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Aronnax heard voices and bumping noises, but she couldn't quite bring herself to get up to figure out what was causing them. Then she felt someone — or something — poking her repeatedly, but she couldn't muster up enough energy to make it stop.

"Dead to the world," she heard a male voice say. It could have been Ryan, or maybe James, or maybe . . .

She pondered that. Well, her body was certainly dead to the world . . . and she figured at least half of her brain was, too.

Then someone screamed directly in her ear.

Her eyes flew open, and she gasped as she jerked upright.

"Cynthia?" she said.

A petite redhead stood in front of her, grinning. "Don't I get a hug?"

"Of course!" Aronnax said, standing up to hug her.

Cynthia had been her best female friend since, well, Aronnax couldn't quite remember.

"You screamed in my ear, bitch," Aronnax said when they pulled away from each other.

Cynthia laughed wildly. Aronnax thought that that laugh always made Cynthia seem like she was drunk, even when she wasn't. "I know! I totally did. I was poking you, too, but you didn't even move."

"Real nice."

"Well, Ryan said we should pour a bottle of water on your head. I said we shouldn't, you know, because the water wasn't even cold."

Aronnax rolled her eyes. "So if the water had been cold, you would have poured it on me?"

"Probably." Cynthia giggled and headed over to the refrigerator as Aronnax plopped back down on the couch. "So are you hungry? We stopped at McDonald's and got you pancakes." She held out a McDonald's bag to Aronnax.

Aronnax took it, cautiously. "What did you put in the pancakes?"

"Nothing."

Aronnax kept her eyes on Cynthia as she pulled the pancake box out of the bag. "Liar."

Cynthia laughed again. "Nothing! I swear!" She pulled a tall paper cup out of the refrigerator and handed it to Aronnax. "We got you a Coke."

"I don't even want to know what you guys put in it," Aronnax said as she took it.

"What, do you think someone spit in it?"

"Or worse." Aronnax sniffed at the drink cautiously.

Cynthia rolled her eyes, but she was still smirking. "I swear to God. Nothing."

"Right." Aronnax stood up and headed out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Cynthia said, following her.

Aronnax went in the bathroom, poured the Coke in the toilet, and flushed it.

Cynthia rolled her eyes again. "Why did you do that?"

"It smelled weird."

"Okay, okay," Cynthia said, following Aronnax back to the back room, "there might have had a tiny bit of vodka in it."

"Well, I knew there was definitely something in it," Aronnax said, tossing the empty cup in a nearby trash can and sitting down on the couch.

"You're not mad?" Cynthia asked hopefully.

"Actually, I'm really pissed," Aronnax said. "I'm just used to that sort of thing happening."

Cynthia rolled her eyes and groaned. "You act like it's an attempt on your life or something."

"It might as well be. You know, alcohol is the cause of —"

"I don't want to hear it!" Cynthia shouted, slapping her hands over her ears. "LA LA, LA LA LA LA, LA LA!"

"Stop it!"

Cynthia took her hands off her ears. "Only if you stop."

Aronnax stuffed the pancake box bag in the bag and tossed it to Cynthia. "Here. I don't want these."

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Okay, so I lied about spiking your drink. Well, I didn't spike your drink. But still."

"Who did?"

"I can't say. But I promise I didn't do it." She tossed the bag back to Aronnax.

"I don't care who did it. I'm not eating the pancakes." Aronnax tossed the bag back.

"Oh, come on." Cynthia tossed the bag back.

"No." Aronnax tossed the bag back.

"Eat the goddamned pancakes!" Cynthia threw the bag at Aronnax a little harder this time.

"I'm not eating them!" Aronnax caught the bag before it smacked her in the face and threw it in the trash can.

"Way to waste perfectly good pancakes. And money."

"Oh, like you're strapped for cash." Aronnax stretched out on the couch. "Where are the guys?"

"James is taking a nap. And I think Ryan and the other guys are on Fall Out Boy's bus."

"Oh." Aronnax pulled a pillow over her face. "Why aren't you on another bus?"

Cynthia giggled. "Well, I was with Patrick all day yesterday. And I haven't seen you in a while, so I thought I'd hang out here."

"I saw you four days ago."

"And you're telling me you didn't miss me? Come on." Cynthia pushed Aronnax's legs over so she could sit down.

"Not really," said Aronnax. "It was actually quite restful."

"You'll miss me when I'm gone," Cynthia said.

"Right," Aronnax said, flinging the pillow aside and pulling herself upright. "Murdered."

"Why would I be murdered? I was thinking something more tragic like dying in a plane crash."

"It's more likely that this bus will crash than a plane will crash."

"Oh, my God. You have no idea how much I hate it when you spout tons of facts."

Aronnax rolled her eyes.

"Why would I be murdered?"

"Well, you're dating two guys at the same time. I can't see how either of them appreciate that very much, since you're very . . ." Aronnax grimaced. "Indiscreet."

Cynthia snickered. "They understand that we have open relationships. You're just kind of a prude, honey. You can't even get Jason to stick around."

Aronnax picked the pillow up and smacked her with it.

"You know I'm right," Cynthia said, laughing.

"No comment."

"I think James was telling me something about Jason being with some other girl. What was her name? Lauren? I'm thinking he's not very interested in you."

"Go to hell," Aronnax said.