Page 121 of Let's Get Textual

I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep, but it’s no use.

I can’t sleep.

I’ve been tossing and turning all night. Hell, I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep since Friday—you know, before my world imploded and all that.

Out of habit, I reach for my phone, searching for a text from Zach.

I’ve caught myself doing this more times than I can count over the last few days. When you text someone non-stop for months, you grow used to them, and when they are ripped out of your life, you fall into a total pit of despair.

I manage to pull myself from the bed as Zoe comes barging into my room.

“Good, you’re up.”

“Not for long,” I mumble.

“Oh yes. You’re going to class today. There’s no arguing that with me.”

“No, no way.” I throw myself back into bed and pull the covers tightly over my head.

Zoe tugs on them, trying with all her might to rip them off me. I can feel the material sliding through my hands, and then she’s won.

I lie there anyway.

“Up. Come on. Caleb said no one knows it’s you and I believe him. There was no indication on the text about who it was and no one on campus has seen you naked other than Caleb. Youknowthe secret is safe with him. So, up!”

“Never!”

She jumps on the bed and bounces around, hard—so hard that I’m flopping around on the bed as she moves up and down.

It’s not long before I’m giggling, and it feelssogood. I haven’t felt like laughing in days, and I love to laugh.

“Stop, stop, stop! You’re going to break my bed and Iwillmake you buy me a new one.”

She settles down and collapses next to me, giving me puppy-dog eyes. “Please come to class.Please. I promise I’ll only leave you for the lecture. I’ll walk in with you and meet you at the door afterward so you don’t have to do the walk of shame alone.”

“Walk of shame? I thought no one knew.”

“No one does, but I know you—you’ll think everyone has x-ray vision and can see your boobs and will know exactly who it was in the photo. Also, can wepleasetalk about how you’re not supposed to send sexy photos to someone’s phone? You SnapChat that shit, disappears real quick.”

“Sent many naked pics yourself?”

She shrugs. “Maybe. I do have great tits, you know.”

I shake my head and push myself off the mattress until I’m sitting up on my knees. “Okay, fine. I’ll go to class, but youhaveto walk in and out with me. I don’t want to run into Shep.”

“Deal. Now, go shower. You’re ripe as hell.”

I lift my arm and smell myself. “Oh…yeah. Let me go take care of that real quick.

I cross the room and open the drawer on my dresser. All of a sudden I’m hit with memories of me and Zach and a certain time I stood in front of this dresser.

The tears silently slide town my face, my shoulders shaking with the unreleased cries.

Zoe wraps her arms around me from behind and I take comfort in her support.

“It’ll be okay, D. I promise it will. We’ll figure out who’s to blame and I’ll kick them right in the dickhole.”

“You’re a really good best friend, Zoe.”

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