Taylor's POV

An alarm I don't remember setting screams on my bedside counter. Ripping me out of my slumber, I try to rise, blindly reaching for the vibrating phone, but the pounding in my head gets the better of me and I sink back into my sheets. At least I had managed to tap the screen and turn off the blaring sounds of bells and whistles.

There's just enough light to see into my bedroom. My clock tells me it's seven in the morning. As I roll over, deciding to go back to sleep, it takes me a second to realise that I'm still fully dressed in last night's clothes, aside from my shoes. It takes me even longer to realise that it's Ana's phone on my bedside table, her Vincent van Gogh Starry Night phone case giving it away. Where the hell is mine? When did I even get home last night?

Last night... fuck. Bella's face flashes in my mind. I smother myself under a pillow, groaning into the squishy cotton. Thank God it is Saturday; I won't have to deal with this until the weekend is over.

It takes me a few tries to sit up. My mouth has never been this dry before; like Velcro, my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. I swallow; it doesn't help. My breath reeks of alcohol and vomit. In an unsuccessful attempt to ease the pain in my brain, I rub my temples. It just makes things worse.

God, I'm so thirsty. I'm never drinking alcohol again. How Dad manages to do this nearly everyday is beyond me.

I grab Ana's phone and shove it in my pocket, slipping on my glasses too. That's better; even though my body feels like it's been turned into a raisin, it's nice to be able to see. As I go to stand, I find my phone on the floor; there's no battery left at all. I plug it in and leave my room.

The house is quiet. Mum's still asleep; I pass her room, and it's still dark in there. The curtains are still drawn, and I can see a figure curled up in the bed. Ana's bedroom door is closed, and I assume she's still asleep.

That idea leaves my head as I turn into the kitchen, as she's adding the final touches to breakfast: scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, golden toast, and an oversized mug of hot chocolate. She's made two plates. The hell?

"Morning," she says, pointing to the food. "Come! I made you something."

"T-thanks," I say, cautiously walking over to the table. My throat hurts; why the hell does it hurt so much? I sit on a bar stool opposite her and give her phone back, before grabbing the mug, gulping down the cocoa and melted-marshmallow goodness.

This is weird. Ana almost never cooks for me unprompted; it's usually the other way around. The last time she made me breakfast without me asking her to do it, she was nervous about her first day at the mechanic's shop and procrastinated leaving by making this extravagant feast. The last time before that, it was because she pissed me off and made me food as a peace offering.

What's going on inside her head?

Whatever. Maybe there isn't a motive. Either way, I'm hungry. Maybe I should have brushed my teeth first; everything has a strange aftertaste.

We eat our food in silence. The only sounds you can hear is the scrape of our cutlery tapping and dragging along the porcelain plates. She keeps looking up at me every now and then, making eye contact, but every time I go to ask her what's up, she dives back into her food.

I start to get annoyed at the fourth glimpse.

"Are you okay, Ana?" I ask, swallowing a bite of egg. She's clearly nervous, but I also get the feeling she wants to say or ask something. I stab some bacon with my fork and hope that she just eats her food and leaves me alone.

She pauses, shaking her head, swirling her fork in the air above her plate. "Why were you crying last night?"

Damn it. I grip the fork. "C-crying? What do you mean?"

She half shrugs. "I was talking to Lola when Lyra approached me near the end of the party. She said you blacked out, then woke up and started getting upset, saying you wanted to go home. Do you wanna tell me what happened?"

I stammer. She keeps eating as if she hadn't opened a can of worms. "I... I was upset... Look, I had a fight with Bella, that's all that there is to it."

"What about?" She didn't miss a beat. I feel sweat start to form in my palms.

"Just stuff, don't worry about it," I say. Desperate to change topic, I scramble what to say. "Could you pass the salt?"

She cocks an eyebrow. "It's right next to you."

"Right, right." I want to kick myself. I grab it.

"So, just school stuff then?"

"Yep."

"You're lying."

I feel the ground shift below me. Why is she interrogating me like I'm a hardened criminal? "Yeah well, fuck off out of my business. Leave me alone."

"No. You made me miss out on an important hang out session with my friends. Imagine explaining to your besties that you had to go home because your brother had a meltdown and that he made a drunken mess of himself? Embarrassing. So, I need to know whether me ditching Lola and her friend was fucking worth it. Why were you upset?"

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up! "I told you, it was just shit that happened between me and Bella. Leave it be."

"Then why did Darko leave? Why was he a mess? Lyra said that he got into a fight, and had some weird argument with his brother near his car. Did he have something to do with it?"

"I DON'T KNOW, DAMN IT!" My breath is shaky. I slam the fork down on the plate and I worry for a split second that I've cracked it. "I don't know, okay? Last night was horrible and I really don't want to talk about it with you. I'm already pissed because of this hangover headache and I don't need you badgering me and prying shit out of me. Leave me alone!"

