Sanctuary

She tossed, turning around to face the cool wall. She placed her head against it, peeling her eyes open and fighting the makeup still caked on them. Her head pounded and she rubbed her temples, taking a deep breath before attempting to sit up. She shakily climbed out of bed, glancing around the room and sighing.

Shit.

Her stomach flipped as she recalled the night before. She took a sip of the water bottle on her desk, popping an Advil and tying her sticky hair back into a sloppy bun. Shane's wallet sat haphazardly next to her computer. Oh, God. She heard a light tap on her door. She looked at her bedside clock. It was 11:00 already.

She slid the door open. "Hey," she said, running a hand over her tired face.

"What's up?" Alex said with an smirk, clearly entertained. "How are you feeling?"

She pursed her lips. She had initially loved how nice everyone here at Brighton was, especially Alex and Jamie. But now it was starting to agitate her headache. It was pissing her off.

"I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile. "Just...need to shower. And eat."

"Jamie and I are heading to Starbucks right now if you want to come," he said as he watched her gather her shower caddy and towels.

"I'm good, thanks," she said. To be honest, she just wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. She hadn't even had time to process all that had happened and what it meant. "I'll just talk to you later?" She pushed past him, shutting the door behind her and heading for the girls' bathroom.

"Sure," he said as he turned back for the lobby. "Come find me later. I'll be around. We can hang out."

"Thanks again," she called back, trying to not make herself look like a total bitch. He turned around, flashing her a quick smile before continuing on. She pushed herself into the bathroom, bracing herself as her stomach lurched. Ugh. She did not miss this feeling one bit.

***

"So what time is Hallie coming back?" Matt asked, looking up from his laptop screen. Taryn shrugged, staring down at her page of math notes. She was sitting at a table in the library with Jocelyn and Matt, futilely attempting to get some work done before classes on Monday.

"I don't know. She said she'll text me when she's on her way," she said quietly. She took another sip of water. Her stomach had calmed down a bit, but not enough for her to keep any food down. She sighed, hoping this stupid headache would go away soon.

"It's been such a quiet weekend," Jocelyn said as she rifled through her bag. Taryn pursed her lips, suddenly grateful that she hadn't called Jocelyn at all the night before. Jocelyn was so sweet, but somehow Taryn felt that Jocelyn would've looked at her totally differently had she witnessed any of that.

"I guess it's okay. We got a lot of shit done," Matt said, typing furiously.

Taryn yawned, picking at a scrap piece of paper lying next to her. Her head pounded. The events of the night before were foggy at best, but she did remember heading to Shane's house. And him stumbling out of her bed at 4:00 in the morning.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to calm her racing mind. What was she so afraid of? She'd had a fun night. Her first really great night at Brighton. She shouldn't regret any of it. On the other hand, she didn't know Shane. She didn't know the people at that party. She didn't want to throw her new reputation out the window a month into the semester. What if they twisted her into something she wasn't?

She shook her head, mentally scolding herself. Her insecurities were irrational and she knew, deep down, that last night was a good time and nothing more. All she had to do was return Shane's wallet and move on. Yes, he was attractive, and yes, she'd had sex with him. But that was it. There was nothing else there, and she was absolutely sure he felt the same way. He was a guy. And for a guy like him, she was just another notch in his bedpost. This was typical for him.

Yes. That was it. She was amazed at how quickly her stomach calmed down after talking herself through it. It was all in her head, she thought, as she tried to focus on her math notes. Her old self would've dwelled on this for weeks, months even. But she knew she was better than that.

"So have you guys ever been in the woods behind the health center?" Taryn said, desperate to occupy her mind with a different topic.

Jocelyn looked up from her textbook, intrigued. "The health center? Why, were you over there?"

"Yeah," she said, fiddling with her water bottle. "I don't have any classes there, but I was running the other day and I found this clearing back in the woods."

"Wait, was there a hammock and some fire pits?"

"Yeah! Have you guys seen it?!"

"I've heard of it," Matt said. "My older brother used to go here and he said that was the place to go to get drunk and have a good time. They used to have barbecues back there all the time."

"What happened? Does anyone go there anymore?" Taryn asked, remembering how run-down and abandoned it had looked.

"Not since this huge bust a few years ago. The cops nailed everyone and, like, ten people were arrested and expelled for drug and alcohol possession. It was kind of a huge deal, so no one really wants to go back there anymore. Rumor has it there are surveillance cameras set up now to make sure no one ever parties back there again."

"That's lame," Jocelyn said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Is it cool back there?"

"I think so," Taryn offered. "I can show it to you sometime, if you want."

"Cool!" Jocelyn said, suddenly excited. "Maybe we can spruce it up and camp out or something!"

"Only you would want to camp out on school grounds," Matt laughed. Taryn joined in, grateful that these two were able to keep her mind off of other things. If only she could hang out with them for the rest of her life.