I'd like to say I remembered what happened next. In fact, it would have been a blessing to know I hadn't just lost an entire 12 hours of my life I would never be able to get back or remember. But the next thing I knew, I woke up with the warm sunlight streaming down on me. I smiled despite myself, rolling over onto my side, cringing only slightly as a cue ball dug into my hip. Wait - what now?!
My dark brown eyes flew open, widening in surprise and shock as I took in my surroundings. The JuiceNet Cafe?! What was I doing here?! I glanced around only to find Emma, Rikki, and Cleo sleeping in chairs with Lewis cramped up, sleeping in a booth across from the four of us. Lifting myself up, I realized I was on the pool table - I had slept on the pool table!
"What am I doing here, guys?"I asked as everyone began to wake up.
I grimaced then, feeling a knot of dread and humiliation rise up inside of me, "What happened?"
"It's a long story." Rikki frowned, her voice tired.
After much persuading of the guys offering to walk me home, I managed to make it back on my own. Hurriedly, I changed out of my dirty clothes from the night before, careful to evade the open window of the abandoned apartment I was squatting in that looked out onto the city below. There were still jagged pieces of glass from where it had initially been broken. I made a mental note to myself to clean that up before I grabbed my bag in the corner and headed back out to meet up with everyone, first making a stop at the beach of course to use the free shower there.
"I never want to go through another night like that," I told the guys, shaking my head as I sipped on a smoothie at the JuiceNet Cafe.
"Oh, neither do we. Believe me," Lewis sighed tiredly.
"And the worst thing is not knowing exactly what I did," I admitted, moving a strand of dark brown hair out of my face.
"Well, then it's probably best you don't know." Rikki assured me, making a face.
I shrugged, blowing out a long sigh through my plump lips as I twirled my straw around in the smoothie. Maybe she was right. Maybe I really didn't need to know what transpired last night. My eyes flicked up then, instantly being met by the figure of Zane walking out of the cafe. When he noticed me sitting there, our gazes locked and the shot me a wink, grinning before disappearing through the beaded curtain of the exit. A cough erupted from my throat and I choked on the chunks of smoothie in my throat, eyes widening considerably.
On second thought...maybe I did need to know.