landslide

iii.

「 three 」

ONLY FIVE OF THE OTHER boys actually went to sleep that night. The others pulled an all-nighter, something Eliza had never been able to do. A few did keep their promise to stay relatively quiet. The others made noises loud enough to cause a noise complaint in the next town over. 

It was now 6:30. Eliza had been awake since four. 

Half the team was miserable. Nursing headaches, nausea, and they had to cover all the windows. Someone threw up in the bathroom or in an industrial sink every ten minutes. Eliza told them to take it easy. She gave the same run-through her mother did every time her father came home from the bar so drunk he was curling up for the night on the piano bench. They didn't want to follow her advice. 

Patrick's headache hadn't improved since the last night. He asked her twice after she got up if she had any pain medication; as if pills were supposed to magically appear after twenty minutes. Both times, she said no. 

After 5 she volunteered to take one of the cars and run by a 24-hour store for supplies for everyone. Not many of them were willing to let her drive their cars unattended. One of them agreed to let her drive, and she would have if he had been able to find his keys. 

The television was now on. Most of them were in the makeshift living room, crowded around it. Jason and Tyler had made themselves breakfast. 

Eliza held her head in the freezer for a minute. The air conditioning was broken in there, and miraculously, the industrial freezer was still fully operational, just as they promised. Spending six hours crowded with thirteen partying boys did nothing for her head. It was too chilly to step outside for a smoke. The kitchen was her hiding place for that as well. 

She opted on cereal for breakfast. The boys supplied four cereal choices and two cartons of milk. Orange juice, one tiny thing of apple juice James had claimed for himself. All the works a team of high school athletes would need to start their day. 

The crunching of rocks under moving tires moved up the parking lot, alerting them of an arrival. Someone knew they were there. Half the boys leaped to their feet to cover up the mess of the party. Eliza slowly placed her bowl on the counter, watching their careful movements. It was as if someone outside would not be able to see them in the windows if they moved slowly. 

Aaron swore loudly. "Did no one lock the door last night?" He shouted.

"It's not the police!" Jason told them. He peered out the window. No cop cars, no sirens. He wasn't quick enough to see who had climbed out of the car, though. "Who is that?" He demanded. 

Eliza had only poured her cereal when the front door was thrown open. She jumped out of her shoes and dropped the box. 

"Where is she?" Someone shouted at the boy closest to the door: Leroy. 

Leroy pointed at the bar without a shred of hesitance. Steve marched further into the restaurant, his eyes instantly locking with the cereal bowl in her hand. "Come on," Steve told her, nodding towards the door. 

Eliza looked at Lucas and hurriedly waved her hand. "Can you grab my bag?" She whispered. 

"Hurry up. I need to get to work," Steve ordered. 

"I thought you didn't start until one?" She remarked. Steve dared her to challenge him with his eyes. Eliza dropped her bowl and approached, trying to ignore the furious expression he was giving her. "How did you know where we were?" She asked.