Unfortunately, the quiet independence I once longed for feels a hell of a lot lonelier tonight.
Ace
My head pounds, my tongue feels like it’s made of denim, and when I roll over on my bed, my face sticks to the pillow in a way that screams tequila regret. It takes me a full thirty seconds to piece together why I feel like I got run over by a frat bus.
Becoming Double C president is easily the greatest thing that’s happened to me since birth. And last night, I celebrated accordingly—by getting drunk enough to forget half of it. There was liquor. There was beer. There was a lot of shouting. And Lexi, Connor, my mom, and my dad were all in attendance.
I was shocked to my fucking core that Lexi Winslow wanted to go out to a bar near campus to celebrate my new role as president of Double C—the details of my asking her aren’t important here—and who was I to tell Ms. Smarty Pants no?
She kicked things off with a toast, but she kept it classy and exited early to go snuggle with her boyfriend Blake—yeah, that’s officially a thing now.
My mom, on the other hand, was shoving shots into my hand, and my dad showed up halfway through the night purely because his FOMO is stronger than his sense of moderation.
I vaguely remember people shouting my name in the bar or stumbling into my building after my also-drunk parents had Nathan drop me off. I’m pretty sure Julia was there and that she was in my apartment at one point, but honestly, it’s all mostly a blur.
When I finally manage to peel my face off the pillow and reachfor my phone, I’m hit with a tidal wave of guilt. Twelve missed calls. Nine texts. All from Julia.
Shit.
I scan her texts quickly, and each one gets more panicked and worried as the night goes on.
Julia: Hey, hey, what are our big Friday night plans tonight?
Julia: Acer…hello? Where in the hell are you? It’s nearly six. You’re not going to leave your bestie hanging, are you?
Julia: Okay, I’m starting to get a little worried here. It’s nearly 10 and I haven’t heard from you. You’re not in your apartment. Are you okay????
The last and final text came in at nearly two in the morning, and she was so panicked that she was threatening to call the cops to report me missing.
Fuck.
She has no idea what I was doing last night. She has no idea that I was getting initiated as Double C’s newest president or that I went out after to have drinks with Lexi and Connor and my mom. Now it looks like I ghosted her on a Friday night for no good reason. And to make matters worse, I’m still not supposed to say anything, thanks to my vow of eternal fucking secrecy until I die or whatever.
Double fuck.
I hop out of bed, pull on a hoodie, toss some more ibuprofen into my mouth, and head across the hall on quick but slightly unsteady feet. God, I hope she’s not too mad to let me explain.
I knock on Julia’s door like a guy facing a firing squad, holding my phone in one hand and a knot of regret in the other.
When it opens, she looks like she’s ready to go somewhere. She’s wearing her go-to athleisure, her favorite white Nikes are on her feet, and Yoko’s leash is looped around her wrist.
Her beautiful face is poised in an unreadable expression. It’s calm, collected, but it’s not exactly warm.
Yoko barks once, then runs straight for my feet, demanding pets to his head. I oblige, but I never take my eyes away from Julia’s face.
“Hey, Lia,” I say, voice soft. “Can we talk for a sec?”
“I’m actually about to take him for a walk.”
“Yeah, I figured,” I mutter, then hold up my phone. “I just saw all your messages from last night.”
“Okay…”
“Julia…you were really freaked out.”
“Yeah. I was.” She looks away and fixates her gaze on Yoko, who is now lying between us. “I was really worried, Ace. I hadn’t heard from you since class, and you weren’t responding to any of my texts or calls.”
“I know. I know. And I’m sorry.” I step a little closer. “I left my phone here, and I didn’t mean to disappear like that.”
