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THE TEAM SHUFFLED AROUND THE DORM to grab for their things, ready to leave. The team meeting had finally ended and Stuart had only realized how late it was when he glanced over at the clock resting on his dresser, the arrows ticking halfway through ten.
It probably would have went on longer if Lyle hadn't caught the many times Billy was unconsciously yawning into his shoulder. They probably would have stayed up past curfew too if Lyle wasn't nice enough to call it a day for everybody — or maybe it mostly had something to do with the fact that Yo-Yo was already starting to drool from where he was slumped against Stuart's bed. He dismissed the huddle with a quick pat on each of their backs and told everyone to get some sleep for the third challenge the following day.
"We should probably wake Bree up before we go," Lyle brought up when he slung his backpack on, eyeing the brunette curled underneath her comforter.
Neha followed his gaze before giggling under her breath. "Yeah, she's definitely not gonna be happy when she wakes up and realizes we finished without her."
"We barely even started with her," Billy muttered as he adjusted his coat around his shoulders. Bemused, he added as quietly as he could, "Knocked out cold twenty minutes in. All that running must've gotten to her."
"You think?" Nick followed up sarcastically, which earned him a quick slap on the arm from Billy. The two eventually settled down when Lyle shushed at them and gestured them to keep it down.
Already looking like he was prepped to leave, Lyle took a step forward and was just about to walk over to Bree's bed when Stuart suddenly spoke up behind him.
"Just let her sleep."
Lyle turned around. Stuart was leaning against the doorway of the bathroom, his hands shoved into his sweat pockets and his eyes fixed discreetly on his roommate who was unceremoniously sprawled on her bedsheets, her snoring muffled by the comforter Neha had burrito wrapped her into.
"What?" The words left Lyle's mouth rather stupidly, blinking at Stuart with both his eyebrows shot up like he had just grown a second head.
"I mean, the meeting's already over." Stuart's eyes trailed back to meet Lyle's, almost as if he was daring him to say something. Lyle, however, was smart enough to take the hint. With the way the younger was eyeing him, he was sure he wouldn't make it out the room unscathed if he commented on it. "Like Billy said, she's exhausted. Besides, you're not the one who's going to hear her complain for the next half hour if you wake her now."
Lyle nodded along to his explanation and almost made the smarter decision of turning back around and heading out the door without another word. Almost.
