United We Stand

22. Limits

"Earth to Skyyyyy." A muffled voice says. I feel the world shaking and the room spinning. "Whaaa..." I mumble, not opening my eyes. A scream fills the air and I bolt up from the bed. Liam sits in front of me, laughing while holding his stomach. I frown, ready to slip back into sleep.

"No more sleep." Liam says as he grabs me by the shoulders. I try to wrestle away but his grip is strong. "You're late. It's nine ten." He says. My eyes shoot up. "What?" I almost yell.

Liam scrunches his face up in disgust. "Wow your breath stank." He says, pinching his nose. "Shut up." I growl, pushing past him and walking over to the bathroom.

All I hear is laughing and coughing behind me. I roll my eyes and wash face as well as my teeth. I tie up my hair in a French braid. I dash back to Liam's room. I look around for last night's clothes. Liam isn't in the room so I strip off and shove on my clothes as well as my shoes. I make sure I still have my phone and sprint to living room.

Liam looks up from the couch, munching on something. "Help yourself to anything in the fridge." He says through a mouthful. "I can't, I gotta go! I'm late!" I say frantically. Liam pretends to look hurt. "Is that how you're going to leave? Rushing out of my house after our hangover?" He asks. I narrow my eyes at him and point a finger at him.

"Watch it. And thanks for letting me sleep here." I say before running out of his house and down the stairs to Pedro's office. I knock and a guy answers the door. He's wearing a white tank top with some baggy shorts along with black shoes.

He yawns and runs a hand through his curly hair. He is probably just a bit shorter than me. "What may I help you with?" The guy says in a thick Hispanic accent.

"Um, are you Pedro?" I ask. The guy nods. "Yeah. What do you need?" He asks. I smile. He pronounces yeah like there was a j instead of a y. Like jes, jeah, joo. "Um, I locked myself out and I don't have my key." I say. Pedro nods. "Okay, come this way." He says.

I enter his office slowly, maneuvering through trash on the floor. A musty smell fills the air, along with a whiff of some French fries. Pedro shoves his hand in a desk cabinet and looks at me. "Which apartment number are you?" He asks me.

I think for a moment. "One, eight, four." I say. Pedro snickers. "One hundred and eighty four?" He asks. "Whatever, I'm bit in a hurry." I say. Pedro hand me a bronze key.

      "Give it back." He says, walking up to a couch in the middle of his office. I nod. Music. Walls need to go down. Cheetah speed. I think hard. Pedro looks at me like I have two heads. I run through the door, everything blurring past me.

The air stills. I look up, I'm in front of my apartment. "So cool." I mutter. I quickly go into my apartment and change. When I'm done I grab my key chain.

      I run back to Pedro in a matter of seconds. Pedro looks up at me. "Wow. It's been a minute." He says, nodding as he snatches the key back. "Thanks." I say. I run out of his office again and toward a the bridge. Everything is a blur around me, yet I know exactly where I'm going.

            I burst through the doors of the training room. People look up, startled. I look around, out of breath. I spot Jade up in the monkey bars. She notices me and gracefully climbs down. Her eyes don't leave mine as she makes her way down.

"Well well well. Look who decided to show up." She says, her face neutral. Once I catch my breath I begin to speak. "I know, Jade. I'm sorry. But I'm here now. That--"

              I stop myself when Jade holds up a hand. "Go home, Madison." Jade says. I don't bother asking her how she knows my last name. She starts to turn away when I dash in her way. "I'm here now. That counts." I say.