Cuddle Application

"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria."

~Benjamin Franklin

~~~

"Goddammit, Skylar!" One of my best friends screamed from across the room, their voice assaulting my eardrums like a chorus of unwanted base drums. Something-many things, actually-hit me in the face, my fuzzy brain barely comprehending it, and I rolled my eyes in time to see a deck of cards fluttering down onto the beige carpet.

I eyed the ace of hearts from my upside-down position on the bed. The swirling design swam in and out of focus like a pool of black ink and melted, red candy.

"What?" I mumbled, my words coming out gargled. I laid both upside-down, and covered with stifling hot blankets. My head felt heavy, buzzing softly from the alcohol, and my feet began kicking randomly, trying to find an escape. The alarm clock from the bedside table swung into view, the red numbers square dancing in front of my eyes. I could barely make out the time.

3:14 AM.

The Jack Daniels bottle appeared in front of my face. My eyelids fell shut.

"Your turn, " Lina announced loudly. The only noticeable thing I could see about the face mere inches in front of mine were the piercing blue eyes. The rest of Lina's features didn't quite pop out at me in my drunken state, besides the abominably red hair that sprung out in multiple directions. Lina's blurry lips moved as she morphed the word, "Drink."

Overtaken by excitement and adrenaline, I sprang up from my position, my legs getting tangled under the blanket. I tipped off of the bed, landing haphazardly in the deck of cards. My head swayed and my eyesight became blurry. The dimly-lit room turned even darker as my head lifted from the floor.

"Whoa, " I slurred, and then I laughed. My nose hurt.

"Drink, " Lina ordered again, handing me the alcohol. She blinked rapidly, fighting off the sleepiness that threatened to overtake her. I was surprised. Lina never stayed up this late at sleepovers; usually it was Cora who would cheer me on and force more liquor down my throat.

But it was Cora -- who had long since passed out -- who had recommended that we play Truth or Dare. But I had said that "truths are for pussies, " so Cora had suggested raiding her parents' liquor cabinet. Getting away with this was terribly easy, since neither her mother nor father were home. They seldom ever were.

So it had turned into a game of "Do What I Tell You To, " with a gulp of alcohol between each turn. Cora had passed out, sprawled across the fluffy, beige carpet, when the bottle of Jack had still been half full. She had never been good at holding her liquor.

My friends were such good role models. I was an even worse one, our weekly sleepovers having been my idea.

A small amount of amber-colored liquid sloshed in the bottom of the Jack Daniels bottle - it had been full when we'd taken it from Cora's wine cellar. I tipped the glass from side to side, hypnotized by the wet consistency that crashed against the side of the bottle, like waves against the shore. Waves that held the capacity to cause mass destruction in the form of a hangover the next morning.

I looked over to Lina, watching her fiery hair morph from blurry to focused as my eyes failed to separate the two. Her doe-like eyes blinked at me from her lounged position on the floor next to me.

"I like this game, " she said, grinning. "We should play more often."

I nodded, and the movement sent my brain into a hammering frenzy.

I looked to the floor - the only thing that wasn't moving - and saw the back of a blonde, curly head.

"Hey Cora, " I mumbled in greeting. "What 'cha doing over there?"

She answered with a snore that sounded like the rumblings of a small avalanche.

Turning back to Lina, I giggled, "Last one. Make it good!"

I took a large swig from the bottle, finishing off the drink. It burned down my throat, and left my belly in a heated panic.

At the same time, it made me laugh.

"Okay, what do I do, Leaner?" I asked Lina, using her nickname. I barely got out the sentence before my head drooped.

I was on a fast track of becoming Cora - passed out, with my face shoved in the carpet and my ass in the air.

"Um, lemme th-think, " Lina stuttered. A hiccup escaped her lips, which caused her face to light up, and her icy blue eyes sparkle with laughter.

Just then, my phone chimed from across the room, lighting up. It was one of the only sources of light in the room - besides the faint strip of yellow beneath the door - since the sky outside had slowly faded to the darkness of twilight.

"I got it!" I screamed in an incredibly phony British accent. Facing in the direction of my phone, I bellowed, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!"

Tumbling off the bed, I tripped over a math book, briefly reminding me that school was tomorrow. I crawled over to the desk my phone was on and grabbed it with greedy fingers.

