“I can’t believe we finally made it through residency,” Scarlett practically shouted, her voice bouncing off the walls. “Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever reach this point.”
“Is it just me, or are you being a tad loud?” I asked quietly, glancing at the clock. 1:45 AM. “We share an apartment, remember?”
Scarlett and I have been inseparable since third grade, a bond forged from a particularly clumsy moment with a colored pencil. She’d accidentally jabbed me in the eye trying to get my attention. For weeks, she apologized until, eventually, she decided we could be best friends to make up for it. Now, after finally finishing residency, we shared an apartment, and a history.
“Geez, what a trip,” she continued, still radiating excitement. “It took far too long to earn this title, but it’s definitely worth it.”
“I can see you’re excited. You might as well announce it to the neighbors,” I chuckled, earning a glare.
“Your sarcasm gives me headaches,” Scarlett retorted, flopping onto her back on the bed.
“Maybe you should get off my bed and take some medicine then, Dr. Scar,” I teased, hoping she’d move so I could finally rest before our first real day of work.
“Alright, alright. I’ll go, sleepyhead. Just wake me up in the morning. I’m not waking up to an alarm.” I rolled my eyes but nodded anyway.
“Thanks, Victoria! You’re my favorite person in the whole world!” She kissed my cheek and bolted out of the room, leaving the door wide open – knowing full well how much that bothered me.
“Jerk,” I muttered under my breath. I shut the door and changed into an oversized t-shirt and fuzzy purple shorts. As I hopped into bed, I remembered I’d left my charger in the living room. Considering my fear of the dark, I sprinted to the light switch. I need to get a lamp. I grabbed the charger, rushed back to bed, and tried to clear my mind. How did guys just *think* of nothing? The concept eluded me.
“Victoria!” Scarlett whisper-yelled from the doorway.
“Hmm?” I mumbled into my pillow.
“I have to go to the store, and I’m not going alone.”
“Why on Earth do you have to go to the store at 2:30 in the morning?”
“I accidentally dropped the last roll of toilet paper into the toilet and I have to pee.”
“How do you *drop* toilet paper into the toilet?!”
She shrugged. “I was washing my hands, and it was sitting on the counter.”
“Sometimes I wish you never stabbed me with that stupid colored pencil,” I grumbled, standing up to change again.
“Thank you! I owe you!” Scarlett squealed, skipping out of the room. I finished changing, lazily twisting my hair into a messy bun, and headed to the car.
“I can’t believe you did that. Don’t you realize we have work at seven?” I scolded.
“I considered that, but sometimes bodily functions are quite important.” She sleepily rested her head against the passenger seat headrest, hoping for a quick trip. After a swift in-and-out at the store, Scarlett sang at the top of her lungs the entire way back. I still didn’t understand how she wasn’t tired.
Back at the apartment, we exchanged good nights and headed to bed. It was now 3 AM, and I resigned myself to three hours of sleep before a twelve-hour shift. After tossing and turning for about thirty minutes, I finally drifted off, dreaming of the horrors awaiting a sleep-deprived doctor on her first official day.