Status: Completely written- now, to post it all
The Last Place
13
Next thing I knew, Carmen was shaking me awake. “Mmph,” I grunted, rolling over and shoving my head under my pillow. She shook my shoulder and shoved at my back, and I did my very best to ignore her. This was a sort of ritual of ours now, and who was I to break tradition?
Still, I knew I couldn’t stay in bed all day, and a minute or so later, I sat up, stretching like a cat.
“Finally! What happened last night?” Carmen asked. I could see by the light in her eyes that she’d been dying to ask for a while and wouldn’t rest until she got a proper answer.
“What, no ‘good morning’?” I grumbled, getting up and heading to my dresser. I changed as quickly as I could manage, paying no attention to the time. Carmen always woke me up when I had exactly ten minutes left before we went to breakfast. It didn’t seem wrong to assume she’d done the same this morning.
But I happened to glimpse the clock when I crossed the room to my desk, where I had a mirror perched, along with my hair brush. It was an hour before I normally got up. I whirled around and glared for all my worth at Carmen. “I’m going back to bed.”
“No way. You have to tell me. I couldn’t sleep, not knowing.” I shouldn’t have been surprised. She lived for this sort of thing.
I sank onto my bed and yawned widely, giving her the briefest account of last night I could. This was another thing that I felt should be kept just between me and Shea. It felt wrong, somehow, to tell anyone about it. “…and then I fell asleep,” I finished. “What happened after that? How did I get here?”
“Aww. He carried you, bridal style, all the way across campus from the gym. He wouldn’t explain anything to me. He just showed up, knocked, asked very politely to be let in so he could put you down, and walked right back out again.”
I paled. “Now he’s going to think I’m fat,” I groaned. How much more embarrassing could last night have been? I’d probably scarred him for life.
“What? Why?” Carmen seemed truly puzzled by this conclusion.
I shot her a ‘duh’ look. “Carrying someone that long? They’re bound to start feeling heavy.”
“And why does it matter if he thinks you’re fat?”
“It doesn’t.” That felt like a lie, as much as I wanted it to be true. Carmen didn’t say a word, but judging by the look on her face, she didn’t believe me either.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to bed. Wake me up five minutes later than usual, since I’m already dressed.” I flopped onto the bed and curled up comfortably on my side, throwing the blankets over my head to block out the light.
“Not so fast. I’m hungry. Let’s go down to breakfast early.” Though she said it like it was a suggestion, she wasn’t letting me get out of this one. She ripped the blankets off of me and dragged me off of the bed. I landed on the floor with a solid ‘thud’.
“Carmen!” I said in the most aggravated tone I could muster. “One of these days I’m going to forget you’re my best friend, and just wait until you see what happens then.” She smiled sweetly. I glared, but headed to my desk and ran the brush through my hair before grabbing my backpack and purse.
“You will pay for this,” I muttered darkly. She just kept on smiling, knowing that I wasn’t serious.
The cafeteria was mostly deserted. Everyone who was sane was still asleep. A quick glance at Shea’s normal table told me that it was empty. Carmen and I went to our usual table, but I didn’t get a tray yet. I didn’t feel like eating so early in the morning. Instead, I decided obstinately to lie down on the bench and cat nap.
I couldn’t actually fall asleep here, I soon discovered. The overhead lights were blinding, even with my eyes shut, and the bench wasn’t comfortable at all. I was just about to give up when I heard footsteps approach the table and a familiar voice asked, “Where’s Aislin?” I jolted and wondered whether to stay down and hope he didn’t notice me, or sit bolt upright so that he would.
“Why?” Carmen answered. I could hear the grin in her voice. I thanked Carmen silently. I was wondering the same thing. What was Shea doing here, asking after me?
“I wanted to talk to her.”
“About what?” I asked, sitting up quickly. Too quickly; the room spun.
“Woah,” I muttered, clutching at my head. When the room stopped spinning, I sat up straight and did my best not to look as embarrassed as I felt. Shea looked amused, but his smile didn’t quite meet his eyes. Carmen, on the other hand, looked like Christmas had come early.
I held back a glare. It wasn’t her fault, and I would have been amused, too, if I was in her shoes. “You didn’t answer my question. What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked Shea. I struggled against the urge to run a hand through my hair, which I was sure wasn’t looking its best at the moment.
Shea looked helpless, and I locked eyes with him, refusing to let him off the hook. Shea looked away and focused suddenly on something behind me. “There’s Daryl. I need to talk to him,” Shea blurted as he rushed off.