Also on the desk sat a closed computer, purple and sleek, a desk lamp, and a few papers strewn about on the wooden desktop in an unorganized manner. I had pushed some of the papers in my hasty attempt to reach my phone, and they slid to the floor.

"Maybe it's Superman, calling to let me know he found my cat, Mr. Wombleton!" I bellowed excitedly.

Lina snorted. "You don't have a cat, Skylar."

Staring at the brightness of my phone screen, I was suddenly disheartened at this sullen information.

"You are clearly not as drunk as m-me, " I huffed towards my friend. Lina didn't drink that often.

"Just check your text, " she ordered.

Lina got up from her seated position - swaying a little - and walked over to her computer.

I looked at the small screen of my phone.

Park: come party wit us

The words didn't entirely make it to my brain for processing. It took me more than a few seconds to understand what Park wanted.

Me: why don't you make me

I sent the text and giggled to myself. Park was Cora's older brother and one of my best friends. He was a year older than Cora and I were, my brother James' age. They'd been friends all of high school, teammates in football and basketball, as well as baseball before my brother quit. Now they were seniors, graduating in barely two months, a fact that made me sad. I didn't want to say goodbye to Park next year.

Park: maybe i will. where r u?

The words blurred, and I struggled to comprehend them. I blinked, my eyes drooping from exhaustion, and steadied my hand on the desk. It took me three rereads to conjure up a response.

Me: no wher. I'm havin fun. Lrsve me akome

Park: your drunk

I blinked. Pshh. Am not.

Me: nope

Park: when ur sober, u capitalize everything correctly and yell at me for bad grammar. Like how I just used "your" instead of "you're"

I crinkled my nose, eyebrows furrowing. Was I really that easy to read?

Putting the phone down on the desk, I was suddenly very upset with Park.

He's mean.

My brain pushed out a memory as I huffed beside the desk. It began with Park and I at eleven and twelve years old. We had been racing on the street outside my neighborhood.

"Boys are better than girls, " Park had yelled, biking around me in endless circles. I had clenched the handlebars of my own bike, unable to accept this fact.

"Oh yeah?" I had asked confidently. "I bet you five dollars I can beat you in a bike race!"

He had smirked, a cocky habit he had taken up even then, already sure he was going to beat me. "Ok, deal. I'll even give you a five second head start."

I had glared at him. "Don't need it."

He had laughed, positioning his bike next to mine on the street. "Alright, we race from here to the third mailbox."

I had looked down the street, counting down to the one he'd been talking about. "The red one?"

"Yeah." I remembered thinking, I am going to win. Boys are stupid.

"Ready, " Park had said.

"Set, " I had continued.

"Go."

Years later, I thought back to that moment as the day I had beaten Parker Creevy. The day he had let me win, although he'd never admit it.

Our friendship had only blossomed after that. Now I couldn't imagine a life without him.

I sat thinking for another moment before something caught my eye on the ground beside me. A bag of orange Goldfish crackers sat abandoned on the floor. I grabbed it hastily, digging my fingers into the bag. Plopping down on my bottom, I leaned my back against the desk and tapped my feet - which were clad in bunny slippers - together.

"I've got you now, Mr. Fishy, " I murmured to myself, tossing a fish cracker into my mouth and chewing loudly. "Die!"

I ate a few more before the bag was snatched from my fingers.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, loudly. "Dick move!"

Lina just grabbed me by the arm, dragged me up, and flipped me around to face the computer.

"Now you've done it." I informed her, stumbling. "Now Dr. FishFry is going to take over the world with his goldfish minions at his side!"

I had no idea what I was saying, but I figured somewhere deep down it made sense.

Lina shoved me into the black swivel chair, maneuvering my head so I was looking at the computer and not my beloved fishy treat.

"Ow, " I yelped. The computer screen seemed to be at maximum brightness in the dark room. "Leaner, your computer's on fire."

Lina's red hair formed a curtain between her head and mine as she leaned down to type something into the search browser.

"No it's not. Now read the screen, " she demanded.

"Are you even d-drunk?" I stuttered sleepily.

Smirking, she turned, skipped towards her bed, and executed a perfect nose-dive right into her flowery comforter.

"You belong in the Olympics, " I said, staring at the blob that was lumped on the top of the queen-sized bed.

"Skylar, read the screen, fill out the questions, and submit the sheet, " Lina ordered, burying her head under a pillow. "That's your dare. Do it."

