The next few weeks were a blur for Jared. He skipped class, he stopped eating, sleep was rare and short; he just didn't care anymore. He had never felt so sad and empty in his life. He even contemplated dropping out of school. But he couldn't do that, his dorm was his only place he could stay. Jared had cried so much he couldn't cry anymore. He was almost deathly dehydrated, but he could hardly get out of bed to get something to drink. His roommate had given up on trying to cheer him up, let alone talk to him. In fact, he hadn't spoken a word in a week. The only noise he had made was the occasional whimper or sob. Jared had never been more miserable in his life. He had tried to push Evan out of his mind; it hurt to even think of him. He didn't want to leave his room in fear of running into him in the halls. Evan hadn't even said the words "I'm breaking up with you", but Jared knew they weren't together anymore. Evan hadn't called, texted, or even acknowledged him. This wasn't just a fight.
One night, while Jared was listening to Come From Away and looking at old pictures of Evan and him, Zoey burst into his room. "Alright, get your ass up." She demanded, ripping his fluffy rainbow blanket off of him. Jared groaned as the cold air hit him. "What the hell, Zoey? I thought you were mad at us." It pained Jared to say Evan's name, so he only said 'us'. "Yeah, well, I got over it. Alana and I made up, unlike you and Evan." Jared winced. "Too soon?" She asked. He nodded and glanced at his feet. "Okay, come on. Go get ready."
"For what?"
"We, Jared Kleinman, are going clubbing." He stared at her, waiting for the punch line or for her to burst out laughing. But she didn't. "Wait, you're serious?" Zoey grinned. "Come on, I talked to Evan too. You both need to go out on the town, have some fun!" Jared raised his eyebrows. "Hold on, Evan's upset too?" Zoey paused. "I mean...uh, obviously not as upset as you, Mr. Hermit, but yeah. Alana's taking him out to some club, and that's what I'm doing with you. Different clubs, obviously. Now, go!" She shouted, pulling out what looked like a referee's whistle from her pocket. She blew into it as loud and ear-splitting as she could. Jared groaned once more and climbed out of bed for the first time in what seemed like centuries. He took a shower and pulled on a purple polo and grey zip-up sweater. Zoey looked him up and down. "Good enough. You still look dead inside, though. Let's get a little makeup on you." Jared stepped away from the vicious unofficial life coach. "Uh, I don't really wear makeup." Zoey rolled her eyes. "You do now. Sit down." She reached into her purse and pulled out a chevron makeup bag so stuffed that it could hardly zip up. "You don't even wear all this." He whined. "Still, you never know when you're going to need it." She replied, taking out a bottle of foundation and holding it up to his skin. "This should work," Zoey mumbled. She swiped the foundation around his face, making sure to pile it on under his eyes, where the darkest and deepest bags she had ever seen were found. She seemed almost as confused as Jared was while she worked. Her light eyes glazed with concentration, but her actions seemed extemporaneous. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Jared asked. "Nope."
A half-hour later, Zoey spun Jared around to face his mirror. "I look...alive." He said. "Good, that's what I was going for." She stood up and stretched. "It's already getting dark. If we want to even get inside, we gotta get going now."
"Why, what club are we going to?" Jared asked. "Only the best club in town!" Zoey shouted excitedly.
"This is a college town, Zoey. There are a ton of clubs here, you need to be more specific." Zoey sighed. "Okay, fine. We're going to Club Royale!" Jared crossed his arms. "Yeah, right. That's a club for seniors, not a freshman and a...wait, what are you?" She rolled her eyes once more. "I'm a freshman too, I just graduated a year early." She wasn't wrong. Zoey had found out at the end of last school year that she had enough credits to graduate high school. She took it as a chance to get more education and to be with Alana. She hadn't regretted the decision yet, but it was still early in the year. "Right. Anyway, we would never be able to get in, even if I wanted to go, which I don't." Zoey grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his seat. "I know a bouncer there that will let us in." Is all she said. That was enough to convince Jared. "Fine..." He mumbled, following Zoey out the door and into her scratched up Nissan.
The two pulled up in front of the dark building, the words 'ROYALE' blaring in neon blue. Jared couldn't help but feel anxiety wash over him. "I'm not sure about this..." He said, grabbing Zoey's arm. She shrugged his hand off of her and opened the car door. "Come on, you idiot. This'll be fun, I promise." Jared bit his lip, a habit he could only have learned from Evan. He hesitated before stepping out of the car, unsure of what the possible outcome of this nigh could be. Still, he trailed behind Zoey as she walked around the side of the building. A burly pale man stood outside the black door. That being said, Zoey strutted up to him with confidence, ignoring his seemingly terrifying stature. "Hey, Jackie!" She said happily. The man's frown melted into a smile. "Zo-Zo! How are you holding up?" He asked. They chatted for a few minutes before he opened the door, giving a little wave as Jared followed Zoey inside. "Who was that?" Jared asked, catching up with Zoey. "Oh, one of Connor's old friends." She said, taking off her leather jacket and hanging it on a hook. Jared followed suit before pausing. "Wait, you mean one of Connor's old drug dealers, right?"
"Duh, you think Connor actually had friends?" She asked as they walked onto the dance floor. "I think you should respect the dead." He smirked. "Hey!" Zoey shouted over the pulsing music. "That's the closest you've gotten to a smile in days!" Jared ignored her and yelled, "What are we really doing her, Zoey?"
"What else would we be doing? We're finding you a rebound!"
"A what?!"
