“Maybe a little.” She hiccupped.
“It’s barely lunchtime.”
“Two o’clock somewhere,” she mumbled.
“That’s not the phrase.” I opened my door carefully so as not to knock her over. “Come on—let’s get you inside before you’re cited for public intoxication.” Reaching for her arm, I helped her up over the curb and toward the dorms. She followed easily, singing a poorly tuned song under her breath.
When we entered the lobby, she perked up a bit and looked down at my clothes. “Whoa, Elle. Were you murdered in paintball?”
“Something like that,” I said, leading her up the stairs toward my room.
Zoe fell face-first onto my mattress then curled her legs into her chest and rolled into a ball. Her bag had fallen to the floor, and out spilled a glass bottle of peppermint schnapps. It was half-empty.
“Really, Zoe? You’re drunk on peppermint schnapps?”
She moaned and held her stomach. “It’s minty fresh and all I could get my hands on. You should have some. It’s tasty.”
I eyed the bottle. After the day I’d had, why not? The thought of knocking back a few minty shots and just letting the world slide away was tempting. But it was only a Band-Aid that would be cruelly ripped off after I sobered up. And then what? Buy more schnapps? Try some different flavors?I think they make it in peach. Yum.Better to save that vice for the apocalypse. Which might not be as far off as one would imagine.
“Thanks, Zoe. Maybe later.”
Picking up my phone, I sent a text to Tanya to let her know I was all right. She’d probably been climbing the walls ever since I hung up on her. It was a good guess, seeing as I had six missed calls. She texted back immediately, demanding proof of life.
I grabbed the bottle of schnapps and held it up, smiling wide for the camera. After I sent her the photo, I grabbed a towel and a change of clothes. The paint had dried against my skin, and my outfit was ruined. I’d probably be able to salvage my shoes—the only saving grace so far today.
“Can you hang tight for a few minutes while I go shower?” I asked Zoe.
“Yes, go,” she mumbled, crawling under the covers. “You look like an art exhibit gone horribly wrong.”
I made a face at her comparison and grabbed my shower shoes.
The bathroom was blessedly empty, and I ran the water hot until steam poured from behind the curtain. I couldn’t help but imagine a slightly different ending in which Caden helped scrub the paint from my skin. That was an image that needed to be locked up in a vault and dropped into the middle of the ocean.
It figured that when I finally got myself out there and let someone get close I’d essentially get catfished. Witches had enough trouble finding a suitable mate; they shouldn’t also have to suffer the foils of modern dating.
“Looks like it’s just you and me,” I said to the loofah.
Clean and fresh from my shower, I trudged back to my room and found Zoe sitting up against the headboard, nursing a sports drink she’d grabbed from the mini-fridge.
“Switching to electrolytes? I’m so proud. You should eat something too.” I rummaged through my snack container and pulled out a bag of pretzels. Taking a handful for myself, I passed her the bag.
I climbed into the bed next to her and mimicked her pose. As awful as it was to see my friend in such a state, it was a needed distraction from my own drama. Solving someone else’s problems would at least give me some time to process my own.
“So, what’s going on, Zoe? Why the morning schnapps fest?”
Zoe munched on a pretzel and leaned her head against my shoulder. “I’m in big trouble, Elle. I’m on academic probation because of my grades, and I lost the scholarship I need to pay for tuition.”
Surprise crossed my features, and I was shocked into silence for a brief moment. After the surprise came guilt. I hadn’t noticed she was struggling. Had she hidden it well, or was I so wrapped up in my life changes that I didn’t recognize those of my best friend? Here I was, worried she might be a killer, when in reality Zoe was worried about getting kicked out of school.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I just got overwhelmed with classes and work. I told you I dropped my history class because it conflicted with my schedule, but really, I did it to try and help lighten the load. But it wasn’t enough. I’m tired all the time, and I just keep pushing harder and harder and getting more burned out, and now everything’s a mess.”
The pieces were clicking into place.
“Is this why you’ve been acting out with Jake? The security guard at the club mentioned seeing you with him by the loading dock. Apparently, you two were making out pretty heavily.”
I didn’t think it was possible for Zoe to looker sicker than she did, but at the mention of Jake’s name her complexion turned green. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said.
