Pure Magic (Ballad of the Seer, Book One)

Chapter 8 - Hangover

Lily cringed when she heard the cabinet doors bang as Mrs. Blake shuffled around in the kitchen below. Lily opened her eyes to see that Dianna was no longer in the bed beside her. The bright white light of morning filled the room. A soft breeze blew through the open window, rustling the sheer white curtains. Lily caught a glimpse of Jack's house through the window. She groaned and rolled over to face the other way.

"Wakey, wakey." Dianna said from the nearby.

Lily smelled the heavenly aroma of coffee. Her clouded mind was drawn to the substance like she was drawn to Duncan. She opened her eyes to see Dianna kneeling beside the bed. Dianna pulled the cup back further and further, until Lily had to get up to take it.

"Ouch," Lily said, holding her head in one hand and the coffee mug in the other. The heat from the porcelain mug felt nice in her hand. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Dianna asked.

"Some. Mostly the early stuff. The later stuff is all a bit hazy." Lily pushed a pile of clothes from the overstuffed chair in the corner and sat down, pulling her legs up.

"For starters, you outed Carson Lawry." Dianna reminded her. "To the boy he's in love with, apparently."

"Oh God. I did, didn't I?" Lily groaned and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "I'm such a horrible person."

"Yes, you are." Dianna smiled.

Lily looked at her in shock. She thought Dianna would console her, say everything would be okay, but if Dianna said it, it must be true.

Dianna knelt in front of her closet, searching. M "How you didn't find the time to tell me that Mr. Macho Jock, Player Extraordinaire, Carson-freaking-Lawry was gay, I don't know. But I forgive your transgression."

Lily relaxed. The tightness in her chest eased. So, maybe she wasn't the worst person in the world, but what she did was pretty bad. "Dianna, I wasn't just going to blurt out his biggest secret to the whole school."

Dianna looked over her shoulder and raised a brow. "But, hun, ya did. In a big way."

"I just hope no one believed me."

"Drew did. Did you see how fast he flew the coop? I think the lady doth protest too much."

Lily tried not to laugh. "Dianna, that's terrible. Besides, I've never gotten that vibe from him. He is very hetero. Almost too much. His thoughts are pretty much just porn. It's so gross."

Dianna looked up from where she was crouched, digging through a pile of shoes in her closet, looking for the match to the one in her hand. "Drew is gross in general. Of course his thoughts would be. That's not that big of a shock."

Lily shrugged.

"That thing about Calvin and Wendy was shocking, though. They always seemed like the perfect couple." Dianna shook her head. Her eyes lit up. "Ooh! That means he'll be free for Homecoming."

Lily rolled her eyes. Calvin was probably devastated and Dianna wanted to ask him to a dance.

Lily sucked in a breath when other memories started to resurface. "Did I tell Veronica that Sara hates her?"

"That's who you were talking to?" Dianna asked, stunned. "I never would've guessed. Sara is like Veronica's devoted follower."

Lily pulled her feet up under her. "That's part of the reason Sara hates her. Veronica is the star and Sara wants the spotlight."

"I think Sara's spotlight is short a few too many bulbs." Dianna laughed at her own joke as she sat on the end of the bed to put on her shoes, now that she had a pair.