"Are you here, Heather?" Amy called out as she entered the apartment. “And if so, are you still alive?”

A noise that sounded more like a groan than a real response came from the bedroom down the hall, and Amy followed it.

“Well, it looks like you’re probably alive, at least.”

“I said ‘Go away,’” the blob of blankets, pillows, and the occasional human body part that must have been Heather said.

“Not while you’re acting like this, I won’t,” Amy replied as she opened up the blinds, much to Heather’s displeasure. “Stop whining; four in the afternoon is far too late to be sleeping in.”

“That hasn’t stopped me yet,” Heather retorted before rolling over and pulling a pillow over her head. “Now leave me alone so I can sleep my pain away.”

“Is that all you’ve been doing for the past two weeks?”

“No. I’ve also been watching Netflix and eating ice cream.”

“This isn’t healthy, Heather!” Amy yelled as she pulled the pillow and blanket away. “Look, I know you’re sad about your breakup with your boyfriend, but your friends are worried about you. [i]I’m[/i] worried about you.”

“This isn’t sad, Amy. Sad is when the dog dies in a movie. Have you ever caught your boyfriend cheating on you?”

“I haven’t had a boyfriend since high school,” Amy mumbled.

“It’s not sad; it’s downright depressing! Nothing makes me happy anymore. Not the ice cream, not Netflix, not even cat gifs. The only thing that brings me comfort is sleep. I can’t feel pain while I sleep.”

“Do you not realize how self destructive you’re being?”

“Of course I do. I just don’t care.” Heather flipped over again and pulled her blanket back up.

“Your other friends and I have been trying to get in touch with you for weeks. But you haven’t responded to our texts or calls at all.”

“Phone’s been off,” she mumbled. “Now will you please let me go back to sleep?”

“No, I won’t. I thought that something like this might happen, so I’m bringing in the big guns.”

“Huh?” Heather rolled over and faced Amy in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“I called Dom. Should be here any minute now.” There was a knock at the door. Amy smiled. “Ahhh, perfect timing.”

Heather sat up, wide-eyed with anticipation as Amy answered the door. “Could it really be?” she whispered. She listened to the voices at her door. Obviously one was Amy, and her eyes lit up as she quickly recognized the second.

Heather got out of bed for the first time in what felt like days. She left her room just as the front door shut. She saw Amy turn around with a large smile on her face, but that smile was nowhere near as impressive as the one on Heather’s face, if only because of the latter’s recent rarity.

But Heather’s attention was not on Amy. She was instead focused on the new arrival. Her hands reached out slowly, but with eagerness. She grabbed. She pulled back. She opened her mouth.

She took a bite of the delicious, cheesy slice. And for the first time in two weeks, she was happy.

[hr]

[i]Time heals most wounds. For everything else, there’s Domino’s.[/i]