Before the Morning [BEING EDITED]

28 | Forgive Yourself

Nolan may not have regretted bringing a pillow when he went to sleep, but he certainly regretted it when he woke up.

As he, Erin, and Willow shuffled from the sanctuary, to the event room, he shifted his neck from side to side, and, when that did little to ease the tension, he rubbed at the knots. That didn't do much to help him either.

Willow shoved open the door with her entire body. "I'm too lazy to use my arms," she mumbled.

The atmosphere had sobered since the night before. Only a couple handfuls of teens remained scattered around the room, chatting softly or playing games. He found Nora at the serving table, ordering a line of cereal boxes. She turned as they approached. "Hey!" she said. "The sleepyheads are awake, I see."

"Define awake," Willow said with a yawn. "Food. I need food."

Nolan's eyebrows creased. Were Nora's cheeks flushed?

"Help yourself," Ryan said, appearing with a fruit platter in hand. "We're just about finished setting up now."

The table was filled with an assortment of breakfasts: pancakes, cereal, bagels, muffins, toast, eggs, omelets, bacon, sausage, fruit... He glanced at the cereals, noting the options, before studying Nora from the corner of his eye. Her cheeks were definitely flushed.

Willow and Erin made a dash for the table, and, as though summoned, the rest of the room swarmed around them.

"Remember to leave some for everyone who's still sleeping!" Ryan called over the chatter.

"You snooze, you lose!" Andy yelled. He'd made it to the table and nabbed a paper plate. Ryan chuckled.

Nolan reached out as Nora started toward the cluster, wrapping his fingers gently around her wrist. She turned, eyebrows creased.

"You've been crying," he said.

Her eyes widened. "I'm okay," she said.

He searched her face. "What happened?"

The clatter of serving spoons and the cacophony of piling conversations pierced the air. She bit her lip and glanced toward their friends. "I had a nightmare," she said. "It was about my mom, so it affected me more, you know? But I'm okay. Promise."

He raked her face again. Was she? He couldn't tell, but he nodded and let go of her wrist.

They joined the rest of their friends and found a table. As they chatted, he kept an eye on Nora, sure there was something she wasn't saying. Thankfully, as the meal continued, the tension seemed to leave her.

After breakfast, Ryan announced it was time for the morning sermon and ushered them all into the sanctuary. Nolan settled between Nora and Andy and wondered what to expect. Ryan's sermons had proven to be relatively short, half the length of Nathan's typical thirty minutes. But, after that, everything was up in the air. Did the sleepover just end? Or did they hang out some more until they felt like leaving?

"Yo," Willow said, elbowing Nathan. "What's the sermon going to be about?"

"And spoil the surprise? I'd never."

"You are a useless inside connection."

"You're so hurtful. I should send you back to England."

Nora yanked a laughing Willow into her arms. "You take her to England, you're gonna have to pay for two plane tickets."

"First class," Willow added.

"I can swing it."

"Alright, you heathens," Ryan said, stepping onto the stage. He held the microphone lazily in his hand. "Calm yourselves."