I slowly opened my eyes and sat up, wincing as the room spun around me. My head was pounding with a hangover, memories of the previous night's events coming back in fragments.

I stumbled out of bed, feeling the aches and pains of consuming so much alcohol. As I looked in the mirror, I groaned at my disheveled appearance. My hair was a messy tangle, make-up smudged across my face, reminding me of the embarrassing state I'd been in the night before.

I stumbled to the bathroom, the room still spinning slightly, and turned on the shower. As the warm water cascaded over my body, I began to remember snippets of the night's events. The party, the laughter, the alcohol. I closed my eyes, trying to recall who had been there, who I had talked to, who had helped me home.

But no matter how hard I tried, one memory kept resurfacing. It was a look in someone's eyes - a mixture of concern and something else, something deeper. Who was it? I couldn't quite remember, the alcohol still clouding my thoughts.

After my shower, I put on some comfortable clothes, a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, eager to shake off the last remnants of the previous night. As I made my way to the kitchen, my stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since the night before.

I rummaged through the fridge, looking for something that would settle my stomach and ease my throbbing headache. I found some fruit and a bottle of water, deciding they were the safest options with my delicate state.

As I sat down and ate, I found myself scrolling through my phone, idly checking social media and trying to distract myself from the lingering headache. Suddenly, a message notification popped up on my screen.

I opened the message app, my heart skipping a beat as I saw who it was from - Jayden. My breath caught in my throat as I read the message.

"Hey, just wanted to check if you're alright after last night."

The words stared up at me from the screen. I felt a rush of embarrassment and anxiety at the sight of Jayden's name.

How much did he remember from last night? Did he see me in that pathetic and drunken state? I quickly tapped out a reply, trying to sound casual and composed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit of a hangover, but nothing major."

I hit send before I could overthink my response. I waited with bated breath, my fingers drumming on the table, anticipating his reply.

The three dots appeared on the screen, signifying he was typing a reply. My heart raced as I watched them, my mind running through various scenarios of what he could say next.

"That's good to hear. You were pretty smashed last night."

His message popped up on the screen, confirming that he had indeed seen how drunk and disheveled I had been. I groaned internally, feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment wash over me.

Trying to play it cool, I typed out a response.

"Yeah, I definitely overdid it. Never drinking that much again, I promise."

I hit send, hoping that my casual tone would at least convince him I wasn't completely ashamed of my behavior.

Jayden's next message popped up on the screen.

"I have to run some errands now, but let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Disappointment flooded through me. I had hoped to somehow prolong the conversation, keep him talking. But it seemed he had plans and places to be.

"Alright, no problem," I responded, trying to hide my disappointment. "Thanks for checking up on me."

The gray bubble with the three dots appeared for a moment, indicating that Jayden was typing, but then disappeared. I waited for a few moments, hoping for another message, but none came. He had said his piece and was now gone.

After finishing my fruit and water, I spent the rest of the morning lounging around the house, still feeling the aftermath of the night before. I watched some lighthearted shows on TV, trying to distract myself from the lingering headache and the memories of my drunkenness.

As the day wore on, I started to feel a bit better, the pounding in my head easing slightly. I made myself a light lunch and settled back down in front of the television, hoping to rest and recover fully.

As the hours passed, I found myself drifting in and out of light sleep, the fatigue of the night before still lingering in my body. My thoughts were a jumble of fragments from the party, memories of laughter, conversations, and the blurred faces of people I had seen.

The doorbell rang suddenly, breaking the quiet ambiance of the house and jolting me awake.

I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I stumbled out of the couch and towards the front door. I opened it to find Avery standing on the other side, a mischievous grin plastered on her face.

"Hey there, party animal," she greeted me, her voice tinged with amusement. "I heard you had one helluva night."

I rolled my eyes and stepped aside to let her in. Her presence was always a mix of comfort and chaos, and I couldn't help but smile in spite of my almost gone hungover state.

As I shut the door behind her, Avery flopped down onto the couch, making herself at home.

"So," she began, her eyes roaming over me. "How's the hangover treating you?"

"Yes, yes, I know, I made a fool of myself last night," I admitted as she entered. "No need to rub it in. How'd you even find out anyway?"

"Please, sweetie," she said, rolling her eyes. "Everyone knows by now. Pictures of you and Jayden have circulated all over social media. You should see some of the comments. People think you two make a cute couple."

"Wait, what?" I looked up at Avery, confusion clouding my still-fuzzy mind. "What do you mean, 'the guy' was Jayden?"

She stared at me for a moment, her eyebrows raised. "Seriously, you don't remember it was Jayden who helped you home last night?"

I stared at her, shocked by the revelation. "Seriously? It was Jayden who helped me home?"

