hey now. (matt press).

Chapter Three: Hangovers and Sophomore Sleepovers

The next morning, I awoke to the blaring sound of an alarm. I turned it off and quickly realized I wasn't in my room. My eyes widened when I saw I was in Brodie's bed. Thankfully, my clothes were still on, but I had no memory of how I got there. To make matters worse, I had a pounding hangover.

"Morning, sunshine," Brodie snickered as he entered the room with a bottle of water.

"Why am I in your bed?" I asked, accepting the bottle from him.

"You passed out, so I thought it would be a good idea for you to stay here. And before you say anything, I slept on the floor," he explained as I took a sip of water.

"What a gentleman," I said. "Where's Matt?"

"I literally had to force him out of the house. He kept insisting on staying to keep an eye on you or whatever. I eventually got him to leave, though he warned me he'd kill me if anything happened to you. I have no idea what he thinks might happen, so don't ask me," Brodie said.

"Huh," I mused.

"I think he likes you, you know," Brodie said as he rummaged through his closet.

"We're just friends. He would never think of me any other way," I insisted.

"If you say so," Brodie replied, clearly unconvinced.

I got out of Brodie's bed and went into the bathroom to get ready with whatever I could find. Fortunately, he had a spare, unused toothbrush, so I brushed my teeth quickly and then pulled my hair into a ponytail.

"Here," Brodie said when I returned to his room, handing me a black shirt. "It's a bit big, but it'll do."

"Thanks," I said. He left the room so I could change. The shirt was indeed large, but I didn't mind. I kept on the jeans I had worn the night before and grabbed my sneakers.

When I went downstairs, Brodie was eating a piece of toast while scrolling through his phone.

"Want some?" he asked, looking up.

"No thanks," I declined. "Do you have a pen I can borrow? I literally have none of my school stuff."

"Yeah, I'll find you one in a minute," he assured me.

"Alright," I yawned and sat down in the living room, messing around on my phone until it was time to leave.

"Here," Brodie said, handing me a pen ten minutes later. "You ready?"

"No, my head really hurts, but let's go," I replied. He snickered and grabbed his backpack. We walked to school, discussing how pointless it was.

"I hate this place," Brodie declared as Wellsbury High School came into view.

"I've never been to school on time before. This is weird," I told him, and he laughed. We entered the building and headed to Brodie's locker since there was no point in going to mine.

"I don't see anyone around," Brodie said, closing his locker.

"Oh great, they've been kidnapped," I joked, and Brodie chuckled.

"Maybe we should just head to class," Brodie suggested. "I think we have Biology."

"Gross," I deadpanned.

It was now break, and I was wandering the hall, searching for my friends, when I overheard someone talking about Ginny.

"-and she tripped, and a tampon flew out of her hand and hit Hunter in the face!" A girl laughed.

"No way!" Another girl laughed.

My eyes widened, and I struggled to hold back a laugh. That must have been so embarrassing. I continued walking and found Brodie, Jordan, and Matt hanging out by Brodie's locker.

"There you are," Brodie said when he saw me.

"Here I am," I confirmed.

"You okay?" Matt asked quietly as Brodie and Jordan started discussing their band.

"Yeah, my head hurts like hell," I confessed.

"I tried stopping you," he said with a slight smile.

"Obviously, you didn't try hard enough," I chuckled. "Brodie said he had a hard time getting you out of his house because you didn't want to leave my side. You in love with me or something?"

"You wish," he scoffed.

"My heart," I said sarcastically, placing my hand over my heart. Matt rolled his eyes playfully.

School was finally over, but as soon as I went to bed, it started again. This cycle continued throughout the week, and I couldn't express how much I hated school.

It was now Friday, and I was elated. The weekend was nearly here, which meant no school. I arrived at school on time once again.

I made my way inside and bumped into Matt, Brodie, and Hunter.

"Olivia, you're going to the Sophomore Sleepover, right?" Brodie asked.

"What?" I replied tiredly.

"You know what it is. It's tomorrow. Are you going?" Brodie questioned.

"I don't want to, but if there's booze, I'll get my dad to send Mrs. Baker the money," I shrugged.

"Yes!" Brodie cheered. I could have sworn I saw a smile on Matt's face. We continued walking to the berry tree, where Max and Ginny were.

"How are we getting booze for tomorrow? Because if you don't go," Brodie looked at me, "I'll cry."

"No, you won't, stupid," I told him.

"Press, you want to try that gas station that lets you buy a thirty-rack?" Hunter asked Matt as he put his arm around Ginny.

"I don't want to do that too often in case they start carding me," Matt replied as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"We need to get stuff," Brodie demanded.

"Can't Jordan just get some from his mom's airline kits again?" Max suggested helpfully.

"I don't want to drink nips," Hunter shook his head.

"I like them. I feel like a giant!" Brodie commented strangely, and Hunter laughed.

"Are you guys going to be one of those couples that shares everything in a gross way that reminds me I'm going to die alone?" Max asked Hunter and Ginny as they started sharing a bag of chips. Max's eyes widened when she realized what she said. "I mean, not that you're a couple or that you're going to be one, because who knows? We could get bombed by North Korea after C-Block, and none of this would even matter. Okay, I'm going to class."

"Awkward," Matt said as Brodie snickered and I laughed.

When break finally came, I remembered to ask Max if she could ask Ellen if my dad could just transfer the money for the Sophomore Sleepover into her bank account. After that, I tried to get through the school day without falling asleep.