Recovery

Chapter 49

BEFORE YOU READ- My best friend (@tacobelltuesday) made an awesome trailer for this book! Its attached to this  chapter, and if for some reason you cant access it, it is also in the bio of my instagram (@sparkybark17)

On with the chapter!

At 9:00 the next morning, I wake up in my own bed. 

Automatically, I notice that I'm wearing my purple sweatshirt. Though the memory of leaving Avery's room aroound 4 AM is very vague, I assume I must have snatched it from under his bed. 

With the sunlight beaming through my window, it is much too warm for me to be wearing the extra layer, and I pull it off.

I hear people shuffling around in their rooms and in the hallway, getting ready for breakfast. For once, I'm awake at a decent hour. 

Not worried much about how I look, I decide to focus my energy on packing for the camping trip tonight.

I toss a pair of black leggings in, figuring they'll be comfortable enough to sleep in without being too hot, along with a tank top. Two pairs of socks, a toothbrush, my cell phone, a hairbrush, sunscreen, and a flashlight later, I am ready to go. 

As I'm leaving the room for breakfast, I notice my sweatshirt lying discarded on my bed. Deciding it will probably be chilly tonight, I toss it into the backpack that I packed the rest of my things in. 

Walking towards the bedroom door, I pull my hair up into a high ponytail, fumbling with a hairtie.

I run directly into Avery's chest as soon as I'm out of my room. My hands still up in my hair, I easily lose my balance, crumbling in his hold.

He places his hands on my shoulders to steady me, his grip extremely gentle, as if he's afraid I'll break.

"Sorry," I say, a blush climbing to my cheeks. I wish that my hair was down to cover the pink color on my face, but of course I had to put it up.

At the sound of my voice, he winces, most likely due to his hangover. He lets go of me once I've regained my balance, and stares down at my face.

"You weren't here yesterday," I say, hoping against hope that he doesn't remember anything about when he got home last night.

"Yeah. I went out."

I let out a sigh of relief, glad that he isn't showing any sign of remembering. Maybe, just maybe, the stars are on my side, just this once.

"I figured as much," I mumble. Then, I look up at him slowly and say, "You should tell someone next time you leave like that."

He gives me a confused look, but I turn down the hallway, and head to the dining room, ready for breakfast. 

I'm glad that he forgot last night.

As I walk away, though, a part of me wishes that I could forget, too.

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 "Almost there!" Claire calls out to everyone. 

I groan. "You've been saying that for the past hour! My back is killing me!"

Somehow, I got picked to carry one of our five tents on my back, along with my backpack. That, along with riding over fairly tough terrain for almost two hours now, has given me quite the backache.

Claire has the nerve to laugh! "Don't be so dramatic, Grace. We actually are almost there. Maybe a quarter mile left."

"Whatever you say. And, for the record, I am not carrying this back tomorrow!" I say with added volume to my voice, though a smile sneaks its way onto my face.