The Last 24 Hours

Chapter 1

5 hours before lock in…

Cleo
At first, I thought this plan was a little crazy, the group of us, locked in a house for twenty-four hours, no communication with the outside world, with only music, movies and food to drown our annoyance and sorrows. How Ember got me to agree to it two weeks ago when she first got the idea is beyond me, I mean normally I’m the sensible one, but here I am at one of my best friend’s houses setting up for something that will probably go horribly wrong sometime in the next few hours.
“ When is your dad bringing over that stereo?” Ember yelled out to me from her room upstairs, she was still trying to figure out what she wanted to wear.
“ He said he was going to bring it over after work! Should be any minute now!” I shouted back, I was in the kitchen, baking cookies, brownies, muffins, pretty much everything because my friends and I eat all the time, so we needed to be prepared. Putting the last batch of blueberry muffins in the oven, I walked upstairs to catch a break, and I figured Ember would need some help with her outfit. “ Hey, how’s outfit hunting going?” She jumped, almost falling out of her chair.
“ Don’t sneak up on me like that! Anyway,I actually could use your help, I have it narrowed down to three outfits.” She picked up each outfit one by one, holding them up for me to see. The first was a teal dress, it had long sleeves and a high neck, she had tan ankle boots picked out to go with it. I shook my head vigorously, maybe in a different color it would be cute, but then again, dresses were never really her style. She threw it in what I assumed was her ‘no’ pile, and moved to the next one. Of course at least one outfit had to have sweatpants involved, her black ones, only she had a red crop top out to go with it.
“ That outfit looks like you can’t decide whether you want to dress to impress or suppress,” I made a frivolous face before shouting,“ Next!” She sighed and threw them in the same pile as the dress. The last outfit was a fitted flowery top and a pair of ripped jeans. The outfit was cute, but it wasn’t her, she was trying too hard to find something. I took the top away and put it in the ‘no’ pile while picking the red crop top back up and throwing it at her. “ Keep the jeans and that shirt,” I paused and looked around until I found her black combat boots, I placed them down next to her, “ and now your outfit is complete.”
“ For all that, I should’ve let you go through my closet in the first place. What are you wearing for tonight anyway?” I gave her a mischievous grin.
“ Come on now, you know that’s a surprise.” Rolling her eyes she walked past me grabbing her car keys. “ Where are you going?”
“ We are going to your house so you can grab the things you need for the next twenty-four plus hours since you failed to bring it with you already.”
“ Ah, that makes sense, I just need to grab the muffins out of the oven, then we can leave.”

Tristan
    “ I know that it’s our last game, but that doesn’t mean you should look so glum. You sir have lead your team to many victories, the best captain this school has ever seen.” Simon patted me on the back, offering a cheerful smile. I knew he was right, but I have dedicated so much to this team, and to soccer in general that leaving is harder than I thought.
    “ I don’t know, the guy before me seemed to do a pretty good job, you know before he felt that it was too much responsibility and stepped down.” He sighed and shook his head.
    “ Listen the time that needed to be put into that captain position was causing a strain in my relationship, with my bed that is, Cleo scolded me many of times after I stepped down. She was, however, elated when you took over the position.” Cleo is Simon’s girlfriend, and undoubtedly my closest friend. We met when she moved here in second grade, and after we found out that we had a mutual love for movies such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, it was decided that we were going to be best friends, and that has yet to change, even if I want it to.
    “ Cleo disapproved because that was the only thing that gave you a responsibility and you threw it away. She figured you were too lazy for it, and I’m not quite sure I disagree.” He shrugged the comment off. “ Do you think you can give me a ride to Ember’s later when it’s time to meet up there? I have a feeling that my dad is going to need the car tonight.”
    “ As long as you don’t mind riding with Audrey, I told her I would give her a ride as well.” Wonderful... Audrey is my ex-girlfriend, yet somehow has still managed to stay within our group of friends, I’m pretty sure it’s because Simon had managed to be able to defend her in front of all of us, I’m still not sure how Cleo felt about that, but she never wanted to talk about it.
    “ I don’t mind at all.” He knew I was lying, but I needed a ride. I wouldn’t miss these next twenty-four hours, even if my life depended on it.