Out of Step

xxvi. DO IT!!!

Alana almost wished she had saved her one football party to cash in that night. She had managed to keep herself calm as she rushed past Mr. Reed, making it to the bleachers just in time to perform their first cheer, 7/23 but then halfway through the cheer, it hit her. What she had done. That she had actually broken up with Emmett.

"Oh god," she whispered, and Cammie gave her a side glance. "Oh god. What did I do?"

"You okay?"

Alana nodded, not turning her head to look at her friend, and forced herself to steady her breathing.

"In, out. In, out," she thought until she felt like her panic was no longer visible. Maybe she could sneak out to a party later tonight.

That would turn out harder than she thought as all her friends spent the night, even Lucas, and they all piled down in her basement, putting on a movie.

"*Did anyone get popcorn?" Alana asked, her head falling onto Ian's shoulder.

"It's after midnight," he said shrugging her off his shoulder. She pouted but was quick to lay her head on Laila's shoulder.

"So, we can still eat popcorn," she mumbled, her eyes rolling at the intro of the movie. "There's no law stating when and when we can't eat popcorn."

"*Not yet," he said, and Alana reached down, grabbing one of the throw pillows that had been dropped on the floor, ready to smack him with it.

"Calm down," Eli said, grabbing the pillow before Alana could get very far with it. "I'll go make some."

"I'll come with you," Alex said, hoping up with her.

Alana ate nearly a whole bag of popcorn by herself until she fell asleep, her head still on Laila's shoulder and her legs slung across Owen's lap with the bowl of popcorn in her own lap.

The next morning, when she was shaken awake by her brother, she was glad she hadn't gone to any parties. She was still on the couch, she noticed, but with a proper pillow, and even a blanket, with Laila pulling on her socks on the other side of the sectional.

"*Come on Lane," her brother mumbled sleepily. He was still wearing his own pajamas, a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, and rolled his eyes when she mumbled something and turned away from him, pulling the blanket over her head. "We need to get ready."

"Don't want to."

"You've got to," Eli said as she came down the stairs. Laila threw one of her old socks at her and Alana batted it away.

"Why?"

"It's state finals day!" Lucas' overly cheerful, loud voice carried down the stairs before he was bounding them. "Let's go! Let's go!"

"Why is he so awake?" She said, finally throwing the blanket off of her and sitting up. "And so happy?"

"At least it got you up," Alex said from where he stood, halfway up the stairs.

"Yeah, to get away from him." She jerked a finger towards Lucas, who was humming something as he went through the items in his bag. "I'll just go back to sleep in my own room."

"Or you could take a nice warm shower," Laila offered, and Alana waved a hand as she quickly followed after her brother.

"You better not make us late," Alex said, and Alana grinned at him. She had actually planned on taking a shower, not that she'd ever admit that to him.

*Someone was in the bathroom when she got up there, the shower just turning off as she passed by, so she hurried to her room to grab her clothes before someone else could beat her into the bathroom.