Her words had finally sunk in, and my mind raced to process this new information. The whole time, I had been so worried about how I had behaved, and it was Jayden who had stepped up to help me in my drunken state.

Avery nodded, her expression sympathetic but also slightly amused. "Yeah, poor guy. He had to deal with your incoherent rambling and stumbling all the way back here."

I felt a sense of unease as I thought of the public attention my drunken antics might have attracted. "Avery," I asked hesitantly, "what are people saying about the pictures and stuff online? Are they making fun of me?"

Avery's next words echoed in my mind. "Most of the attention is actually on Jayden. He's a football player, after all, and quite the dreamy one at that. People are swooning over him helping the 'poor, helpless' girl."

I groaned inwardly. Of course, the focus would be on Jayden. He always seemed to garner all the female attention, even in such an embarrassing situation for me.

"Apparently," Avery continued, scrolling through her phone, "a lot of girls are speculating about you two being a new couple. And some are downright envious, wishing it was them Jayden had rescued instead."

I let out a tired sigh, my mind swirling with conflicting emotions. On one hand, I was relieved that he had helped me, but on the other, the public attention and speculations were overwhelming.

Avery glanced at me, noticing my inner turmoil. "Hey, you'll be alright," she said, trying to comfort me. "People will forget about it soon enough. You need to focus on recovering from the hangover and facing Daniels again."

Suddenly, a fragment of my memories from the night before came rushing back. Jayden had mentioned that he had an early flight the next day. I recalled now, he had to leave right after driving me home.

"Oh, yeah," I mumbled, realization dawning on me. "I remember now. Jayden had an early flight. He probably left right after dropping me off."

Avery raised an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Oh yeah? Did you two have a little alone time or something before he left?"

I playfully swatted at her shoulder, turning the tables. "Forget about Jayden and me," I said, redirecting the conversation. "What about you and Ja'Marr? You two seemed pretty cozy at the party."

Avery's eyes widened for a moment, caught off guard by my question. Then, a grin spread across her face. "Oh, you noticed that, did you?"

I nodded, leaning back into the couch. "You two disappeared for quite a while. So spill, what happened?" I asked.

She let out a chuckle, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Okay, fine. We may have snuck off to his bedroom." Avery told me.

I gasped, surprised that they had dared to disappear together. "His bedroom? At a party? You two are either brave or foolish." I replied.

Her grin widened. "A bit of both, I guess. It was definitely risky, but we were both tipsy and the moment felt right. Let's just say we had a good time together, a really good time."

I rolled my eyes, a mix of amusement and disbelief at her audacity. "Only you, Avery. Only you would risk being caught like that." But there was a hint of envy in my voice, too. I wished I had half her bravery and boldness.

Avery giggled, clearly enjoying the attention on her adventure. "Hey, life's too short to live by the rules all the time. You need to take some risks, Hannah. You would've had a great time with Jayden if you hadn't passed out on him."

My face flushed red again at the mention of Jayden. "Oh shut up," I retorted, throwing a couch pillow at her. "It's different. And I was completely wasted!"

Avery caught the pillow and tossed it back at me, grinning widely. "That's exactly the point. You were so drunk, but Jayden didn't hesitate to help you, even if it meant risking getting caught in a compromising situation. I bet he didn't mind it one bit."

I let out a huff, a mixture of frustration and skepticism. "Jayden was probably just being professional," I mumbled, not wanting to get my hopes up. "He's a star football player, for god's sake. He has dozens of girls swooning over him. Why on earth would he have feelings for me, a drunk and embarrassing mess?"

Avery rolled her eyes, clearly not sharing my doubts. "Always so damn negative, Hannah," she teased. "Jayden helped you, didn't he? Got his ass off the couch, hauled your drunk self into his car, and drove your ass back to your place. Guys don't usually do that for girls they don't care about, you know."

Avery suddenly leaned forward, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. "Actually... I just had an idea," she began, her voice tinged with mischief.

"What kind of idea?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Knowing Avery, her ideas were rarely tame.

"A bestie trip," Avery announced, practically beaming. "I was thinking we could fly out to Washington to see Jayden's game!"

I stared at her, my eyes widening in surprise. "Wait, you want us to fly across the country just to watch a football game?"

"Are you serious?" I managed to croak out, trying to keep my tone casual.

Avery smirked, sensing my trepidation. "Absolutely. It'll be so much fun! We can have a girls' weekend, cheer Jayden on, maybe even invite some other friends. Whaddya think?" She told me.

I covered my face with my hands, a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Dear lord, you're crazy," I muttered out, my mind racing at the audacity of Avery's suggestion.

@spamkeyzavery: congrats on everyone that won last night!!
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@daniela.orti: girl where were youuu

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