When the song ended, I sent Lucas to fetch me a few more shots. He didn't disappoint. The room was beginning to spin. My heartrate was going through the roof, but I didn't fucking care.

Tonight was for me!

Tonight was for living!

Tonight was what it meant to be sixteen!

After dancing to two more songs, Lucas and I ditched the dance floor to join Amari and Archie in a round of beer pong. Amari and I tried to set up Nat with Lucas' friend, Kevin Wen, once the rest of us noticed how they seemed to hit it off right away. The stars must have fucking aligned for those two that night because, of all the obscure cult web series characters that Kevin could've chosen to be, he decided to show up as Zaboo, who just happened to be Codex's love interest in the show. It was perfect.

Amari and I knew we had succeeded when Kevin offered to drive Nat home before any of us were ready to leave. Then, Lucas offered to drive me. As we paired off for the night, Amari suddenly feigned a headache and claimed she might need to take off early with Archie. The girl was a truly horrendous actress. Nat and I had shared a look and raised our eyebrows at each other. Those two lovebirds were undoubtedly going home to boink their hearts out.

About an hour later, Lucas and I wandered away from our friends and stumbled upon a couch in one of the guestrooms. We started making out. I was totally into it until his hand started sliding up my inner thigh.

Zac's face flashed before my eyes.

No, no, no!

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to keep going, but I couldn't do it. My head was also growing heavier by the minute from all the vodka and the beer and the sips and swigs I'd foolishly taken in between. Suddenly, my stomach didn't feel so good. On the verge of gagging, I held my hand up to my mouth and told Lucas I felt like barfing. He immediately jumped out of the way as though I had burned him.

I staggered out of the guestroom into the hallway. I blinked and saw Bea and Chloe standing before me in angel and devil costumes. They said something to me, but I couldn't process it very clearly. In my drunken stupor, I tripped and fell in front of them. My sister and her friend slowly poured their drinks all over me and sauntered away, laughing their asses off as I floundered around like a drenched, newborn calf.

By the time I was right-side up again, I could barely see straight, let alone command my feet to step in a coordinated, forward-moving direction. I clung to the wall, wobbling and swaying as I searched for a toilet. Right as I was about to take another tumble, a strong hand gripped my arm before I toppled over. The same pair of hands hoisted me over someone's shoulder and, before I knew it, I was kneeling in front of a toilet, spewing out my innards as this person held my hair back.

Not really sure what happened afterwards because that was all I could remember before I fucking passed out.

***

Sunlight trickled in from the blinds as I regained consciousness. The sheets and blanket felt so soft and warm. They smelled nice, too. Fresh, clean, woodsy. Kind of like Zac. I snuggled deeper into my pillow. My head was still woozy from the night before, and I dozed off for a few more minutes before waking again with a jolt.

Hold the fuck up.

My room had curtains.

Not blinds.

Frantically, I sat up to look around. I was in someone's bedroom.

No, wait.

Not a bedroom.

There was a small kitchenette in the corner of the room, a bathroom door, a closet door, and the front door.

Was this a studio apartment?

There was nothing in it, though, except the mattress I was sitting on, a laptop on the kitchenette counter, and a flat screen TV on the wall. No pictures, no mugs or plates, no other furniture, not even a couch or a chair. The mattress was on the goddamn floor. My heart began to race. Only a fucking weirdo would live like this. Serial killers, rapists, organ harvesters...

I quickly glanced down to check for injuries and assess my state of undress. I didn't find anything physically wrong with me. I was wearing a large Captain America T-shirt that definitely wasn't mine, but at least my bra and underwear were still on. Then, I heard a light snore. I glanced over beside me.

Oh, God.

Someone appeared to be sleeping right next to me on the mattress. As quietly and unobtrusively as possible, I started inching my way off the bed towards the front door. The second my foot touched the ground, however, a groggy but all too familiar voice from under the covers mumbled, "You up, babygirl?"

It was Zac.

I exhaled slowly as relief sank in. Despite my Mount Everest-sized grudge against the guy, I definitely preferred a devil I knew to one that I didn't in a sketchy scenario like my current situation. I was ecstatic to learn that my mug wasn't likely to be plastered all over the nine o' clock news as the tragic victim of some unsolvable, gory homicide.

Of course, this comforting realization didn't stop me from kicking Zac as hard as I could under the blanket. I'd been aiming for his balls but, sadly, missed.

Neverthess, Zac yelped in pain. "Motherfucker, that hurt! Is this how you thank someone for saving your drunk ass last night?"

I thundered, "Nobody asked you to do anything, Mazur! I could've texted Amari or Nat. Or even Lucas."

The corners of his mouth turned up wrly. "Lucas? You mean, that idiot who couldn't keep his hands off of you last night?"

I barely stopped myself from preening. The bastard had noticed, after all. "Oh, you saw us? Don't blame Lucas. I wanted him all over me."

Zac's smile waned, but he said nothing.

As casually as possible, I prodded, "So, what happened to that redhead you were dancing with? I thought for sure you guys would be going home together."

Amusement returned to his eyes. His mouth spread into a face-wide grin. "You mean, Lily? Yeah, I fucked her in the front seat while you were drooling in the back. Your snoring was pretty loud, though. Kinda messed with my rhythm."