Page 60 of Playing with Fire

I carefully rise to a sitting position while pressing my eyes shut because the sunlight coming through my window is overpowering.

I forgot to close the blinds before going to bed last night. Kylie groaned.

Exhausted I say to Kylie, "Don't worry about it," as I fall back onto my bed.

"There's Advil on the nightstand." she yawns.

I mumbled thanks as I rolled over to find a glass of water and two pills on my nightstand. I stood up and took the Advil before Kylie stood up too.

The room felt cold and wearing my pyjamas caused a shiver to race along my spine. I shook it off and stood up.

"We have thirty minutes," Kylie announces.

"Thirty minutes until what?" I ask.

"Diner." Kylie said nothing more before disappearing into my bathroom.

Oh shit.

I forgot about that. We gather at the diner following the end of our night out activities. We gather at the diner to debrief our night's activities and help each other recover from hangovers.

It's ironic that people think we visit the diner for breakfast because we don't get out of bed until eleven, which means breakfast service ended before we arrived.

Our need for one of their burgers makes the diner a suitable spot despite their breakfast hours ending before we arrive. The diner serves burgers which when consumed during a hangover taste extraordinary like the ultimate meal for recovery. Fuck. Now I want a burger.

I needed to dress within fifteen minutes to eat one. I put on loose shorts and a T-shirt before

Kylie came out of the bathroom.

While I brushed my teeth and made the best attempt to style my hair, I could manage without my favorite hair tie which wasn't on my wrist.

It's on his.

Looking in the mirror I felt myself becoming nauseous. I remember nothing from last night except the memory I struggle to erase up until this moment.

I recall every painful detail about that moment. I splashed water onto my face to break free from my thoughts. I prayed for relief because I needed to endure another hour or so with him.

Upon reaching the hallway I noticed Elijah leaving his room. Upon seeing all of us as we descended to the lower level it was obvious that we had rough appearances.

It was a humid day outside. When I checked the weather on my phone, I found out that rain was predicted for tomorrowmorning. From across the street the door slammed shut which sent a pinch through my chest.

I knew exactly who it was because I was waiting for his arrival–

Elijah informs us that Jaxon will be joining us for the ride.

Fuck.

I quickly get into the passenger's seat and lean my head against the window. During the entire journey my mind never left its own thoughts.

I mean, I couldn't get it. It wasn't fair. Did we experience these two events back-to-back? In just a few moments he managed to erase all thoughts from his mind.

At prom I realized his inability to remember stemmed from his drunken state. God caused me to experience deep shame about myself during last night's events.

And guess what? For the second time he will soon forget about everything.

He left and surely, he headed toward a cooler full of beers. He drinks it off while I sit here remembering every detail I wish to forget.

The car came to a stop which brought my mind back to reality. I stumbled into the diner as everyone else moved ahead and joined my friends at our regular booth.

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