I raised my brow and met Carmen’s gaze. “Don’t ask me,” she said, “he’s your boy.”
“My boy? Pfft.” I couldn’t come up with a better defense, and something in me didn’t want to.
Still, I knew I couldn’t stay in bed all day, and a minute or so later, I sat up, stretching like a cat.
“Finally! What happened last night?” Carmen asked. I could see by the light in her eyes that she’d been dying to ask for a while and wouldn’t rest until she got a proper answer.
“What, no ‘good morning’?” I grumbled, getting up and heading to my dresser. I changed as quickly as I could manage, paying no attention to the time. Carmen always woke me up when I had exactly ten minutes left before we went to breakfast. It didn’t seem wrong to assume she’d done the same this morning.
But I happened to glimpse the clock when I crossed the room to my desk, where I had a mirror perched, along with my hair brush. It was an hour before I normally got up. I whirled around and glared for all my worth at Carmen. “I’m going back to bed.”
“No way. You have to tell me. I couldn’t sleep, not knowing.” I shouldn’t have been surprised. She lived for this sort of thing.
I sank onto my bed and yawned widely, giving her the briefest account of last night I could. This was another thing that I felt should be kept just between me and Shea. It felt wrong, somehow, to tell anyone about it. “…and then I fell asleep,” I finished. “What happened after that? How did I get here?”
“Aww. He carried you, bridal style, all the way across campus from the gym. He wouldn’t explain anything to me. He just showed up, knocked, asked very politely to be let in so he could put you down, and walked right back out again.”
I paled. “Now he’s going to think I’m fat,” I groaned. How much more embarrassing could last night have been? I’d probably scarred him for life.
“What? Why?” Carmen seemed truly puzzled by this conclusion.
I shot her a ‘duh’ look. “Carrying someone that long? They’re bound to start feeling heavy.”
“And why does it matter if he thinks you’re fat?”
“It doesn’t.” That felt like a lie, as much as I wanted it to be true. Carmen didn’t say a word, but judging by the look on her face, she didn’t believe me either.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to bed. Wake me up five minutes later than usual, since I’m already dressed.” I flopped onto the bed and curled up comfortably on my side, throwing the blankets over my head to block out the light.
“Not so fast. I’m hungry. Let’s go down to breakfast early.” Though she said it like it was a suggestion, she wasn’t letting me get out of this one. She ripped the blankets off of me and dragged me off of the bed. I landed on the floor with a solid ‘thud’.
“Carmen!” I said in the most aggravated tone I could muster. “One of these days I’m going to forget you’re my best friend, and just wait until you see what happens then.” She smiled sweetly. I glared, but headed to my desk and ran the brush through my hair before grabbing my backpack and purse.
“You will pay for this,” I muttered darkly. She just kept on smiling, knowing that I wasn’t serious.
The cafeteria was mostly deserted. Everyone who was sane was still asleep. A quick glance at Shea’s normal table told me that it was empty. Carmen and I went to our usual table, but I didn’t get a tray yet. I didn’t feel like eating so early in the morning. Instead, I decided obstinately to lie down on the bench and cat nap.
I couldn’t actually fall asleep here, I soon discovered. The overhead lights were blinding, even with my eyes shut, and the bench wasn’t comfortable at all. I was just about to give up when I heard footsteps approach the table and a familiar voice asked, “Where’s Aislin?” I jolted and wondered whether to stay down and hope he didn’t notice me, or sit bolt upright so that he would.
“Why?” Carmen answered. I could hear the grin in her voice. I thanked Carmen silently. I was wondering the same thing. What was Shea doing here, asking after me?
“I wanted to talk to her.”
“About what?” I asked, sitting up quickly. Too quickly; the room spun.
“Woah,” I muttered, clutching at my head. When the room stopped spinning, I sat up straight and did my best not to look as embarrassed as I felt. Shea looked amused, but his smile didn’t quite meet his eyes. Carmen, on the other hand, looked like Christmas had come early.
I held back a glare. It wasn’t her fault, and I would have been amused, too, if I was in her shoes. “You didn’t answer my question. What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked Shea. I struggled against the urge to run a hand through my hair, which I was sure wasn’t looking its best at the moment.
Shea looked helpless, and I locked eyes with him, refusing to let him off the hook. Shea looked away and focused suddenly on something behind me. “There’s Daryl. I need to talk to him,” Shea blurted as he rushed off.
I raised my brow and met Carmen’s gaze. “Don’t ask me,” she said, “he’s your boy.”
“My boy? Pfft.” I couldn’t come up with a better defense, and something in me didn’t want to.