Willow slept through her phone alarm the next morning, only to be awakened by her mother and little sister shaking her bed, urging her to get up. Their onslaught was relentless.
"You slept in your clothes last night?! What time did you get in?! Did you forget you had to drive us to the train this morning?! We have to leave now, we're going to be late! I can't miss this train, Willow! I can't!"
The young girl didn't have time to react, she was launched right into this panicked Sunday morning. Her eyes barely just opening, she looked at her phone for the time, and saw her last message to Mara. Last night wasn't a dream.
"Let's go, let's go!" her mom implored, snapping her out of her fog, peppering a few "Are you on drugs? Should I be worried?!" in for good measure. Mom's questions and orders came fast and furious and Willow answered none of them other than with a grunt or groan. "Make sure your sister has her stuff packed, and go start the car, we're leaving in two minutes, if I miss this train, I will kill you!"
Showered with her mother's anxiety, without even time to brush her teeth, Willow stepped into her shoes, and began chasing after her little sister Stephanie to examine her knapsack. Along the way she grabbed her mom's car keys.
"In the car, in the car, let's go!" her mom shouted and Willow took Stephanie with her, securing her in the backseat before sitting down behind the wheel. Pulling out of the drive way, she realized she was wearing what she slept in. She exhaled. And mom noticed.
"Oh Willow, you didn't brush?"
"Willow didn't brush!!" came from the backseat.
After a few turns and the (miraculous) catching of a few lights, a hug, and a pseudo kiss on the cheek from her mom, meant that they were at the station, just in time to make their train. But now, as she turned the car around, Willow realized she never grabbed her keys. There was no way of getting into the house. What was worse, she also didn't have her wallet. She was lucky to have her phone.
Willow felt gross. She hadn't washed her face, or brushed her teeth. Like she was told, she slept in the mess she made last night. In the same clothes, and while her jeans and top could probably be okay, she was very aware of the panties she wore. Willow didn't have neighborhood friends she could check in with or stop by at. She didn't have a gym membership, and didn't have money on her to buy clothes. In her mom's car outside her house, she picked her phone up and watched as her fingers moved on their own texting Mara.
"Hi."
A few seconds went by. Then a minute. Then two minutes. Then, bubbles.
"Owen must have gotten home at 6 or 6:30. He's asleep. I don't expect him up till early afternoon at the earliest, hun."
Willow exhaled. She stared at her phone. She wasn't asking about Owen and stared at the blank spot in the text exchange.
"Oh, okay. Thank you..." she began, and then re-wrote, and then deleted and then rewrote again as she tried to think of something to write, some way to ask to be able to come over.
"Oh, okay. Actually, I was writing because...I got locked out of my house. Well, actually I wasn't locked out, I really just forgot my keys, I had to take my mom to the train station and now I'm stuck in my car because I left my keys inside and..."
She sent the text and hastily began on the second text she was going to send when her phone rang. It was Mara.
"Probably easier to talk on the phone for this. What's going on, now?"
Willow breathed into the phone and told the older woman about her situation.
"So, you're still in what you wore yesterday?"
"Yes."
"Everything?"
"Yes." Willow sighed.
Mara laughed, "No way. Send me a picture."
Willow swallowed hard, blushed and held her phone up to take the picture. She had bed-head, and was clearly in the same top and jeans that she wore before. She took the awkward selfie and sent it.
"Okay, you should have it."
Mara took a moment, to open the pic she was just sent. "Thought you said you were wearing everything you wore from last night."
"I am."
"Everything?"
Willow exhaled, undid the top of her jeans and took a selfie showing herself wearing Mara's panties. She sent it.
"Oh girl. Those look familiar."
"Can I...may I come over?"
"For what?"
"I need to clean up, can I..."
"Sweetie, I can't give you a bath." Mara interjected. "Owen's home and I have to get some of this work done. I also have a colleague coming over this morning."
"...use your shower?" Willow continued, her heart beating, her voice betraying that she wanted to be allowed to go over.
"Yes, I know, I mean, that's okay. I...just kind of need a place right now, my mom is not coming home till probably 7 or 8."
There was a long sigh.
"I...can walk Rascal if you need. And even straighten up. I won't bother you if you need to work."
"Ugh. It's really kind of putting me out..." Mara paused.
"I can straighten up around the house if you need."
A sigh, and then an okay. Willow smile, and exhaled. "Thank you." A rush a blood ran through Willow's body spiked with adrenaline. "Thank you so much." A pause, and then. "...Miss."
Mara laughed on the other end of the phone. "It's Mara, and just be quiet coming upstairs, don't wake Owen up, and don't have Rascal bark. Matter of fact, maybe take her out first. I've got to get this thing ready for when my guest comes over."
"Yes Miss, thank you Miss."
Mara hung up. It takes 30 minutes to get from the train station to Owen's place. Willow looked like she was going to make it in five. Willow pulled her car up to Mara's apartment. She walked up the stairs. Mara greeted her at the door, with Rascal already wearing her leash. "She needs a good walk, hun". Handing Willow a doggie bag.
Willow took Rascal downstairs. The few neighbors they encountered greeted Rascal as the dog happily made her way. Willow avoided eye contact, knowing she looked like she just rolled out of bed. Rascal took her time, and a good 45 minutes later, Willow returned. She had to pee now, and desperately needed to throw water on her face, and brush her teeth. When she walked in, Mara's colleague was there.
"Aw, this is Willow, Ang." Mara said, giving Willow the idea Angela, Mara's colleague was given the head up they'd be joined by someone.
"Oh, this is Owen's girl?" Angela asked smiling, getting up to greet Willow.
"Well, not his girl. But..." Mara caught herself, "Sorry love, that came out wrong. She...she kind of looks out Owen and takes care of him."
Willow blushed, by Ang seemed to understand. Ang was Latina, she looked to be in the same age range as Mara. She had dark skin, and black hair. She put her hand on her chin and smiled to Willow. "Aw, she's cute."
Mara laughed, "Well, not now. She was locked out of her house and is wearing her clothes from last night."
"Locked out?" Ang questioned.
"Yes, she needs a place to shower, clean up."