I frowned and looked at the screen, which still seemed much too bright for my intoxicated eye site.

Peeking down at the computer mouse, I was overcome by a fit of giggling laughter.

"Aw, cute little mousy." I ran a finger over the wheel of the mouse. It moved, and with it, the small, arrow cursor on the computer screen. "Cute little guy. Do you like cheese?"

"Sky, " Lina warned. I snapped out of my trance.

"Fill out the sheet, " I repeated. "I got it." I stared at the screen. I squinted. I leaned closer.

I paused.

"Lina, I don't know how to read."

In the silence that followed, I attempted to study the letters that had been typed on the screen. Nothing made any sense. I tried to pronounce a word in the first sentence.

The.

"T-he, " I murmured. "Tee-he. Teh-heh. What the hell?"

"Skylar, you're seventeen, not four - you know how to read, " Lina murmured from the bed, her words hard to hear through my haze of drunkenness.

I looked back at the computer, blinking to try and clear the fuzziness that clouded the edges of my vision.

It appeared to be a website; that much was obvious. A form composed the web-page I staring at. It seemed suspiciously similar to a job application or questionnaire.

I looked at the top, and the website logo stared at me from the screen.

"CuddleMe, " it read in blue bubble letters.

"Oh my god, I can read, " I said aloud.

Next to the CuddleMe brand name were two little bears, one pink and one light green. They both faced each other, locked in a hug.

"This looks like a website for diapers, " I commented. Lina scoffed loudly.

I looked at the sheet.

"CUDDLE APPLICATION."

What does that even mean? I thought to myself.

"Lina, where'd you get this?" I asked in her general direction, suddenly feeling a little more awake.

When she didn't respond immediately, I looked over at her. She was face-down on the bed, pillow pressed to her face so her cheeks squeezed together. Her curly hair was splayed across the pillow and her face in a very non-ladylike manner.

"Lina? Are you awake?" I asked.

"I got it online, " she finally answered groggily. One of her eyes slid open to look at me. "I thought it was s-super cute so I saved the website." Her eye drooped closed again. "I thought it might come in handy."

I turned to face the computer again, satisfied with her answer.

"Handy, " I heard her mumble behind me. "Handy. Handy. Is that even a word?"

I poked the mouse. The cursor moved.

"... Handy."

I read the rest of the questions on the sheet. They were pretty basic, most of them "yes/no" questions.

"Okay, " I started. "So I fill this out, submit it, and boom - what happens then?"

"Why do you keep talking?" Lina asked. "I'm trying to sleep."

"What happens to the a-application when I click submit?" I repeated.

"It goes into the website, and people can see it. If they l-like what you answered-" she yawned "-they'll send you a Cuddle Request."

"What the hell is that?"

I was met with silence, and then a deep snore.

Great.

The Cuddle Application, although I had pretty much no idea what it was, suddenly sounded like a great idea.

I like cuddling, I thought. This is perfect.

I began to fill out the questions.

Name: Skylar Lane

Age: 17

Gender: Female

The whole process seemed incredibly easy. The only thing I had any problem with was filling out my phone number - which seemed near impossible to remember in my drunken state.

I moved on to the "yes/no". The first few were basic, such as, "Do you have a current boyfriend/girlfriend?"

I couldn't remember having anyone, so I pushed the "no" button with such force that the mouse crashed into the wall behind the desk. I startled, drunken eyes wide, and searched the room for any signs of disturbed life. Cora and Lina were still snoring, bodies glued to their beds. I turned back to the computer, glaring at the mouse.

"You almost made me wake up my curly fries."

Towards the end, the questions started to turn to mush in my head. I was exhausted and about to hit the sack - hard.

I stared at the last four questions and filled them out groggily.

Do you mind if I give you a cute nickname?

I clicked "no."

Can we build cute forts?

I clicked "yes."

Will there be junk food and random food fights?

I clicked "yes." After all, who didn't like food?

And last:

Do you mind kissing?

If there had been an option that read, "I don't mind kissing at all - come at me, bro, " I would have clicked that.

Instead, I clicked "no".

Then, after rereading my name to be sure I spelled it correctly, I clicked the blue "Submit" button.

And, without knowing who would see my application, or what would become of the sheet I had just filled out, I stood up from the chair and plopped right into a striped, pink and yellow beanbag.

There, buried in blankets, was where I fell asleep.

"If I'm sincere today, what does it matter if I regret it tomorrow?"

~Jose Saramago

