One Foot In & One Foot Out

Chapter 26

"Ughhhh, I feel like a literal trashcan full of the funkiest trash," Lucia groaned the next day while lying on Jael's couch.

No one could remember how long the group of friends had stayed out, but it was now noon on January 1, 2018. The only thing that mattered to Jael was that she was with her friends having a good time and not thinking about the things that upset her. She survived another year of being a half human, half reaper. She survived another year of being an adult! And she thanks the Lord for it.

"You look like a literal trashcan full of the funkiest trash," Byron fires from the floor.

"Shut up, B! You better just hope I don't lean over and barf on you," Lucia says holding her head in her hands.

"No one is barfing on my floor! And can ya'll both shut up?? You're talking too loud," Jael complains from her room.

Jael sits up in her bed and reluctantly plants both feet firmly on the plush rug on the carpeted floor and sits there for a moment. She contemplates whether getting up is actually a sound idea considering the loud and uncomfortable churning in her stomach. Unfortunate for Jael, that same churning made her decision for her causing her to quickly rise and run to her bathroom.

"Please don't be so loud! Your throwing up is making me want to throw up!" Lucia yells from the living room.

Jael flushes the toilet, rinses her mouth out and brushes her teeth, and comes to the living room where two out of the three of her friends are.

"Where's Kos?" She asks slightly above a whisper while rubbing both her temples.

Byron and Lucia look around the apartment to notice that they are missing their fourth.

"He was here when we got back early this morning right?" Byron questions.

"Yeah, he was on my bedroom floor. Blankets and pillow are folded up and on the chair in my room," Jael states.

"I guess he left early. Anyone have a text from him?" Lucia inquires.

They all grab their phones and look for any signs of Kostas.

"I got one. He said that he headed out to go home so he could spend some time with Sophia. That was around 11am," Byron informs the girls.

Lucia rolls her eyes and rises from the couch to head to the kitchen to make some food for the remaining three of them.

Jael scrolls through her New Year's messages from various family members and other people to see a message from an area code she doesn't recognize.

*Hey Jael, it's Ari from last night at the bar...and your New Year's kiss... um, I was just thinking about you and wondering if you maybe wanted to hang out today? In better lighting? Lol. I'll be heading back home tomorrow, so today is the only day I can. Maybe we could get a late lunch?*

Ari sent Jael this message around 9am. How in the world was he not a member of the living dead right now? She couldn't remember what time she came in, but she knew for a fact that she was still out and about with her friends at 2am. After she and Arizona shared their kiss, which went on a few seconds longer than everyone else's, his friends gathered him, and he bid her farewell.

"Sooo, the guy from last night asked me to hang out today. Wants to get lunch," Jael say out loud to neither friend in particular.

"Waaa!!" Byron sarcastically gasps.

"Biiihhh," Lucia says from the kitchen.

They are truly siblings.

"You goin'?" Byron asks while turning on the tv and channel surfing.