asked me before eating anything you didn't keep." Lopez's comeback shut off her next response.

"You have a point," Chloe yawned.

"Lopez, you had no right to reset my alarm clock without telling me. What if I had an appointment to meet up with?"

"Speaking of appointments, you have one and I'd be taking you. Get dressed, we'd grab lunch on the way. We can't keep Mother Superior waiting. You have thirty minutes to freshen up." With that, Lopez walked out of the room.

"I am still wondering how much of this unhealthy substance is left in my bloodstream. And the splitting headache, ugh! Leaving home definitely has its perks. Oh dear Chloe, this is becoming an unimaginable nightmare." She dragged herself out of bed into the bathroom to freshen up.

She steadied herself by holding onto the bedside table.

Chloe's mind is still frayed but she manages to freshen up. She hurriedly donned her yellow shirt with a pair of jeans and got dressed in a hurry as she heard Lopez outside the door fumbling with the keys in her possession.

Lopez walked into the room and snaps her fingers, "you're done? Let's go. We need to grab a late lunch first and we can't afford to be late."

Chloe as if propelled by a force, picks up the cologne on the table and sprays it in her hair and the rest of her clothes. She shook her head in disagreement with the fragrance but she thought her senses weren't coherent due to the spiked brownies.

"Lo, I'm set. Let's go."

"Oh wow, let's hit the doughnuts store first." They both exit the dorm room with Lopez locking the door and Chloe following behind.

The ladies got to the doughnuts store in no time and Chloe ordered the doughnuts with lots of chocolate pudding to lace up the consumables before her eyes, then she got herself a bottle of soda.

"It is not a take home pack, can you eat all of that here?" Lopez asked.

"Of course, it's just two doughnuts and a soda."

Lopez took her order and walked back to her table. They ate hurriedly and in silence, which was unlike Chloe who would have asked her how this guest would receive her. Hunger was on her mind and the headache didn't seem to go away.

"Do you have any aspirin? My head aches slightly."

Lopez rolled her eyes and took out the white coated pain relief tablets from her purse. "Hurry up. We should get going."

While Chloe was standing up, her shirt touched the chocolate in the plate and she gasped.

"Urgg, can this day get any worse? You can go on without me Lopez, I'm a mess. I'm going back home to change." Chloe said.

"You will do no such thing. Besides it's late and no one would even notice." Lopez couldn't risk losing her promotion to assistant-in-charge of the sisterhood.

"Lopez, you don't mean that. Do you?"

"I mean that. Let's go!" She said that through gritted teeth dragging Chloe's arm, and she was walking out to find the restroom.

As her button came undone, she resisted the urge to scratch Lopez's eyes.

"Why did you have to drag me like that? What is your problem?" Chloe reacted.

"I'm sorry, we're running late. Let's just go."

In no time, they paid the bills and rushed into the nearest available cab speeding off in the direction of the sisterhood's meeting place.

"We are here," Lopez paid the cab driver and they stepped out.

"Wow, this place is extremely grandiose. I can't go in looking like this please. Make up an excuse or come up with something." Chloe said.

"We've been through this. Let's go in."

With a heavy sigh, she followed Lopez into the hallway.

"I see you're here Lopez. This must be her. Step forward my child." The voice echoed and the face was concealed in the shadows.

"Lopez, what is this?" Chloe asked through gritted teeth.

"Do as she says. No questions asked."

Chloe walked into the glow which casted a spotlight effect and stayed rooted to the spot.

"Hmm, not much to see here. Or maybe the dark deceives my vision." With that, the bearer of the voice stepped into the light to bring Chloe face-to-face.

"Who do you have here?" The woman in a white coloured cape asked here.

"I am Chloe, you must be Mother Superior?"

She scoffed, "this one is quick to speak. Lopez, didn't you school her before bringing her here? I thought you were smarter than this." Mother Superior chided her.

"It was on short notice Mother Superior, she is a fast learner. Do forgive us." Lopez defended herself with her head bowed.

"Us you said? It's fine. My child, come let me take a closer look."

"What is that smell? Is that a masculine scent? Urgg Lopez!"

"Dishevelled hair? Undone buttons? Wrinkles on her shirt? Is that oil?"

"Chocolate Ma'am," Chloe cowered under the scrutiny of the older woman's piercing eyes.

"She even answered my rhetorical question. A most pathetic first impression. Lopez, take this apology for a woman with animalistic traits out of my sight before I lose my powers!" She thundered.

"I sincerely apologize Mother Superior," Lopez said with a shaky voice, clearly unsure of how the apology sounded.

She and Chloe were set to leave in a hurry but the voice startled them both.

"Bring me someone more presentable next time and give that lady fashion tips. Now leave my sight, both of you!!!"

"The board will have to review your promotion in the next meeting Lopez. This one is bad publicity." Mother Superior dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

Chloe was flushed as she had never been so washed down and rinsed out by another female, be it old or young.

Lopez fumed all through their ride back home and slammed the door in Chloe's face when they got home.

When Chloe entered the room, she heard muffled sobs coming from the corner of the room and she knew that whatever transpired in that dark room had something big on Lopez's reputation, but she couldn't bring her mind to unravel what "promotion and review" Mother Superior was on about. That discussion was going to wait as she needed to rest properly. She lay on her bed and dozed off before settling in.