Ana is silent. I pick up my fork, and my hand is shaking.

"Do you remember what happened last night when I saw you?"

"Does it matter?"

She shakes her head yes, placing her fork down and knitting her fingers together. The fact that she hasn't gotten as heated as me has me confused. "Taylor, you told me something last night."

"What?"

"You told me you were gay. Are gay."

My head starts to spin. I go to speak, but my mouth cannot form anything other than incomprehensible sounds. My knees start to shake, and I'm struggling to swallow the bite in my mouth.

Ana nodded, reaching forward. She touches the tips of my fingers. I can't move.

"When Lyra came and found me, you were still crying. It went from loud to soft to wet and gross; it was like I was watching a baby, if I'm being honest. I tried to call Mum, but she was already passed out, so I organised a taxi. We waited, I tried to console you, but all you kept repeating to me was that you were sorry to Bella, and that you didn't mean to hurt her feelings. I was of course confused, but you were inconsolable, so I just let you be and let you cry yourself out."

She leans back in her chair, taking in a deep breath. "When the taxi arrived, I sat you in the backseat with me. For the first few minutes it was chill; you were looking out the window, no tears left, and I was on my phone just killing time. You ended up leaning on me, telling me that Bella tried to kiss you. I, obviously shocked, asked why the hell she would do that. You shrugged. I tried to play it off by saying that I thought she was a lesbian, but what you said after that took me off guard completely and I didn't say another word during the whole ride home."

My heart is beating against my ribcage and I'm worried a bone will crack. "What did I say?"

"You turned to me, laughing, saying that 'that's funny, because I'm the gay one'."

Her arms fold around her chest. She chuckles for a second, but stops when she looks me in the eyes, her smile fading.

"I didn't question you. I don't even think you realised what you had said, because you continued to look out the window as if nothing had happened. When we got home, I helped you to your room. I went to leave, but you asked me to stay, so I did. I sat on the edge of your bed, and you told me that your head was spinning — not from the alcohol, but from the fact that Darko saw Bella kissing you, and that you felt hurt. You told me that you wished you were kissing him instead, then you passed out. I left my phone in there and set an alarm because I wanted to talk to you before Mum woke up."

I want to curl up and die – this is so embarrassing. She gets out of her seat and kneels next to me, her hand on my shoulder. "Taylor, are you gay?"

My eyes begin to water. Droplets begin to cascade down my cheeks. I take off my glasses. This isn't how I imagined I'd be coming out to her. A gigantic part of me just wants to vanish into thin air and never reappear. I'm embarrassed, I'm sore, and I'm scared.

I don't know how I summon the words, but my mouth starts moving. "W-would you hate me if I w-was?"

Ana wraps her arms around me, rubbing small circles on my back. I weep into her shoulder, the tears soaking her shirt.

"I will never hate you. Dad would be so proud of you for being so brave. I am proud," she releases me, a smile on her face. "I love you, Taylor. Don't ever forget that. Who you are doesn't change anything about how I feel about you."

I wipe a tear away, smiling and sighing with relief. "Thank you, Ana. I honestly don't know how this was going to go. Telling Bella was hard enough. You weren't supposed to know yet. I... I wasn't ready."

"I don't think you can be ready for that kind of thing. Either way, I'm glad you told me," she says with a smile. A second later, it's as if a lightbulb popped up on the top of Ana's head. "So, what happened last night then? She kissed you then you came out to her?"

I don't respond. She chuckles. "Yikes. Nice job Tay, let's hope you didn't destroyed the girl."

I frown, and she laughs, smacking my arm. "I'm just kidding. Wait. That still doesn't answer why Darko left."

Shrugging, I lean on my hand. A second passes, and her eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. "Wait, hold that thought. Does that mean... you, Darko? Have you got a crush on him?"

My cheeks warm up, and I'm certain I'm blushing. I don't say a word, but the look of shyness on my face is enough to make Ana beam.

"Oh my god. TAY! You little dork. Jesus. This is so cute. O.M.G."

"Shut up, don't tell a damn soul, okay?"

With a nod, she goes to stand, seemingly satisfied with the conversation. As she's about to leave, she comes back to me and gives me one more hug. "Love you, Taylor. By the way, since I cooked, you're on dish duty."

"Ugh. Fuck you."

With a final smile and a wave, she left the kitchen. I sigh, stacking the empty plates and dumping them in the sink. Ana's right, why he left is confusing. Sure, the fight was bad, but I doubt it was that intense. Then again, he did look pretty beat up. I dunno. Whatever.

Hm. My phone should be charged by now; I'll do the dishes after I go and get it.

I walk into my room. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I pick up my phone. I scroll through the notifications on my lock screen.

My heart sinks. Bella's sent me a text about half an hour ago. I read it, and anxiety kicks in.

Hey Taylor. Can we talk about last night? Brewed Awakening, 12 noon tomorrow?