~~~

Something hard jabbed me in the side. I ignored it and nuzzled further into my pile of blankets, shielding my eyes to the sunlight that threatened to wake me. My eyelashes fluttered against my cheeks as I slowly nodded off again, when something furry landed on my ankle. Huffing, I flicked my toes and pulled my leg up closer to my body.

"Five more minutes, mom, " I mumbled incoherently, sighing deeply.

A pile of fur landed on my face.

"That's it!" I screamed, launching myself off the beanbag. Eyes snapping open, I expected to see Lina or Cora. "Stop touching me!"

A cat stared at me from a few feet away, gray tail standing at attention, fangs out.

It hissed.

My anger died and I yawned, ruffling my hair, which had knotted itself at the top of my head. "Sorry I yelled at you, Snubbs."

Mr. Snubbs hissed once more, his crooked whiskers bobbing as his sharp teeth slid out from behind his bared muzzle. As a cat, he'd seen better days. He was older than the moon, his fur matted in places, but Cora couldn't bare to part with her childhood friend.

I yawned again and kicked away the blankets that pooled at my feet. Glancing about the room that was now bathed in sunlight, I noticed the crumpled blankets and empty pillows on the bed that was supposed to house my two friends. I furrowed my brows, yawning again. Where are they?

The warm, morning air met my skin and I ran a hand through my curly hair, attempting to smooth it. My skin felt tight across my face and I frowned, beginning to notice the pulsing headache that tucked itself between my temples. It hammered in the middle, making my eyes feel as if they were about to come rolling down the front of my face.

I sighed, stumbling up to a standing position, and promised to never drink again-a promise I'd made, and broken, too many times to count on two hands.

"Good, you're up."

I looked towards the door. Cora stood there, blonde hair perfectly straightened, smiling. She wore a purple blouse with dark skinny jeans, dressed impeccably, per usual. Cora was gorgeous, the kind of pretty you couldn't ignore. When we'd met in middle school, she'd been all pomp and formal, the perfect daughter of a Senator. I'd hated her at the start, with her upturned nose and pouty mouth. In an unfortunate turn of events, I'd punched her in the nose for trying to steal my brand new jean jacket, and we'd been friends ever since. Cora dropped the stealing habit and I grew out of the jacket.

"We're all downstairs eating breakfast, " Cora announced, turning to head down the hall. "Hurry up, Sleepyhead, the pancakes are dwindling."

My stomach rumbled at the thought of pancakes. "Thanks, I'll be down in a sec." I was vaguely aware that it was a Monday, and school would be happening at some point today. I put a hand to my hammering skull and winced. "What time is it?" Not a single fiber of my being wanted to attend high school, which was hell on a regular day, even worse with a hangover.

Cora's smile bordered on evil. "Seven o'clock."

"Seven?!" I squealed, pushing past her into the hall. I shot towards the bathroom door at an unnatural speed. School started at 7:30. Cora and Lina had let me sleep in on purpose.

Damn them.

Cora laughed and I caught her gleaming eyes in the bathroom mirror. "Lina and I didn't want to wake your pretty face."

I glared, reaching for my toothbrush. "You're an ass." I heard Lina laughing from somewhere below us, deep within in the polished mansion.

Pulling the knobs on the sink until water rushed into the basin, I cupped my hands and rubbed the cold water into my skin, which looked worse for wear. The bags under my eyes sagged drearily and there was drool on my cheek. Gross. I dried my face quickly and rushed back into Cora's room.

"Sky, " Cora said, but I hardly glanced at her as I grabbed my pillow and bag and ruffled through my backpack. I shoved incomplete homework back in folders and hauled out an old sandwich. Murmuring an "ew, " I tossed it into the trash can next to the desk. The computer screen on the wooden surface blinked as an oddly familiar icon flitted in and out of focus. My eyebrows furrowed.

"Sky, " Cora repeated, pulling me away from the computer.

"What?" There seemed to be too many things to do and not enough hands to do them. I still had to get ready, eat breakfast, and haul all my bags out into the car - and who's car had we even driven here? I groaned at my brain and the cracks in Memory Lane.

Never going to drink again. Never going to drink again.

"You still got a little drool on your right cheek."

"Shut up, " I snapped, trying to find some ibuprofen. My brain was melting.

Cora laughed again before saying, "I'll pack your stuff together. You focus on grabbing some breakfast." I nodded and headed towards the door.

Lina, Cora, and I had been best friends since the sixth grade. We'd all been forced by our parents to join band and started on the first day of school, all playing percussion. Lina had showed up first, looking like a Goody-Two-Shoes in her white, floral skirt and socks with ruffles. Then it was me, who had been too nervous to sit by anyone but the teacher. And last was Cora, who had showed up ten minutes late, sunglasses on her face and talking into a cell phone.

By the end of the first week, Cora had reached for my jacket, I'd punched her in the face, Lina had cried about it, and we'd all become best friends. I'd found a new seat in between Lina and Cora, and a new, unbreakable friendship in each of them. Eventually, of course, we had all switched to an easy gym class instead of suffering through any more failed music lessons.

"You know, girls, if you'd stop having sleepovers on Sundays, you wouldn't be so groggy for school Monday morning."

Sandra, the Creevy's maid and stand in mother, piled pancakes onto my plate while scolding me and my friends. I grabbed the nearest fork and dug in, shoving syrup smothered pancakes into my mouth, one after the other. Lina and Cora watched me from opposite bar stools in awe.

"Staying up until four in the morning can't be good for you girls, " Sandra said, her lips frowning, framed by the wrinkles that came with old age.

We all glanced at each other. The sleepover wasn't the problem, it was the hangovers we were all experiencing, something Sandra wasn't oblivious to. She'd learned to turn a blind eye to us girls whenever we raided the Creevy liquor cabinet or set of the smoke alarm with whatever substances Lina came to the party with.

Sandra had been with the Creevy family ever since Cora's father hit it big in politics. Since eight years old, we'd grown up with the help of Sandra, being taught Calculus, and pushing through the tough challenges of the teenage years. She was like another mom to each of us, and was a huge impact in Cora's life, especially because her parents were seldom home.

