Page 156 of Beautiful Collide

Hudson:THE GUY IN THE SPARKLY SUIT

Molly:wtf r u talking about

Hudson:his hair is so shiny

Molly:hudson focus

Hudson:FOCUS. yes or no

Molly:stop yelling at me

Hudson:ur not answeringggg

Molly:im THINKING

Hudson:thinking is for nerds. say yes.

Molly:why is ur face in my phone

Hudson:bc im ur hsbnddddiekao

57

Molly

My head pounds.

Is there a drumline competition in my head?

Nope.It’s just you drank too much, like an idiot.

I lift my hands to my eyes and scrub away the remaining sleep. The movement makes me groan.Ouch.

Why does everything hurt?

As the world around me comes into focus, the sunlight streaming through the hotel curtains feels less like morning and more like a punishment, each ray stabbing at my already fragile senses. Even breathing too deeply makes me feel sick to my stomach, nausea rolling through me in fresh, horrifying waves.

What the hell happened last night?

I sit up slowly, clutching the sheets to my chest as the room tilts.

The faint smell of champagne lingers, mixed with something sweet—is that cake?

Did I eat cake last night?

My brain is a mess. Pure chaos as I try to think, but the raging hangover I currently have is making that impossible too.

Images, feelings, snippets of words . . . all of it slips away every time I try to remember. I rub my temples, willing the headache to go away so my memories will return.

Okay. Club. Dancing. Sneaking off into the alcove with Hudson.

Kissing. Touching. Mason texting.

This is good. I remember the club.

Think.

What else happened?

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