1.1 The Chronicles of Us - Vice & Virtue

Chapter eleven

Morning comes as if night never were. I wake after a long and dreamless slumber. This thin mattress has given me some sore back muscles but I'm well-rested nonetheless.

I turn my phone on. To my surprise, no missed calls from David. My mother must have talked to him, made him understand that I will contact him when I'm ready. After sending her a text to let her know I'm alive and well, I check the weather forecast.

No clouds and all the sun.

I disappear in the small bathroom and change into a set of fresh underwear and a pair of high-waisted denim shorts. The hem of my white tank top goes underneath the waistband. To finish my look, I pull my thick hair into a high ponytail and apply a tiny bit of mascara.

I smile at my own reflection. I'm bearing more skin than I usually do but, considering the weather, it's a fitting attire. With brushed teeth and a healthy blush, I head to my new companions.

Everyone is already up. How strange to be the last one to wake. Mother never allowed me to sleep in or dilly-dally. I can almost hear her singsong warning.

Idle hands are the Devil's tools.

Joey smiles, catching my attention. "Morning."

"Morning." I smile too, and sit down next to Santiago. "Did you guys have fun last night?"

He turns to face me, grinning with playfulness. "You could say that. Didn't you hear us come back?"

I think about it for a second but nothing comes to mind. "Nope, slept like a rock."

"Too bad, it would've been fun if you heard the ending."

I tilt my face. "The ending of what?"

Did Joey just kick Santiago from under the table? The way he squints his eyes and grumbles tell me I might be right. "Nothing really. Axel was hammered and decided to bellow the national anthem." A cheeky grin appears. "Until Tex punched him in the gut."

I peek at Axel. His face seems greenishly pale—if such a thing is even possible—but that probably has more to do with the amount of alcohol he consumed and less with roughhousing. "That's not very nice. Why would he do something like that?"

Axel chuckles. "He wasn't wrong. It's rude to wake sleeping girls. Besides, I threw up on his shoes, so that makes us even."

My nose wrinkles at the gross image, which only makes them laugh louder. Did Tex really defend my good night's rest? Punching someone seems wildly overblown to me, but maybe that's just boys being boys. There seems to be no bad blood, after all.

I glance his way, or at least, where I thought he was. I'm positive he was talking to William a minute ago. Tex leans against an empty seat close to mine, looking at us with suspicion. "What are you all talking about?"

Santiago taunts him a little. "Don't worry, we left your precious ego intact."

Tex' eyes shift from face to face before they rest on mine. His gaze evokes a rush of warmth through my body, lingering between my thighs.

Think of something else.

I look at his feet for a second. He's wearing black boots instead of sneakers. It's true then, he did protect my uninterrupted slumber. I look up again and say, "I guess, a thank you is in order."

He frowns in a sort of angsty way. "Why? The fuck did you do?"

Did I make it sound as if he needs to thank me? I smile at his confused face. "No, silly, I meant that I should thank you. Apparently, you tried to keep those rascals quiet so I wouldn't wake."