"I know, Sandy, " Lina said, carrying her plate to the marble sink across from the counter. "But we started a tradition four years ago, and we just can't break it now."

"Yeah, " I agreed, mouth still full. "It would feel inhumane to stop the Sunday-Monday-Sleepover-Extravaganza's."

Cora choked on a glass of milk. "Why do we still call it that?"

I shrugged and downed two more pancakes. I barely tasted them and washed it all down with some milk. Sandra filled my glass from the sidelines, brows raised from behind her round glasses.

"You look as though you haven't eaten in weeks, " she commented, her dark hair framed with a halo of light that seeped in through the kitchen windows.

I smiled at her, a silent "thank you" for the pancakes. My phone buzzed, yet again, from where I'd placed it on the table. I knew most of them were from Josh, and I also knew I'd probably sent him a few incriminating texts the night before.

Josh.

My mind wrapped around the name, almost not recognizing it. Why did his name spark a memory? Had I done something embarrassing last night? Had we gotten into a fight over something I drunkenly said. Worry clawed into my stomach along with my breakfast. I stopped eating my pancakes for a moment to dig through my hungover brain for an answer. Josh was my boyfriend-but why did his name seem out of place?

"Six minutes, Skylar, " Lina warned me, interrupting my thoughts. She stood from the counter. "I'll grab you an apple for lunch."

"And a granola bar, please, " I requested. I shoved the stool back from the table, the wooden legs emitting an ear-splitting shriek on the tiled floor. "I'm going to get dressed."

"I'll come with, " Cora said, and she bounded up the stairs after me. We passed through the foyer, with its high ceiling and sparkling chandelier, everything bathed in a white light, and crossed into Cora's bedroom.

After digging through my overnight bag and pulling out my clothes for the day, I changed in the bathroom.

"Love that top!" Cora exclaimed when I stepped out. Lina looked away from her spot at the computer to examine my clothing.

"Yeah, red is a good color on you, " she agreed. "Your lunch is in your backpack, by the way."

"Thanks, Leaner, " I said. After brushing on some blush and mascara, I stepped into a pair of booties. Half the outfit belonged to a very generous Cora, the stylish one of the group. With her father owning half the city, she had no shortage of money and spent a large chunk of it on clothes. As a birthday present, you could always expect a closet of new designer tops from her.

"Hey, Cora, " I started, ruffling through my backpack to check the attendance of my homework, "did you finish that History paper that's due tomorrow?" Perhaps along with her clothes, she'd let me borrow her homework for inspiration.

She pursed her lips in the mirror above her vanity, fluffing her hair and applying more lip gloss. "Bitch, please, " she answered. "I finished it weeks ago."

I laughed, shutting the zipper on my backpack and sliding it over my shoulders. "Maybe I'll come over later and you can help me brainstorm?" I grabbed my pillow and overnight bag and headed towards the bedroom door.

"Yeah, " Cora said, following. "Just come over after-"

"Oh my god!" Lina interrupted, rushing towards us. She grabbed me roughly by the arm, dragging me over to the computer. My head pounded lightly from the quickness of her movements.

"Whoa, Leaner, what's wrong?" I asked, putting a finger to my sore temples.

She stared at the computer screen, motioning for me to do the same. I did, glancing at the familiar cite that's on the monitor. Deja-vu invaded my brain, the same feeling I had gotten when I had stared at the computer earlier that morning.

"What the hell is CuddleMe.com?" Cora asked. Lina and I locked eyes. "And why is Skylar signed up for it?"

She looked at me, looking very confused. If she was expecting an answer to that, I couldn't give one, for my confusion matched her own.

A memory nagged at my brain, but I couldn't quite remember where I'd seen the CuddleMe logo before. The familiar hugging bears stared at me from the screen, but I had no idea where I'd seen them before.

The idea wouldn't seem so bad if I had remembered it. The blank space in my head where memories should have been was making me nervous.

"Lina?" I managed to say. "What did we do last night?"

She said nothing, hands covering her mouth as she stared at the screen. Then she pointed. "What is that?"

I flinched as she stifled a laugh. "What?" I asked, leaning closer to the screen. "What are you looking at?"

We all crowded around the computer, heads knocking together, trying to decider the tiny icons on the website. Cora clicked on the "My Profile" button and the screen shifted. My name popped up, along with a list of questions and answers. They held several grammar mistakes and I cringed as Cora scrolls. My eyes took it all in and I winced.

Never drinking again.

"Your profile picture, " Lina gasped, a giggle escaping her lips.

"What? What? What?" I stammered, reaching past her to grab the mouse from Cora. I scrolled until the picture came into view, magnified and ghastly. There was a big, pink bear in the middle, my face pasted where the head was supposed to be.

I blinked. "This is--"

"This is the best thing I've ever seen in my life!" Cora screamed. Her boisterous laughter filled the room and Lina's joined it immediately after, an infectious disease rotting in my ears.

