Runaways

"Bye guys!"
Jack called to us out the passenger window of his brothers car. It was weird to picture him in the depressing slump that he had described to us earlier in the coffee shop. In the short time I knew him Jack always seemed to be so happy and carefree.

Clarissa and I waved back and shouted 'thanks', as we stumbled up her driveway. Jacks brother sped off and we eventually made our way to the backyard, where we lied flat on our backs next to her in-ground pool.

"I have to throw up." I mumble, my head spinning faster and faster by the minute.

"Not...in the pool..." Clarissa mumbles back. We lay in silence for a while, until my nausea passes and I feel ok to sit up again.

"Tonight was weird." I say, and Clarissa rolls on her side to face me.

"It's always weird when we go out. Remember that time the bouncer thought you were his cousin so we got in underage."

"Yeah, that was pretty weird. But tonight wasn't that kind of weird...it was just...I don't know." I lay back down on the hard cement.

"Yeah. Have you talked to Paul?"

"No."

The thought of talking to Paul again sends butterflies throughout my stomach, and I groan because I don't want them there.

"Good. Don't talk to him anymore. I'm glad Jack said all that stuff about how he'd go to band practices with that girl. Maybe now you'll realize what a slime ball he is."

"Yeah..." I mumble back, looking up at the stars. I take my phone out of my back pocket, with intentions of texting Paul, but it's battery is dead. I suppose that's a sign from the universe, and I decide that it's probably better off this way.

"I think I'll just leave it up to the universe." I tell Clarissa, as I continue looking up at the stars. She's on her phone now, typing away.

"Whatever, ya hippie."

---

The sun is hot the next morning, and that mixed with my headache and my sore muscles from sleeping on concrete, I'm already not in a good mood.

"Why are you idiots sleeping on the ground?"

I hear Clarissa's younger brother shout from the patio door. Clarissa flips him off and I hear him slam the door shut. I slowly sit up and immediately regret it.

"I feel like death." We say at the same time, proving that we hang out way too much.

"Let's go lay on the couches."

Clarissa slowly gets up and I follow, we make our way into the house, past her brother in the kitchen, who is eating a huge disgusting looking sandwich, and into the living room where we plop down on her two blue couches.

I scoop up my bag that I left on the floor next to the couch the previous night and grab my phone charger from it. Clarissa is flipping through the channels while she argues with her brother in the other room, asking him to bring us some aspirin. This is a typical weekend for us lately since we've both turned 21 last month. I come over, eat dinner with her family, we go out and drink too much, then spend the next day on the couch. Clarissa and I have been best friends since the 6th grade, so this house was almost like my own at this point.

My phone beeps, signaling it's on, and I scroll through a few missed text messages. None from Paul. One from Jack.

-Hope you guys made it inside ok! My bands playin next fri. @ main st bar, you all should come out for a drink!-

I read the text out loud and Clarissa nods.

"Yeah he sent me the same one. Maybe if Greg's party is a bust we'll go."

I don't know who Greg is, or why we're going to a party he is having, but I agree anyway. I decide to be adventurous and text Jack back.

- yeah we're alright, slept outside for some reason but we're good now. Maybe we'll see you Friday!-

I receive a response right away.

-That'd be cool!-

I see no point in sending anything back so I look up to see what Clarissa is watching on tv and commenting about. It's some sort of nature show.

"Look at this idiot, why would you get that close to a snake."

I ignore her and start to think of last night again. I'm imagining Paul and Anna. I'm imagining them watching Jacks band together while Jack and I are innocently giving them both the benefit of the doubt. The thought of it disgusts me, and what disgusts me even more is that I still have the urge to talk to Paul. I still want to ask him what's on his mind or tell him about my night. I turn my phone off before I have the chance and fall back asleep on the comfortable couch that has become my second bed.