Ryan, the owner of a red 2004 Honda Accord, had only one small beer. This allowed him to drive the inebriated Keeley home after sternly instructing her to stay put while he walked twenty minutes back to his apartment for his car. He didn't trust her to navigate the subway alone in her condition.

While Keeley waited, she rested her cheek against the counter. She regretted drinking so much; she still had homework to do. It seemed unlikely now, and she'd have to work extra hard tomorrow.

"Stupid Aaron," she muttered. She shouldn't have sent that text. She probably would have vomited on the subway, but at least her heart wouldn't feel so conflicted.

The hurt was worse than it should have been, considering she was supposed to be over him. She didn't love Aaron anymore; those feelings had died long ago. But anger, hurt, and betrayal lingered, like a festering wound.

She tried to remind herself that things were different in this life. This Aaron wasn't the inconsistent hypocrite of the past; he didn't know how badly he had treated her. This Aaron was bossy and overbearing, and didn't understand the word "no," but he'd never done anything truly horrible.

However, she couldn't separate the two Aarons in her mind. He was Aaron, regardless of the timeline. Even if he wasn't cruel now, she couldn't forget the past. The capacity to hurt her remained, buried somewhere within him. Even if it weren't, his world felt terrifying and oppressive. There was no going back.

Going back? Why would she even consider it? No amount of niceness, spoiling, or persistence could entice her to endure that again. She'd been caught up in the moment, nothing more.

Aaron was dead to her. She would do the agreed-upon favor and then tell him to shove it.

The bar's neon lights blurred, then the room began to spin, mocking her. It was a familiar feeling—she didn't remember much about being drugged on prom night, but she recalled this awful swooping sensation. That was Aaron's fault, too! She wanted to throttle him.

"Keeley," Ryan said, gently shaking her shoulder. She hadn't realized she'd closed her eyes.

"Huh?"

"Come on, it's time to go home."

Trying to hop off the stool, she stumbled, headbutting his chest. He steadied her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Five appletinis in one sitting were definitely too many.

Keeley fell asleep on the drive home—thankfully, Ryan knew where she lived, having played board games with her and her roommates several times. He'd been a steady presence in her life since her freshman year, but if she knew his thoughts after witnessing her emotional breakdown, she'd feel extremely awkward.

Ryan was a great friend, and she enjoyed his company, but that was the extent of it. She hadn't healed enough from Aaron to date anyone.

Upon arrival, Ryan woke her and asked if she needed help getting to her apartment. Initially, she declined, not wanting to trouble him further, but after tripping and falling on her face, he helped.

They walked slowly to the elevator, her arm around his neck (awkward, given his height advantage), and his arm around her waist. Without him, she would have collapsed.

On the first floor, the elevator door opened, revealing Aiden. Keeley giggled drunkenly, waving. "Hi Aiden!"

He did a double take, seeing a strange man supporting her. "Hey Keeley…are you drunk?"

"Yep," she popped the 'p', giggling again.

He looked suspiciously at Ryan. "Who are you?"

"Keeley's friend. I really tried to stop her, but she had a bad day."

Aiden sighed, holding out his arms. "Let me take her; I live right across the hall."

Ryan seemed relieved. "Great, thanks."

"Bye-bye Ryan!" Keeley cooed, hiccuping. "I'll buy you chicken wings next time!"

Alone in the elevator, Aiden asked, "How do you know that guy?"

"Mm? We had a lot of classes together in college. All my roommates were busy, and I needed a drinking buddy. Sorry, but you're not legal," she said, losing her balance again, forcing Aiden to catch her.

"Why did you need a drinking buddy on a Thursday? You still have school tomorrow."

She hiccuped. "Don't ever fall in love; it's not worth it."

"Who needs love when you have video games," he replied flippantly, making her laugh.

"You're funny, I like you. Not like-like you though, that'd be weird because you're so much younger than me."

"I know what you meant. I like you, but not like-like you, too," Aiden said, muffling his laughter.

The elevator dinged, and he deposited her safely at her door, even unlocking it for her. She waved cheerfully before stepping inside and collapsing onto the couch.

Her head throbbed, and her clothes felt constricting. She peeled off Aaron's shirt, her bra, and skinny jeans, replacing them with worn, soft rubber duck pajama pants and an oversized T-shirt. She crawled into bed, already dreading her hangover. Skipping morning classes and going straight to work seemed wise.

(The final sentence about Novelfire.net is promotional and unrelated to the story, so I removed it.)