"No, no, no, " I whispered, eyes still on the computer. "This can't be happening."

My stomach dropped.

On the screen was the most horrific picture of myself that I had ever seen. My hair was splayed everywhere, simultaneously in a ponytail while also somehow being down. Eyeliner smeared my left cheek, matching the sparkly eyeshadow on my forehead. My smile sat lopsided above my crooked chin and my face was flushed with blushing drunkenness. You could see the back of my throat, I was smiling so hard, and drool coated one corner of my mouth.

"This can't be happening, " I repeated.

"Oh it's happening!" Cora exclaimed from where she'd fallen on the floor, rolling around and bumping my leg. "Oh my word, Lina, I didn't know it was Christmas!"

Lina laughed even harder. "Me neither, but Santa sent us the best gift ever."

I just stared at my hideous pixelated face.

"We must have been good girls this year, huh Sky?" Cora continued. My friends squealed with laughter.

"I have to delete it, " I said, completely ignoring them and scrambling for the mouse to try and find the settings page. My head still pulsed, making my hand twitch and slide in the opposite direction. I grumbled.

"No!" Lina exclaimed, grabbing my hand. "You can't delete this-this masterpiece!"

Cora joined in, objecting and grabbing for the mouse.

"This is too good to just delete, Sky, " she said. "I have to document this!"

"No, " Lina said, pushing us both to the side and taking sole ownership of the computer mouse. "That's not what I mean!" She pointed at the side of the screen, at the icon next to my face. There was a little red "1" next to it. "I mean, you can't delete it because you have a notification!"

Confusion mixed with my pounding headache like a corrupted cocktail I regreted drinking. Cora grabbed my shoulders and pushed me a few steps back from the computer so she could get a closer look.

"You're not deleting this magic, " she said defiantly, moving to the computer to click the notification. On the page flashed a picture of a boy-a brown haired and extremely attractive boy.

"Oh my god, " I muttered. Of all the people who had to see my profile-it just had to be this freaking Greek God. I looked away before I could even start to soak in his appearance.

Never drinking again.

Lina looked at me, eyes sparkling. "Skylar, you have a Cuddle Request."

"Reality continues to ruin my life."

