Crimson Skies | Steve Harrington

Chapter 6: The Morning After

     Savannah pinched her eyes shut, postponing the headache that would surely set in the second she let sunlight hit them. Her stomach felt sour, likely still processing the copious amount of alcohol she had consumed the night before. She rolled over in bed, curling the bed sheets over her shoulders and wondering if she could convince her parents she was sick. It took her a moment before she realized she couldn't remember how or when she got home. As she tried to retrace her steps in her mind, she realized she didn't remember leaving the party. In fact, she could hardly remember the party at all.

     As she scoured her brain for any sort of recollection of the previous night, someone burst through the bedroom door, and Savannah instantly opened her eyes, jolting awake. Her stomach dropped when she failed to recognize any of her surroundings and she spotted a young, redheaded girl standing before her in the doorway. The girl didn't seem shocked to see her, hardly acknowledging Savannah's presence as she made her way to the dresser and proceeded to scrape spare change into the palm of her hand and pocket it.

     Savannah lay there frozen, blankets clutched to her chest as her heart raced. The girl exited without a word and then stopped in the hallway. "She's awake," she said in passing as heavy footsteps neared the bedroom.

     Billy Hargrove entered, and Savannah instantly bolted upright. He, too, did not seem surprised to see her.

     "Morning," he said in a low voice.

     Savannah quickly deducted that she was sitting in his bed, and a million thoughts began racing through her head. Considering the fact that she had no memory after Billy's keg stand, anything could have happened. She assumed the worst.

     "Why am I in your room?" she asked, not entirely sure whether she wanted the answer. "What happened last night?"

     "You asked me to bring you home," Billy responded coolly, removing his denim jacket from a wire hanger in the closet. He was already dressed for school. "You could barely walk by the time we left."

     "Did I ask you to take me home?" Savannah asked defensively, her forehead wrinkling as she tried to remember.

     "I believe your exact words were, 'I will literally jump out of a moving vehicle before I let Harrington drive me home," Billy smirked. "Must have really pissed you off."

     "I don't remember," Savannah sighed, anxiety filling her chest. "We didn't..." She shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Billy's eye. "I mean, you and I...did we?"

     "You were basically unconscious by the time I put you to bed," Billy eyed her through the mirror as he slipped on his jacket. "So no...we didn't. I'm not that big of a dick." He winked at her before grabbing his car keys from the dresser. He then paused, before shouting, "MAX! Stop stealing my change, you little shit!"

     Savannah remained on the bed, her head pounding.

     "Leaving in 10," Billy told her before storming down the hall in search of his little sister.

     10 minutes later, Savannah came trudging outside, still staggering slightly and squinting in the painful sunlight. It was then that she realized she may still be slightly drunk. She stood in front of the passenger door of Billy's camaro, waiting for the red headed girl to crawl in the back seat and make room for her. Although Savannah had managed to brush out her hair and wiped the smudged makeup from her eyes, she was still looking pretty disheveled, proven by her reflection in the car window. Rock music blared from the stereo, making Savannah's head pound even more. At that moment, death seemed like a much more peaceful option.

     Even though the commute to school was short, Billy flew down the road at a lightning speed, cutting their drive in half. When they arrived, Savannah quickly got out to let the red haired girl out of the back seat, and immediately got back in the car, slamming the door shut.