The Girl That Got Away

The last Sunday of Freedom

The pounding in the back of my head feels like I'm falling asleep while standing up, only to be knocked over backwards. This overwhelming hangover is worse than the nausea, which was only triggered because Shane vomited all over the plush pink carpet.

I was nowhere near as bad as Shane, and we were both relieved when her parents went away for the weekend. Now, we sat at the kitchen table as Will poured mugs of hot coffee, and the aroma of a greasy breakfast from Luke's filled the air.

Will's voice broke the silence. "You two partied hard last night," he observed, leaning against the kitchen counter in a thin white t-shirt and dark jeans. Though not unattractive, Will was strictly off-limits. Shane, less alert than her brother, groaned as she sipped her coffee slowly.

You drank too," Shane began, but Will cut her off. "Not nearly as much as Chrissy, and definitely not as much as you."

I giggled, but Shane swiftly kicked me under the table. Brushing it off, I eagerly dug into the paper bags from Luke's, which contained an assortment of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. The delicious food began to alleviate the pounding in my head - or perhaps it was the Advil I had discreetly taken from their mother's medicine cabinet.

"He definitely wasn't hooking up with as many college guys either," I remarked, smirking at the blonde.

Will's face flushed red as he crossed his arms. "I thought I told you to lay off the frat boys."

"It didn't go anywhere, clearly." She quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me upstairs, leaving a bewildered Will behind. "Anyway, thanks for breakfast. We've gotta go, bye!"

We giggled the whole way back to her room, then collapsed onto her bed. "Want to go shopping for your last day of public school freedom?" Shane asked.

"Definitely! I also need to get out of this room - it still reeks of your puke," I said. She scoffed, slapped my arm, then began browsing her closet.

Hurriedly, I threw on some clothes and pulled my unruly curly hair into a manageable ponytail. I despised inheriting my father's curly hair genes, especially on days like today when the rainy weather turned it into a total mess, despite it usually being fine.

As we strolled arm-in-arm through the quaint town, Shane's umbrella provided little protection from the rain. We picked up a few items at the beauty shop, then stopped by Weston's for a muffin before making our way to Luke's, the welcoming chime of the doorbell trailing behind us.

I greeted Luke, "Sup, Luke," as we settled ourselves at the bar. Shane began perusing the menu.

"Coffee?" Luke asked. I nodded and smiled, "Yeah, thanks Luke. And a burger for both of us, alright?"

Luke nodded and shouted the order to the server, "Caesar!"

Shane pouted her lip and slumped her shoulder as she set down the menu. "Hey, I wasn't done looking," she said.

I put a hand on her shoulder. "We get the same thing every time," I said.

"I know, but I like looking," she said, her expression turning serious.

For about 20 seconds, the serious look remained on her face before we both burst out laughing.

"I blacked out last night," she whispered, her voice laced with concern. "Did anything interesting happen?" I rolled my eyes and shook my head, earning a shove to the shoulder. "You're lying," she accused.

"Rich is a perverted touchy creep asshole. Some guy stepped in before it got too far, though," I grimaced at the memory. "Ooh, was he cute?"

"I'm telling you I basically got molested," I said, "and you're wondering if I met some knight in shining armor?" She only smiled, like the hopeless romantic she is. "Fine, he may have been cute," she conceded.

"Who's cute?" Luke asked, setting down our burgers.

"No one, Luke," I said, eating a fry.

"Does your mother know-" the man began, but was cut off by a shrill voice. "Chrissy!!!"

"Oh, hi Lane," I replied.

"Do you know where Rory is?" she asked, her voice laced with urgency.

"Sorry, I don't know her," I replied with a smirk.

"She's about this tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. She sleeps in the bed next to yours," I interrupted. "Yeah, I know my sister, but I don't know where she is."

"Really?" she exclaimed, then quickly turned and ran back out.

"What was that about?" Shane asked. I shrugged in response before returning my attention to my burger.