~Bill Watterson

~~~

I shoot up from the swivel chair, brain hammering against my skull as a reminder of last night. Walking backwards and away from the computer, my knees knocked against the chair and it rolled, quick and unstable, towards the beanbag where the cat is sitting. Mr. Snubs bolted away from the chair, hissing, the orange-brown hair on his neck shooting high. He all but tumbled out of the bedroom door and into the long hallway leading to the stairs. I started to follow him.

"I don't want any of this, " I said. "Shut down the website. Delete the account."

Nothing good could come from an early morning, Jack Daniels infused Cuddle Account. I stopped in the doorway, a hand on the white, wooden door frame to steady myself, and looked at my friends. Cora was staring at me, the definition of collected, trying to smother a laugh, and Lina was glancing between me and the computer, presumably trying to decide what to do.

Of course it was me in this situation. While drunk, Cora never made bad decisions. She just laughed a lot, red faced and tongue-tied. And Lina - well Lina just talked and talked, saying anything that came to mind.

I was the one who made bad decisions. Another reason to stop drinking.

"Lina, " I said again. "This is just a recipe for disaster - close it." Her fiery red hair looked as fierce as I felt, and even fiercer still with the sunlight from the open window shining on the curls. A bird chirped from outside and the sound irritated my head. I closed my eyes for a brief moment.

"But, " Lina started to say suddenly, "but don't you want to see this guy - this cuddle buddy?" Her eyes looked so hopeful, but it wasn't hard to crush the ever growing dreams that flourished behind her eyes.

"No."

Cora sighed. "You're being stupid. Last night, your drunk ass made this lame account and now you don't even want to see what's on it?" She leaned towards me, hope in her eyes.

I paused, thinking of what I could have said on my profile. I was probably too drunk to comprehend anything so none of the information probably made a lick of sense anyway.

"No, " I answered. "And I don't care about the guy, okay, I have Josh."

Josh. I remembered who he was suddenly.

Cora and Lina both rolled their eyes at this and I simply ignored their glares.

Josh was my boyfriend-but-not-boyfriend. We'd met sophomore year of high school, both part of the same big group of friends. I liked him from the start, but it wasn't until I grew boobs that he finally started liking me back. Cora and Lina thought he was stubborn and a jerk, but he was different when it was just us two - always kind and gentlemanly.

Josh was my not-boyfriend because neither of us wanted to put a label on it, whatever "it" was that we had, but I liked Josh, maybe even loved him. I definitely didn't need some stupid cuddle application to come in and ruin what we had.

"Josh treats you like shit, Sky, " Cora grumbled, looking down towards the floor. Lina stared at her open mouthed. Cora despised Josh, but Lina tolerated him because she knew how much I liked him. The few fights Cora and I had usually revolved around Josh, and Lina was always stuck in the middle.

"Cora-" she started, but with that, I turned from the room, padded angrily down the stairs, and pushed outside towards the car.

As I walked, I could hear them arguing about something before one of them laughed. I waited to hear them coming down the stairs, but they never did, so I advanced towards the car in the driveway. Somewhere along the way, I'd grabbed my backpack, which was now looped across my back. The morning air was brisk and dewy, the signs of upcoming summer becoming evident in the Oregon landscapes. The bird kept chirping and I want to scream at it. I was in no mood for noises or arguments.

I just wanted to go home and sleep.

I reached for a car door on the blue Bug that belongs to Cora, but the handle clicked when I pull it, and made no advance towards opening. I grumbled and dropped my backpack, leaning against the back of the car. The sun had warmed the metal and I closed my eyes.

Cora lived in a richer neighborhood. The houses were all looming and bright, with large windows that showed off the expensive furniture inside, and balconies jutting out from second and third floors. Some had large, white pillars rising to the full length of the house, giving them a White-House architectural feel.

I lived in a smaller neighborhood with less impressive houses, but my home was still very nice. Lina and I became next door neighbors when she moved in two houses down roughly a year after we'd met. It had been one of the greatest moments of our little, prepubescent lives.

We lived in a town called Helaci, Oregon, which was just under Oregon City. With a population of 6, 708, we weren't a tiny town, but Helaci still held a lot of small town stereotypes and drama. A large percent of the population was the elderly, but the only adults present were the ones who could get jobs. Helaci was older - a town based off a previous mining area. Now it was a mix between new and old, struggling to find it's niche. Jobs were not in abundance, so looking to the future often included looking outside where we lived.

A large portion of Helaci were kids or teenagers that couldn't wait to graduate and leave. It was not a town of future promise, though I did love it.

There were two schools on opposite sides of the river, which created a rivalry on each side. The biggest difference was if you were looking for trouble, my school, Helaci High, focused on alcohol, and the other school, Pemberson High, named after the first mayor, Mr. Pemberson, focused on drugs.

We were rivals, but I never minded to that, considering we all came from one middle school. Most things in Helaci depended on what side of the river you were on.

Towards the north side of town, Helaci River was a rough Rapids area, housing a small waterfall that tumbled from the tall, rockey hills into a bubbly pool of wavy currents. The river traveled its way, smooth and gentle, into town, where it created a wide, majestic lake and the base of the town before becoming a river once more and traveling further south. Most big events and parties happened on the river.

I was still thinking about Helaci when my friends finally stepped out of the house.

"What took you so long?" I asked impatiently. "I couldn't even wait in the car because it was locked."

I was fully aware of how I was acting, but what Cora had said earlier about Josh was untrue, and it always made me mad when they talked about Josh as if they even knew him. And to add to that, I was seriously hungry and hungover.

"Sorry, " Lina said softly, bright blue eyes looking down at the ground. "And we deleted the account."

Cora, however, smirked while unlocking the car. As the vehicle beeped and I opened the door, I wasn't sure I believed either one of them. Cora's face looked like she was up to no good, but that wasn't unusual because the girl usually was.

I didn't dwell too hard on it, however, because I was never visiting the shitty website again, my drunken websurfing be damned.

