Paige and Dione had known each other since middle school. They always had an unspoken rivalry between them, both being star athletes in high school. When they both get accepted into the same college, will everything stay the same or will the two sta...
The morning sunlight filtered through the window, far too bright for my throbbing head as I woke up after the party. My mouth felt like a desert, a sign that last night's fun was coming back to haunt me. I squinted at the clock until the numbers cleared up—almost 1 p.m. I couldn't believe I had slept in that late.
Dragging myself out of bed, I stumbled into the living room and found Jada sprawled on the couch, looking equally as rough. She let out a groan as I passed by, and I couldn't help but chuckle weakly.
"Rough night?" I mumbled my voice barely audible.
Jada let out a dramatic sigh. "You have no idea."
Agreeing with a nod, I felt my hangover reminding me of last night's activities. "Tell me about it."
"Have you even eaten?" I asked Jada, heading towards the fridge. It was embarrassingly empty— we seriously needed to hit the grocery store.
"Nah, just woke up," Jada replied.
I convinced her to get up and ready, partly because my rumbling stomach wanted lunch, and partly because we desperately needed groceries. I walk into my bathroom to take a shower. Once I finish, I change into a black graphic tee and a pair of grey leggings. I slipped on my new balances and I got an Uber to the house where the party was last night. Since I got drunk I couldn't drive home so Jada waited for me to get back with the car before we left.
I drove to a small diner that wasn't that far from our apartment. The smell of burgers and fries hit us the moment we walked in, and I couldn't help but feel a little bit better already. We settled into a booth, and scanned the menus, trying to decide what could help cure our hangovers.
"What can I get you guys?" a familiar voice chimed in. I looked up to see Damien.
"Hey, Damien! Small world," I greeted him.
He smiled back, taking our orders, and we ended up ordering enough comfort food to jump-start our recovery process.
As Damien walked away, Jada shot me an inquisitive look. "Who's that?"
I explained our chance meeting at the party and how surprisingly thoughtful he had been, at least from what I could recall. Naturally, I was also eager to learn more about Jada's mystery guy from last night.
Turns out, she'd just crashed at his place and passed out from exhaustion. They hadn't done much more than that. She managed to grab his number and leave the next morning after apologizing for her snooze-fest.
We chatted about our upcoming sports seasons as we devoured our food. With soccer practice on her agenda later that afternoon, I was left with the freedom to do what I wanted.
After lunch, Jada dashed off to the bathroom while I waited. Damien appeared with the bill and casually placed it on our table, alongside a scribbled number. I grinned to myself, feeling a little flutter of excitement before I paid, treating Jada to the meal.
-
Jada had left for practice a little over an hour ago and I just woke up from a nap. I decided I would go for a run. Fresh air does wonders for headaches. I quickly got changed and put my headphones on.
Stepping outside, I stretched my limbs and felt the remnants of my headache gradually dissipate. The streets were relatively empty, just a few cars passing by. I set an easy pace, my sneakers thumping gently on the pavement as I jogged. The rhythm of my breath and my footsteps created a comforting cadence that always grounded me.
As I ran, my thoughts danced around Paige and our interaction at the party. It was strange to think she'd actually tried to talk to me, given her attitude in high school. Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't realised that I had veered off my route until I found myself on a quiet path that led towards a small park area.
The trees were shades of red and orange, leaves crunching underfoot as I jogged along a path. I took a moment to soak in the view. Pausing by a pond, I leaned against a railing, catching my breath. The water sparkled in the sunlight, a moment of peace that was exactly what I needed.
Continuing my run, I followed the path around the pond, the cool breeze refreshing against my skin. My thoughts shifted to my upcoming track season, the excitement and nerves swirling together. I looped back towards home, slowing to a walk as my heart rate normalized. The run was short but revitalizing.
Back at the apartment, I stretched and felt a sense of accomplishment wash over me. Jada hadn't returned from practice yet, and the apartment was quiet. Grabbing a bottle of water, I settled onto the couch and sighed. I checked the time—6 p.m. The day had flown by.
After I showered and got dressed into sweats, I collapsed on the sofa, my Netflix show a soothing background noise. I was scrolling on TikTok when I remembered that Damien had given me his number. I got up to look in my bag and I sent him a text. Within minutes he replied and suddenly we were texting back and forth. After what felt like hours I finally put my phone down and before I knew it, exhaustion took over me, and I drifted into sleep, the events of the day melting away into dreams.
~ @notjada7
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liked by therealdidi and 1,703 others @notjada7: remind me never to drink again
therealdidi: will do nika.muhl: answer my texts girl heart4maya: you could barely stay awake when coach was talking😂
