lovely | billie eilish

14 |Blind, Deaf, Mute

The next few days passed in a whirlwind of studying, classes, and late nights with textbooks. Billie was busy recording her music video, and though we texted often, I missed seeing her. It felt like we were both caught up in our own lives, which left me feeling really lonely.

But today was different. Today was the break I desperately needed. Hailey, Alex, and Emma had planned to come over, and we were going to hang out and forget about the stress of exams for a little while. I had been looking forward to this all week.

By the time they arrived, I had already set up everything—snacks, drinks, and all the ingredients for the baking challenge we were doing later. Hailey, as always, came prepared, swinging through the door with a bottle of vodka in hand. "We need this," she said, grinning mischievously as she set it down on the counter.

I laughed, shaking my head. "You're probably right."

Emma and Alex came in not long after, arms full of chips, dips, and more snacks. The room felt alive with the buzz of conversation and the clinking of bottles as we poured drinks and settled in.

We talked for a while, catching up on everything—exams, professors, and the everyday stress of life. Then we chatted about which TV shows to binge next and laughed about our most embarrassing moments from freshman year, each of us trying to outdo the others with funny stories. Before long, the drinks started loosening us up.

After a few drinks, Alex nudged me. "So, what's the plan for this baking challenge?"

I grinned. "We're doing the blind, mute, and deaf challenge," I explained, pulling out the blindfolds, earbuds, and tape. "One person will be blind, one will be mute, and the other will be deaf while we try to bake cupcakes."

"That sounds like chaos," Emma laughed. "Let's do it!"

Once we were a little tipsy, we decided it was time to start. I volunteered to be mute, Hailey grabbed the blindfold, and both Alex and Emma put in earbuds to be deaf. Emma, always the organized one, took charge of reading the recipe.

Trying to communicate while laughing and messing up ingredients turned into total chaos. Hailey, blindfolded, struggled to mix the flour without spilling it everywhere, while Alex, oblivious to our instructions, kept stirring the sugar in circles without adding anything else. I mimed wildly, trying to explain what to do, but with no voice, I ended up flailing around while everyone else laughed.

At one point, Hailey almost dropped the entire bowl, and Alex, who couldn't hear Emma's shouts, didn't realize it until Emma had to yank it out of her hands. The chaos continued as we attempted to measure out the ingredients correctly, but it was a total disaster—in the best way possible.

By the time we had finished, the kitchen was a mess, but we were all laughing uncontrollably, barely able to catch our breath. We managed to get the cupcakes in the oven, though none of us were confident about how they'd turn out.

As we collapsed onto the couch, drinks in hand, Hailey shook her head. "I don't think those cupcakes will be edible."

"Definitely not," I agreed, laughing.

For the first time in days, I felt completely relaxed, the stress of exams and everything else fading into the background.

This was exactly what I needed—a night with friends, ridiculous challenges, and a break from reality. And as we sat there, waiting for the cupcakes to bake and talking about everything and nothing, I couldn't help but feel grateful for these moments.

Once the timer went off, signaling the cupcakes were ready, we got up from the couch and made our way back into the kitchen. The smell of the cupcakes filled the air, and despite our questionable baking process, I was somewhat optimistic.