Ava Smith, College Laundry Day

“Fuck!”

The ketchup bottle has landed on top of the pile of clothes Ava is sensibly keeping in the middle of the floor to save money on rich girl luxuries like shelves and drawers. The cap is off and a splatter of ketchup is all over everything, including the white camisole and light green cargo shorts that Ava is wearing.

“I don’t have time for this.”

It’s midterm season in her last year of college. Ava has two more days until the next exam, and she has to study. She doesn’t have time to waste on bullshit like laundry.

Worse, the laundry machine in the basement of the off campus townhouse is out of service. It’s been out of service for two months. Her cheapass landlord Gareth who lives in the townhouse two doors down shut it down to raise the machine price. He promised to let her use it a month ago. It’s still out of service.

“Fuck my life.”

Her roommate Maddie is out and her bedroom is locked, so she can’t even steal Maddie’s clothes.

She’s been going to the Happy Bubbles laundromat on the commercial street a few blocks away. It’s cheaper than her landlord’s bullshit laundry machine in the basement, Hubert the clerk is always friendly, but it’s also a hike. There’s a reason all her clothes are in a dirty pile in the middle of her room. She doesn’t have time for this in midterm season.

Ava dips her hot dog lunch in the ketchup on her camisole and eats it. No sense in wasting good ketchup. Too bad about her white cami. That stain is going to soak in. She could handwash it in the shower, but then it’s going to be fucking sheer instead.

She looks longingly at her single bed. Her trusty butterfly kiss vibe is under her pillow. She needs an escape, but of course that will just smear the ketchup over her sheets.

That’s when the voices start.