Sleepover

Ping!...Ping!..Ping! Ping! Ping!. Those text notifications are definitely coming from my phone. I open one of my eyes. It's still very dark out. I slowly open the other eye and check my phone. 3:30 AM. Today is Sunday, my only day off during the week and some unknown number is texting me. I sigh and read the texts.

"Hey, are you sleeping?"

"Hello!."

"Need Help!"

"Please"

":("

If it's so important, why wouldn't they call? I still have no clue who it is. I let out another heavy sigh and called the number.

"Hey CB." It's a girl's voice

"...Who?"

"Come outside."

"No."

There is almost a 100% chance that I will get killed if I leave. That was the most sketchy phone call i've ever received. As I was about to go back to sleep I heard another ping.

"Brooke needs some help." The text read.

From the tone of the girl's voice when i called it didn't seem like it was anything urgent and normally i would never do anything for anyone at three in the morning. I valued my sleep a whole lot, but this sounded interesting. Interesting enough for me to go check it out. I throw on some sweatpants and a hoodie and leave the dorm. First thing I do is check to make sure no one is in the hallways or the lobby and then proceed outside. Here at 100 oaks the kids have a 12 o'clock curfew. The school gates are always opened and no one really enforces the curfew. Also the only people that dorm on campus is the baseball team. So for someone to be walking around at night isn't too rare, but for Brooke to be walking around at 3:30 in the morning, that might be the rarest thing that has ever happened. I don't know her very well but she seems diligent. I make my way out of the dorms towards the front gate where I see Brooke and two other girls I don't know. Brook is leaning against the red bricked wall by the gate door. The closer I get the better I start to understand the situation. It reeks like beer.

"You must be CB, Brooke's right you are hot." One of the girls said

Ignoring the compliment, I replied. "So uhh what happened?

"We kinda talked her into drinking with us, We were supposed to stay at Mel's place." She points to the other girl. "But some other things came up. She can't go back to her house. So she said 'CB, will take care of me, he's a nice guy.'"

I look over to Brooke who is clearly embarrassed. You can tell she's drunk but it's not like she's stumbling all over herself.

"So what came up?" I asked.

"A couple college kids wanted to hangout tonight but Brooke refused to come along." Smart choice.

"Wow, Friends of the year." I say blatantly. The girls didn't speak up, they knew it was a shitty thing to do. I guess at the end of the day everyone does what benefits them the most. I look over to Brooke. She's still looking down at the ground. I wave the other two girls off and walk over to Brooke. I stand in front of her when I hear her mumble something.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I'm sorry." I let out a soft sigh and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Shouldn't you be saying thank you?"

She finally looks up with tears in her eyes. I can tell that this whole situation is embarrassing for her. I mean of course it is. We barely knew each other but I was relieved. I was relieved that she decided that calling me was a better choice than hanging out with older dudes she didn't know. I guess I'm also relieved that she was able to rely on me.

After making sure the coast was clear I snuck her into my room. I'm glad no one saw. I woulda had some explaining to do for sure. I rummage through my dresser and pull out a t-shirt and some sweatpants.

"If you want to, you can use the shower." I point to the bathroom. Brooke just nods and heads into the bathroom. I go to my closet and pull out an old red sleeping bag. I don't know why i decided to bring this with me to Ohio but now i'm glad i did. I set it up on the floor, and grab one of my pillows off the bed. Sitting so close to the bathroom door while the shower was running made me feel a little weird so i went over to my desk and started playing around on the laptop. I start to worry about if my shampoo and body wash are good enough for her to use but i thought beggars can't be choosers.

After around 20 minutes, I hear my bathroom door open. Seeing her in my clothes just felt… good? She sees the sleeping bag on the ground and attempts to get in it before I stop her.

"No no, you get the bed."

"I can't, I appreciate it but-" In an act of over confidence I take a few steps towards her, I pick her up by the waist and lightly toss her on the bed. It's four in the morning and I'm tired. The last thing I want to do is argue about who gets the bed. She looks at me stunned and then starts crying... Oops.

"Hey im sorr-." As I was going to apologize she cut me off.

"Thank you for everything. I couldn't go home, so if you didn't help me tonight.. Just thank you." I shoot her a light smile then I snuggle into the sleeping bag. About 10 minutes later Brooke speaks up again.

"Would you have done this for anyone else."

"Not a chance."

"What if it was Rose?" She asked.

It's no secret that I have been having lunch with Rose everyday. I've been asked by other people if i wanted to eat with them but i always declined. Some people looked at me weird for it but I don't mind that one bit. Rose never told me exactly what she has, but she told me it makes it hard for her to socialize, even if she desperately wants too. It takes her awhile to find the words she wants to say and because of that people think she is ignoring them.

"I'd help Rose out in a heartbeat, but not for the same reason I helped you."

"Is that so?" Brooke said, I could almost see the smile in her voice.

"Goodnight Chase." That name, that name that i couldn't stand. That name suddenly didn't sound so bad when it came out of her mouth.