Early Bird | ✓

14 | penguin

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Lizzy | JJ

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TEAGAN forced Lizzy to rise from her comfortable position in the bed, which was warm and cozy, quiet and dark.  Lizzy felt like a zombie, her brain processing the scenery around her as slow as possible, her feet dragging from exhaustion, a little soreness shooting through them from her interference in Lucas and Mateo's fight.  Lizzy just wished to burrow back into bed, permitting her mind to slip into unconsciousness.  It was so much easier not moving a muscle—neither her brain nor her arms nor her legs, just her heart and lungs performing their jobs perpetually.

"Are we home yet?" Lizzy mumbled as they descended down the stairs, her eyes half-closed.  The party had dispersed like a deformed bracelet's beads rolling off a table.  Those who were left, dawdling and chatting in clusters who were most likely close friends of Paisley, stared at Lizzy like—Lizzy wasn't sure exactly how to describe it—she was an unkempt, uncultivated drunkard.  Teagan ignored their gawks, stomping straight out the front door.  Lizzy was dimly aware of her friend's riled up attitude, steam seemingly pouring out of her ears with heated, red cheeks to match.

"No," Teagan said curtly, hauling Lizzy through the obscurity of the night, a few beams from streetlights illuminating their pathway.

Lizzy struggled to focus on Teagan, the colors around her blurring into an undefined palette of various shades of grays and blacks.  "Wait...you're not driving, are you?  I'm the designated driver," Lizzy reminded Teagan.

Teagan paused abruptly before giving her friend an amused look, a laugh prancing on her lips.  "You really think I'd let you drive right now in this state."

Lizzy mocked Teagan by morphing her face in a similar expression.  "And you'd really think I'd let you drive in your state," she retorted, referring to the drinks that Teagan had consumed during Paisley's party.

"Lizzy, sweet, sweet Lizzy, I only had two drinks—the one you gave me and then one more later on but I could barely stomach them because of...well...Mateo and his despicable presence.  I think enough time has passed by that it has run out of my system.  And besides, Paisley's house is only a few minutes from yours and it's basically through neighborhoods the whole time.  The only accident I could possibly get in is running into a mailbox."

Lizzy didn't have any energy to bicker with Teagan any further.  After Teagan unlocked the car, Lizzy climbed into the front seat and slammed the door, immediately resting her head on the cool glass of the window.  Teagan entered the driver's side, the inner car lights blaring down on them and causing Lizzy to wince and squint from their brightness.  While the car's interior was illuminated for a few seconds, Lizzy noticed the palimpsest slashes of mascara around her friend's eyes, like a raccoon's, and Lizzy could tell that Teagan had attempted to wipe away all evidence of her sobs.  "Trouble with Mateo?" she asked quietly, forcing herself to stay awake in order to be a proper, compassionate friend for Teagan.

"Something like that," Teagan said before the lights from the ceiling faded, casting the car's interior into darkness.  "I thought maybe we had a chance when he fought Lucas for me, but as it turns out, Paisley's still in the picture and it looks like she isn't going anywhere for a long, long time."

"Have you told him?  About your feelings?"

Teagan allowed a lull of silence to pass between them, the car's vibrations soothing and leading them both into a trance.  Lizzy had almost fallen back to sleep when Teagan finally spoke again: "He doesn't care."