She wandered back out, probably to pass out on her bed.
The celebration wound down after that. People started drifting off to their rooms, exhaustion finally catching up with adrenaline. Marco clapped me on the shoulder one more time before heading upstairs with Malachi. Jaime announced he was going to do midnight pushups in honor of my recovery. Jacob scurried away when I made eye contact.
Eventually, only five of us remained.
Me, Natalia, Emi, Skylar, and Soomin.
The tension returned with a vengeance.
Emi stood by the sink, washing dishes with unnecessary focus. Soomin perched on a stool, playing with her hair. Skylar leaned against the refrigerator, examining her nails like they were the most interesting thing in the world.
Natalia sat beside me, radiating possessive energy.
Someone had to say something.
"So," I started.
Four sets of eyes locked onto me.
Abort. Abort abort abort.
"Thanks for waiting up," I finished lamely.
