You Know Me

7| Grave Digger

"Do you want me to take you to your car?" Stella's voice asks pretty clearly, but my mind just doesn't want to cooperate with my ears.

I look up at her from the same position that I've been sitting in for what seems like hours. I didn't even realize that it was time for her to get up, much less that she'd been up for at least an hour since her hair is perfectly straight and her makeup is already layered onto her tan skin. I sit down the full mug of cold coffee on the coffee table that I had been holding for far too long and crook my head sideways.

"Huh?"

"Your car. It's still at the frat house. Do you want me to drive you to get it?" She asks slowly, almost sounding like a smartass, but I know she doesn't mean for it to come out that way. It gives me enough time to understand what she's actually saying since my mind is barely working. Her baby blues shimmer from the light of her favorite lamp, and her smile forms dimples on both sides of her cheeks, sending some warmth into my cold stomach.

"Oh. Yeah, if you have time," I murmur and shift myself up-right. My legs tingle as I stand, probably from me sitting cross-legged for far too long.

"I have time. It's still early," she says and motions toward the clock above the TV.

6:00 AM.

I stretch my arms over my head and let out a groan as I walk myself with my numb legs into my room to grab my perfectly suitable flip flops and shorts. I take a short glance at my appearance and quickly look away as I catch sight of my dark under-eye bags. I need sleep, but It's impossible to sleep when you're trying to avoid the nightmares that come with it. As I walk back into the living room, I catch Stella looking at herself intensively in the mirror, placed perfectly in center with the dining table—her doings. It's like she's filling the void that separates her insecurities from her little to none confidence, pointing out every flaw in her reflection with the stern look that she holds. She jumps but smiles as she catches me in the background.

"Ready?" She asks, her voice breaking from her chirp.

"Ready," I say blandly and grab my keys, throwing them into my black, leather purse before forcing it onto my shoulder.

The sky is set a beautiful color of dark grey, and the trees sway rapidly from the wind. The atmosphere makes everything around it look dark and makes my chest feel ice cold, instead of its usual warming effect. I take my time walking to the car, looking all around me, hoping that I could just maybe get a sense of warmth from my surroundings, but it doesn't seem to work.

"Breakfast?" Stella asks as she buckles herself in and looks over at my unbuckled seat belt, waiting for me to do the same. I grab my seatbelt, and as it clicks, I give her a mocking smile.

"Any place to eat would be out of your way since you're just taking me down the block," I groan, and rest my head on the cold window.

"I don't mind," she hums as she puts her car in reverse.

After about a good ten minutes of silence, Stella pulls into the McDonalds parking lot. When she said breakfast, I had other things in mind, but I guess this will do since we're on a tight budget. Before she can take her keys from the ignition, I grab her hand.

"Can we just go through the drive-thru?" I ask or more so beg.

"But I have some time to kill," Stella whines and wiggles her hand free from mine.

"We can eat in the parking lot," I negotiate with her, and she automatically backs down with a sigh, putting her car back in drive.

I'm not really in the mood to deal with people today, and I'm terrified that someone from the party last night could be inside. I would be walking myself into a trap if they had seen me running out of the bathroom like a madwoman. We order our food, and even after telling Stella to make two separate orders, she ignores me and grabs some cash from her cup holder before reaching the window. I would've paid for just mine alone, but since she insists on paying for both, I might as well just let her. Right now, I'm just too weak to give a damn. Stella parks her car in the back corner of the parking lot, and we eat our biscuits in silence.