Eastwood High

Morning

I woke up to the feeling of cold, damp grass against my skin. My head was pounding, and my whole body felt heavy, like the weight of the night was dragging me down. I blinked a few times, squinting against the pale light of dawn creeping over the horizon. Everything was hazy, the world tilting slightly as I tried to sit up.

Jenna was still lying next to me, her arm draped across her face, her jacket half off her shoulders. Mike was sprawled out a few feet away, one hand buried in the grass like he was holding on to it for dear life. For a second, the absurdity of the situation almost made me laugh. I guess we'd really outdone ourselves this time.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, the screen lighting up to reveal the time: 6:14 a.m. My notifications were a mess of missed texts and blurry photos from the party, most of which I barely remembered. There was a message from Jenna, sent at some point in the night, but I didn't bother opening it. She was right here anyway, knocked out on the lawn next to me.

"Jenna," I whispered, gently shaking her. "Hey, Jenna. We need to get up."

She groaned and turned her face away from me, her hair sticking to her cheek. "Five more minutes..."

I sighed, my head still spinning. "We fell asleep outside. We really need to go."

After a few more moments of shaking her, Jenna finally stirred. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes and blinking at me in confusion. "What time is it?"

"Too early for this," I said, glancing at the pale morning sky. "But we need to get out of here before anyone else wakes up."

Jenna looked around, taking in the scene. Her expression was half-amused, half-horrified. "Did we really pass out on the lawn?"

"Yup," I said, trying to push myself to my feet. The ground still felt like it was shifting beneath me, and I had to steady myself against a nearby tree.

Mike was still snoring softly, his jacket tangled around his torso. Jenna crawled over to him, nudging his side. "Mike, come on. Time to wake up, party boy."

He grumbled something incoherent, swatting at her hand before slowly opening his eyes. His face was a mix of confusion and regret. "What the hell happened?"

"We partied too hard," Jenna replied with a smirk. "Now get up before we end up on someone's Instagram."

With a lot of groaning and effort, the three of us finally managed to stand. The air was crisp, and the chill of the morning cut through the alcohol haze still lingering in my body. I glanced back at the house, the remnants of the party still visible through the half-open windows. A few people were passed out on couches inside, red Solo cups scattered everywhere like confetti.

I tugged my jacket tighter around me and nodded toward the street. "Let's get out of here."

We started walking, our footsteps slow and unsteady. The streets were eerily quiet, with no one around except for the occasional car passing by. It was like the whole world was still asleep, oblivious to the chaos of last night. The cool air helped clear my head a little, but my body was sore and my mouth was dry. I knew I was going to feel the consequences of this night for a long time.

"Let's never do this again," Mike mumbled, rubbing his temples as we walked.

Jenna laughed, though it was half-hearted. "Until next weekend, right?"

I shook my head but smiled despite myself. As messed up as I felt, and as ridiculous as the whole night had been, We survived, somehow.

As we finally reached my car, parked a few blocks away from the party, I fished my keys out of my pocket. "I'm driving us to get food. I need something greasy and caffeinated, stat."

Jenna raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're good to drive? You were pretty out of it last night."

"I'll be fine," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure. But the thought of greasy diner food was too tempting to resist, and I figured I could handle it. "Let's just get out of here before someone recognizes us."

We piled into the car, Jenna in the passenger seat and Mike sprawled out in the back, groaning dramatically as he leaned his head against the window. The engine roared to life, and I pulled away from the curb, leaving the remnants of the party—and the mess of the night—behind us.

As we drove in silence, the city waking up around us, I couldn't help but think about how different everything looked in the daylight. The excitement of the party was gone, replaced by a strange kind of clarity. I glanced at Jenna, who was staring out the window, lost in her own thoughts, and at Mike, who had already dozed off again in the backseat. We were all a little bruised from the night, physically and emotionally, but we'd made it through.

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