Midnight Parking in Olmos Park

Chapter 1: Michael

My head was hurting from the hangover I was waking up to.

Last night feels like a complete blur after consuming so much alcohol from that party.

The sun was invading my room, and I did everything in my tired body to force myself out of bed to close the shutters.

I accidentally fell on top of Eli and Jesse, who was passed out on my bedroom floor with a blanket. 

"Shit!" the two of them groaned in pain. 

"Sorry! Sorry! Hold on," I pushed myself to my feet, squinting my eyes away from the bright window until it was no longer a bother. 

I hit my pinky on the corner of my desk, which was now gushing blood from my nail.

"Does anyone have an aspirin?" Jesse rolled onto her stomach. 

"There's a bottle in my medicine cabinet," I whimper. "Can you grab me a bandaid, too?"

"You got it, babe," Jesse yawned as she stretched herself awake. 

"What time is it?" Eli asks. 

I wave my hair out of my face to check the time on my clock. "It's noon."

I could see Jesse struggling to find the bottle of aspirin while also battling the biggest headache of her life. "First shelf," I said loud enough for her to hear. 

She gave me a thumbs-up in return.

I wrapped the bandaid around my pinky toe, praying it won't hurt when I walk on it. "Can someone toss me my phone?"

Eli was sitting next to the bedside table and reached behind him to grab it just before tossing it into my hands. 

"Dude, can you please make sure I didn't post anything embarrassing on my snapchat story?" Jesse whined, holding her head in her hands as she climbed onto my bed. 

"You did, but it looks like it was just posted to your private story," I say. 

There was a knock at my door, "It's open," I utter, tossing my phone somewhere on the floor in front of me. 

"Well, good morning sleepyheads," My mom walked in. 

"It's actually noon," Eli spoke. 

"No kidding," She put her hands on her hips. "Michael, do you want to tell me why there is a mess in my kitchen?" 

I looked up. "Because we got hungry when we came home last night?"

"Interesting..." She nodded her head suspiciously. "Who was the designated driver last night?" The room grew quiet. 

I tried making eye contact with Eli and Jesse, but the two of them could barely keep their eyes open for longer than two seconds. 

There was no chance I was going to get myself out of this one. My mother knew it, too. 

She shook her head, disappointed when I made eye contact with her again. "Mijo, I want you and your friends to have fun, considering you just graduated high school and are going to college in just a few months. However, until then, I expect you to still live by my rules while you're living under my roof."

I massaged my eyes with my fingers. "You're right, ma. I'm sorry, about last night. We'll clean up the mess, okay?"

"Why are we being punished, too?" Eli moaned. 

"Because I'm best friends with your mothers, and I would want them to do the same thing for me." My mom folded her arms across her chest. "Vamos!" She motioned her head to the door.