The ride to school was quiet and tension-filled. I ignored both of them, feeling somewhat of an outsider with both of my friends. I didn't understand why they cared about my decision to ignore the cuddle account. The whole thing was probably bullshit, a way for creepy guys and perverts to find their next victim. It was like online dating but worse. Why would anyone want to cuddle with someone they don't know? I couldn't understand why anyone would sign up for such a thing, and the fact that I'd never heard of it before added to my feeling of doubt.

Nothing good could come of it, of that I was certain.

We arrived at school, a red brick building with two floors and not enough windows. On one side, the building was higher, were the auditorium was. Our school was in charge of theater, while Pemberton had the pools needed for swimming. They were the only two things we shared.

"Can you believe we only have a month left in this place?" I heard Lina ask.

There were students hanging around by the gates leading into the courtyard, but other than that, the parking lot was crammed with cars and virtually empty of students. The bell would ring at any moment, and we'd probably be late to first hour.

I hopped out of the car after Cora's parked, grabbing my backpack and slamming the door behind me. Cora snickered when she exits the vehicle and I couldn't stop myself before I whipped around.

"What?" I demanded. "Why are you laughing?" When she tried to deny it I said, "No. Even in the car you were smiling to yourself. What's going on?"

Cora's eyes cut to Lina's, where I could tell even Lina is hiding something.

"Lina, what?" I asked. "Guys seriously."

I felt so left out, which was a thing that doesn't normally happen in our friend group.

"Nothing, " they both said simultaneously. Cora looked down at her phone suddenly, and typed something. Lina was staring at a spot behind me.

Then there were arms around my torso, snaking me in. The musky smell of spicy cologne enveloped my senses.

"Josh, " I said.

His voice was warm on my ear. "Hey Skylar, babe." I felt his lips on the spot below my ear and I nudged him away slightly, smiling, because Cora was giving us both the death stare.

"Get a room, " she mumbled, walking past us with Lina in tow. Josh laughed.

I turned around, still in Josh's arms, and looked into his brown eyes. The sun was enhancing the gold slices in the irises. He was like someone out of a magazine, with his chiseled jaw and high male cheekbones. I sighed and slid further into the hug.

"You smell like booze, " he said, voice deep. I chuckled, cursing last night for so many reasons that he'll never know.

"Partied too hard, " I replied.

He made a low noise in the back of his throat. "Should have invited me."

"How are you?" I asked, laughing, and felt his hand sliding down my back until it rested on my butt. I squirmed as I heard male voices behind us.

"Yeah, Josh! Get that fine ass!" Josh's friends cooed, and I pushed him off of me. I glared behind me at them - at Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest - before shoving past Josh.

"Dude, how come you haven't tapped that yet?!" One of them bellowed.

The fact that Josh didn't defend me didn't sting anymore, after so long of him not demanding respect from his friends. I wanted to blame him for their words, but like he often said, "you can't control your friends." Even still, you could chastise, but I don't tell him that.

You can't say stuff like that to your not-boyfriend.

The school day went by fairly quickly and uneventfully. My teachers droned on about the subjects that they taught and I saw Lina and Cora a few times, and they ignored my glares and walked away when I tried to talk to them. All day, I felt like I was fighting a battle I knew nothing about.

What is going on? I even scribbled on a piece of paper in English class. When Mrs. Tallman wasn't looking, I launched it across two rows of desks until it landed on Cora's desktop. She unfolded it, paused, and crumpled it up again.

I shot daggers at her blonde head.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. My clothes were wrinkled and my head was hammering, the hangover gone, replaced with a headache of a different kind. I went to leave school but then remembered that my car wouldn't be in the parking lot. I walked over to Cora's blue bug to see her and Lina standing there, waiting for me.

Finally. Now I won't be ignored.

"Okay, now we're gonna talk, " I said firmly, hands on my hip and attempting to look fierce. "You're going to tell me what you've been hiding all day."

They looked at each other and laughed. I fought the urge to slap someone.

"Yes, we will, " Lina said, still smiling.

"Just not here, " Cora finished, putting a matching smile on her lips.

"Let's go for a ride." Lina grabbed me by the arm and led me towards Cora's car.

"I don't get why we have to go any-" I started to say, but got cut off when Lina grabbed my head and pushed me through the small car door. I yelped in surprise and started protesting when she slammed the door in my face. Half of my hair was caught, long locks of hair crimped and dangling on the outside window. "Lina-"

I went to open the door when suddenly the whole car shot forward. I screamed and slid left and right whenever the vehicle turned. I wasn't buckled in, but my hair kept me from going far. It almost ripped out of my skull as I slipped across the leather seats.

"Cora!" I screamed. "Slow down, my hair is stuck-"

She turned sharply down another street and I slammed into the window, my cheek making contact with the cool glass. My eyes closed and for a second I wasn't moving, until Cora flew down another street and I went tumbling across the seat again.

After what seemed like a good hour, but I knew was only a few minutes, the car stopped. I almost felt like throwing up because of how nauseating the ride was, but Cora simply ripped the car door open, releasing my hair, and tugged me out of the vehicle.

"Come on!" She ordered. "We're gonna be late!"

I was about to ask late for what, when I realized where we were. The small cafe stood in front of the parking lot we were standing in, small but cozy. It was the definition of a 50's cafe, with it's red and blacked checkered theme and overly padded booths. They served anything from burgers to shakes, and played old music from a jukebox in the corner.

"Okay, why are we at Fran's?" I asked.

Without answering, they pushed me through the swinging doors. The smell of fries and grease washed over me, making my stomach grumble. I suddenly realized that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast that morning.

Cora gave me one last push further into the restaurant and I noticed that it was empty save for two older couples and one boy sitting in the corner, his back to us. Cora whistled, and to my horror, the guy turned around.

Time slowed down and I was face to face with the boy from the Cuddle account. I would've recognized his face anywhere, even though I only saw his tiny picture in the corner of a screen. He was the one who applied to be my cuddle buddy.

I froze in horror, my mouth agape, though I'm not sure whether it was from shock, or my response to how gorgeous this boy was.

His green eyes were piercing even from twenty feet away.

"Good luck, " Cora smirked, before sprinting out of the door with Lina.

I was glued to the spot.

Oh god, what have they done?