Chapter 12

I began to stir, and my head was banging. It was all foggy like I'd been drinking the night before. I moaned lightly as I tried to sit up.

“Hey, take it easy. Let me help,” Payton said softly. I opened my sore eyes and tried to focus on the blurry figure that stood beside me. She held onto my arm and helped me to sit up.

“Why do I feel so crappy? And what time is it?” I asked her in a crackly voice.

“I let you sleep in, it's nearly eleven in the morning. You haven't seen yourself yet, have you?” Payton rushed over to the dressing table, coming back with a mirror that she held in front of my face.

My face slowly came into focus and I gasped. “Oh my God! That looks so much worse than I thought it would,” I said in a hushed voice as I poked at my nose.

I had two black eyes and my nose was really swollen. I prodded at the discolored skin beneath my eyes and winced in pain.

“How the hell am I supposed to walk around campus like this?” I asked Pay