EXCEPTional

Ch. 27 (Chance)

*Chance*

After the interview (which was on national news just a few hours after the local broadcast), social media sites blew up, claiming they "knew it was just a rumor all along" and my status as a good guy was restored, for the most part. My critics were cynical, but my critics could never be appeased.

Meanwhile, after the interview, I drove home, turned off all of my devices, and collapsed onto my bed in absolute exhaustion. I only managed to kick off my shoes before I fell asleep.

I continued sleeping until eight in the evening, when my jeans got too uncomfortable to sleep in. I groaned as I got out of bed and shuffled over to my phone.

As soon as it was turned on, notifications came in like crazy. I did a check of the various sites, and vowed to respond later—much later. I set up an automatic reply on my email to say I wouldn't be able to get back to anyone until after my vacation. On my various social media accounts, I made a status that stated something similar.

Once finished with that, I went to the bathroom to change into my pajamas. Before I brushed my teeth, I ate a quick something but returned to my bedtime routine afterwards.

I grabbed my phone, thankful it was no longer going off, and crawled back into bed. I pulled up my texts and selected Bridget's and my conversation. I typed, "Are you as exhausted as I am?" and sent it.

A minute later, my phone lit up with, "Yep."

I chuckled at her one-word response. "How was your day?"

"Long."

"I hear ya. How was your visit with your dad today?"

"Okay."

My eyebrows knitted together and I stared at the single word on my screen. Normally, Bridget was a lot more talkative than this. She seemed off to me, so I asked, "Something wrong?"

"Just tired."

Well, it was a slight improvement from the one word replies.

Before I could type a response, she sent another message that read, "I'm gonna turn in early. Good night."

Lips pursed, I typed, "Good night, Bridget. Sweet dreams."

The last thought on my mind before I drifted into sleep was, what really happened at her dad's place?

...

My body naturally woke up at seven the next morning, but my brain still felt fatigued, so I forced myself to fall back to sleep.

The second time I woke up was nine, but I was dreadfully tired. So I rolled over and fell asleep once more.

Finally, when I decided to get out of bed, it was noon. I felt groggy and disoriented and hungry. So I trudged to the bathroom, showered, and put on my clothes for the day. Then I headed downstairs and had a very late breakfast.

As I ate my omelet, I played a mindless game on my phone. When I finished, I made a second omelet and devoured it quickly. Once I felt full, after two omelets and five glasses of orange juice, I headed upstairs to grab my laptop.

I checked social media, mostly for other people's updates, and saw a photo of Marcus, Morgan, RJ, and a couple others I recognized at a popular club. The caption read, "Best night in a long time!"

A twinge of jealous shot through me. I wasn't jealous at the hangover they were probably experiencing right now, or of the outing to the club. I was jealous of the fact they were having fun, and the last time Marc had made a caption like that was with me on my twenty-fourth birthday.