You're Not Lost

Elizabeth couldn't stop smiling. Her left arm was linked with Janie's as they half-stumbled/half-walked down the sidewalk, but she felt like she was flying. A few feet behind them followed Jack and Alex, both with smiles plastered on their faces. They had just watched Jill run across the empty street to her own house and now it was time to make the short trek to Janie's. Zack stayed behind to 'clean up his shed', which would only result in him falling asleep under the beer pong table.

"Let's get tacos!" Alex exclaimed, as Jack let out an excited gasp.

"YES! Oh my God, yes. I'm starving!"

"I've never...had a taco..." Elizabeth giggled.

"All the more reason to go get one now!" Jack spun around on his heel, anxious to leave the quiet, suburban development and head to the city nearby.

"No tacos! It's two am, who is even open?!" Janie frowned at the two teenage boys behind her.

"Jim's!!" In unison, they replied the name of a local 24 hour greasy food shack.

"Well count us out." Janie struggled to keep her eyes open as she sent her cousin a small smile. "We'll get tacos soon, at a...normal hour."

Elizabeth returned the smile, but couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness towards Janie's response. Sure, she was a little dizzy, but she was wide awake. She had never felt so excited and curious about this town until now.

"Aw Janie, don't be so lamey!"

Elizabeth giggled as Alex tried to convince her to join. But the alcohol had only made Janie sleepy, instead of wired like the rest of her friends.

"C'mon, Elle want to go! Don't ya, Elle?"

The group had stopped walking, as they were now in front of Janie's house. Janie pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head as she imagined herself in bed. She closed her eyes as she patiently waited for Elizabeth's response.

"Janie's really tired..." She observed. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Janie's always really tired, that's what happens when she drinks. She's always going to bed when the party's just starting."

"Shut up, Jack." Janie yawned, causing the group to laugh.

"Well, Janie can go to bed if she wants. It's not like Elizabeth couldn't come with us alone if she wanted to..."

Janie's eyes shot wide open at Alex's suggestion. A rush of excitement flew through Elizabeth's veins at the possibility that she could join the pair on their taco adventure.

"I...I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, we were drinking a lot, and it's really late, and..." Janie trailed off, imagining all the things that could happen if Elizabeth was downtown and out of her sight. Jack and Alex began to rebut, while Janie helplessly shook her head 'no.'

Sensing her cousins dismay, Elizabeth spoke up.

"You know...I am getting really tired now that we've stop walking. I think maybe I'd better head inside with Janie."

It was only half a lie, as Elizabeth let out a yawn herself. Janie breathed a small sigh of relief while Jack and Alex shrugged.

"Suit yourselves! Sleep tight, ladies." A smile reappeared onto Alex's face as he thought about the greasy food he was about to encounter.

"Goodnight, Elle. Don't worry, we can get tacos tomorrow."

"I thought you were going to get some now...?" Elizabeth asked, confused. Jack grinned.

"We are! I could eat tacos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for the rest of my life!"

"Have fun, boys!" Janie reached in her pocket for her house key as the two of them ran down the street, yelling and laughing. Although sleep was creeping up on her, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy, as she watched them race away.

-----

About ten minutes later, Elizabeth laid in bed. She found it hard to keep her eyes closed, because the room felt like it was spinning when she did. It wasn't enough to make her sick, but it was annoying. She focused on the bit of moonlight shining through her window, as she imagined what it must be like to eat tacos in the city after two am.

It felt like hours had passed by when Elizabeth finally could keep her eyes closed longer than a minute. This was short lived, however, when she heard howling outside. Kind of like a wolf, but more obnoxious.

Reluctantly, she sat up in bed. Glancing at the digital clock on the nightstand she saw that it was 3:34 am. A new record for how late she had ever stayed up.

The howling took a brief pause, but then continued, and so she stood up and crept slowly and cautiously over to the her second story window.

Peering down from around the curtains, she felt a little less tense as she noticed it was only Jack howling, while Alex stood in the middle of the street watching. She held back a laugh as she realized how strange the non-Amish really were. The window was already open a crack, so she lifted it up a bit more to stick her head outside into to summers night air.

Upon seeing her, Jack abruptly stopped howling, and held up a small white paper bag.

"Come down here!" He half whispered/half yelled.

"Why?" She replied in the same tone.

"We got you a taco."

Elizabeth smiled.

"Why were you making that noise?"

"So the neighbors would think I was an animal and not a drunk kid, come down here!"

Holding in a laugh, Elizabeth frowned.

"I'm not dressed to come out. I'm in my nightgown."

"Uh oh, an Amish nightgown, so scandalous." Alex laughed to himself. Jack ignored him.

"Well can you catch?"

"I can try..."

Miraculously, Elizabeth caught the paper bag after the first throw, and Jack threw his fist into the air out of joy.

"Nice! Ok, bye!"

The two boys waved, and just like that they were gone. Elizabeth stood there, alone in her bedroom, dumbfounded. She took a seat on her bed and opened the bag.

It looked disgusting.

She took a small bite.

It tasted disgusting.

She frowned as she put the taco back in the bag and made a quick trip downstairs to the kitchen where she threw it out and got a glass of water instead. She was soon back in bed, recapping her day and smiling. By this time, her head was feeling much better. She drifted off to sleep once again, dreaming of all the wonderful things yet to come this summer.