Beth?"
"Steph?"
"Holy shit, are you okay? Why haven't you answered my calls?" Beth's voice unnervingly wavered. This is bad. Beth is never this tense.
Once, we went camping, and a bear was right next to our tent. Instead of panicking, Beth had me sit next to her on the ground, and the two of us watched the bear as though it were on an animal documentary. After it left, Beth continued to cook our breakfast if the bear hadn't come.
"Sorry, I had my phone off. Everyone was blowing me up, and the only reason your call came through is because I put it on DND."
"Oh, Steph," Beth groans in disappointment.
"Why? What happened?"
"Ugh, I wish you had checked you're phone sooner." I can imagine her covering her hand over her face, as it slightly muffled her voice on her end.
"Beth, tell me…please."
She takes a deep breath and exhales in a loud sigh. "It's Monday."
"Yeah, and?"
"Steph, it's Monday." She gravely emphasizes.
Had I woken up with a normal 10 hours of sleep, I would've understood Beth without further explanation. But when you are running on fumes and woke up completely disorientated like me, it takes a minute or two for the brain cells to form.
I stretch my arm to the sky and rub the back of my head with my hand to get those brain waves to flow. "I know it's Monday, Bethany, yesterday was the party, and today I am-"
That's when it clicked.
"I am an idiot! Oh my god, it's Monday!" I stand upright and place my phone on DND mode. I scroll past the various threats I've received in the past five minutes from Leonardo's insane fans and filter my boss's name, Darium Schricks. The color drained from my face when I saw one singular message:
Meet me at my office when you have the chance.
Leo's head craned over the screen, the edges of his brows met to the circle, trying to figure out why I had been reactive to the principal's message.
"Who's Darium?"
I click out of the message and try to steady my shaking hand. "My boss."
"Deep breaths, Steph. Deep breaths." Beth repeats to me.
"I am so fired."
"No, you're not. You're going to march down to the school like a queen and talk to your boss with your head held high."
"Uh-huh," I glance down at the torn dress I am wearing. "How am I supposed to do that with what I am wearing?"
"Get something out of Leo's closet."
"You can wear something from my closet."
The two offer simultaneously.
"You're joking." I raise a brow.
Beth and Leo both go silent with seriousness. They were not joking.
"Fine." I sigh in agreement. "I'll need a plain button-up shirt and pants with a belt. Nothing more. Nothing less." I raise my pointer finger in the air.
Leo's grin expands on his face as though wearing his clothes was the best Halloween costume. His eyes signal to Stefan, who was quick to leave the room to fetch me something. I would've suggested I grab an outfit from Leo's mother's closet, but I prefer not to sell my soul too quickly.
"Oh, and Steph?" Beth pauses.
"Yeah?"
"Be careful." She warns, and my phone instantaneously dies from my message overload.
I drop the phone to my lap and face the three men waiting for me, a disgruntled woman in a torn dress, to face my potential teaching career doomsday.