Scratched

Seven

SEVEN

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My first conscious thought was that something was digging into my side. I groaned, trying to move away from whatever it was. Despite my effort it just jabbed me in the side harder. I yelped, shooting away from it. My eyes popped open, meeting with the unwanted blinding sunlight. I winced, shading my eyes before casting a look around the room. I was at Tiana's. How did we get back here?

I wracked my brain, trying to remember what we had done last night, and then it hit me. We had gone to that concert last night—the Muck-Ups. I laid back in bed, thinking about how good they had played. It was amazing, really. He had worked the guitar so easily that it seemed almost unreal. But he was just so—just so like himself. I shook off the thought, thinking of how the night had ended. We had stayed around a while longer with them. Mostly talking, but entertaining Reed had been a pain. We'd stumbled back to Tiana's in the early morning hours.

I looked at the time now. It read one in the afternoon. I sighed, running a hand over my face. God. I glanced over Tiana. She was sprawled across the bed, her knee sticking into my side. So it had been her! I poked at her, trying to wake her up. She mumbled something, moving around on the bed but not waking up. Fine, I thought. I grabbed her and shook her. It was rude but it got the job done. Her eyes snapped open, staring at me blindly. Then she blinked.

"What the hell?" she mumbled.

"Wake up! I want to get some food."

"Go get it yourself," she said.

I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. It was met with tangles. "I'm leaving in a couple days! Humor me!" I insisted, poking at her again. She pushed my hand away, struggling into a sitting position. Satisfied I relaxed. After a couple of minutes she managed to pull herself out of the bed and drag herself to her closet. I followed suit throwing on the clothes I had worn before the concert. "So I never got to ask—did you get Luke's number?"

She had been on Luke all night. It was practically impossible to pull her away. She probably wouldn't have even noticed if I'd just left. She smiled at this. "Well, I gave him my number. He said he'd text me," she said as she slipped into a pair of shorts and a tank top. She whirled around her eyes wide. "Do you think he'll text me? I mean, you don't think he was just saying that—do you?"

I leaned against the door frame, choosing my words carefully. Did I really think Luke would call her? Maybe. But then again none of the members were from around here. They'd probably leave and go back to wherever they had been before, and forget all about the two of us. That didn't bother me, but Tiana would share that same feeling. I couldn't say any of this though. So instead I said, "Sure. Sure, he'll definitely text you. Why wouldn't he?" She pulled her hair up into a messy bun, turning to face me. "You've got nothing to worry about, Ti. You're golden."

"Yeah, your right," she decided.

"Of course I am! Now let's eat."

♪          ♫          ♪

I left the diner after I finished eating with Tiana. The diner was one of the best restaurants in Riverview. It was Uncle Joe's was my favorite place other than the Scoop. Their ice cream was to die for. Homemade and everything. I had hoped to head their but Tiana had to leave. She had made some plans with other people, and I was planning on heading back to Rhett's frat anyways. I was leaving tomorrow and I wanted to finish out the night with my brother. I had just started down the boulevard when my phone started buzzing. I dug it out of my pocket, clicking the answer button. I brought it to my ear just as noise crackled over the line.