Bitter & Sweet

10. Shrooms And Treasure

It is the next day and I wake up with a burning sensation in my head.
Flashbacks from the night before immediately appear and embarrassment washes over me.
Teo must think weird of me now, I wouldn't blame him if he did after how I acted last night.

The sun is shining brightly through small gaps of the curtains and I am instantly awake and annoyed, turning around — now facing the wall instead.

I stay in bed for a moment, scrolling through my phone until my door suddenly flies open.
"What the fuck?!"
It's Carl, Elijah and Teo.
Teo's still rubbing his eyes, looking more tired than I am, while Carl and Elijah are singing along to a very annoying song that loudly blasts through the speaker that they're holding.

"Wake up biatch!" Carl yells over the music.
"Suck. my. dick!" I yell back, and notice Teo laughing in the background.
"Cmon Ellie," Elijah says, walking up to me.

Suddenly I am being carried out of my bed, bridal style by Elijah.
"I swear if you drop me—"
"Then what huh?" Elijah smirks.
They walk to Hazel's room next and then Grace's.
Once everyone is awake and annoyed, we go to the dining room where there's already food prepared.
The smell of breakfast enters my nose and as good as it smells, it makes me a little nauseous.

I sit down next to Teo, with Carl on my other side, avoiding Hazel's eyes at all costs.
"How'd you sleep?" I hear Teo's voice say near my right ear.
"Slept okay I guess, I wish I was still asleep though, my head is killing me."
"And you're surprised?" Teo grins.
I jokingly hit his shoulder and grab some coffee.

After about twenty minutes, Teo and I decide to go on a smoke break in the backyard.
I bring my coffee outside with me.

"You've never had coffee with a cigarette before?!" I ask Teo in disbelief.
Teo laughs, his voice still a little hoarse.
He carefully takes a sip from his mug, the heat from his tea visible in the air.
"No, I don't usually drink coffee."
"Here, try it." I hand Teo my cup and tell him to take a sip first and then a drag of his cigarette.

He does as I say and I watch him curiously.
"Well...?" I ask.
"It's not so bad," he responds.
"That's it?!" I laugh.
"I'm not really a coffee person, I'm sorry," Teo grins.
"I'm just going to pretend you didn't just say that," I say, flabbergasted.
"You act like I just personally attacked you," Teo laughs and the sound that comes along is something I don't hear very often. I let it linger in my head for a while.

He usually just smiles with his face but now he actually laughs.
"You did actually, you really hit me where it hurt," I say sarcastically.
For a moment it is quiet, and I shiver as I'm still in my pajamas and the weather continues to grow colder day by day.

Teo watches me, then takes off his hoodie and hands it to me, still wearing a white shirt underneath.
"Teo, put that back on," I say, not wanting him to be cold just so that I'm not.
"Just take it," he says. He doesn't wait for my response and pulls the hoodie over my head.
"Teo!" I exclaim, not being able to see anything.

I pull the hoodie over my face and put my arms through the sleeves.

"But now you'll be cold," I pout.
"I don't get cold," Teo smiles, pulling the hoodie over my head.
"You're lying," I smile. His eyes lock with mine and I think to myself that it seems so easy for him to maintain eye contact, while I can't even look a person in the eyes for more than three seconds.

To me, it feels intimidating in a way, holding eye contact with someone. Like you're trying to figure each other out, and that if you look close enough — you can see right through a person.

Teo and I finish our cigarettes and we head back inside, where it is warm.
Once we're all done eating, Carl tells us to get ready and that we're going to the woods.