Stella's POV 
I woke up feeling like my head got hit by a truck. Every time I opened my eyes, the sunlight felt like it was burning right through my skull. A pounding headache, the kind that makes you regret every decision you made the night before. My head felt heavy, and even blinking was painful. I tried piecing together flashes of what happened, but nothing made sense. Groaning, I pushed myself up slowly, massaging my temples, trying to get the throbbing to stop. 
"Great. She's still alive," Mia’s voice chirped from beside me, a little too cheerful for my current state. She held out a glass of water and a couple of pills, nudging them toward me.
"Here, headache meds. You’re gonna need them."
I took them gratefully, gulping down the water and hoping it’d do some magic. Then I noticed Harper leaning against the wall, arms crossed, giving me this look, maybe blank, maybe worried? I couldn’t tell. All I knew was that both of them were standing over me, just waiting for something.
"Well, good morning to our lovely disaster," Mia said, smirking as she started listing off everything I had done. "So… you remember anything from last night?" Mia started, her smirk not leaving on her face, she was about to enjoy this way too much. “Because I’ve got a list if you need a refresher.”
I groaned, pressing a hand to my forehead. "Barely anything," I mumbled, embarrassed to admit it. “It’s all kind of… fuzzy.”
"Perfect." Mia grinned like a cat who had just caught a mouse. “Let me break it down for you, then. First off, you basically turned into some kind of wild party animal. I mean, drowning yourself in drinks, dancing around like you just got released from a five-year grounding. You even managed to get a couple of guys to cheer you on with your moves. It was chaos, Stella. Pure chaos.” She chuckled, leaning closer. “And you were loving every second.”
I buried my face in my hands, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
"Nope." Mia’s grin only grew wider. “And then, just to add to the drama, it rained. Not that you would remember that part. It was, like, right after we left. But everyone who stayed just went crazy dancing in the rain. I checked everyone’s Snap stories this morning, and it looked like we missed the biggest rave of the year."
Harper sighed, clearly more focused than amused. She glanced at Mia. “You sure this is what she needs to hear right now? There’s a festival happening, and it’s already started. Students are out there, probably half of them in worse shape than her, but… maybe she should take it easy today?”
Harper turned back to me. “You seriously don’t look great, Stella. Maybe skip today and sleep this off. You can join us later if you feel up to it.”
But I barely heard her because, out of nowhere, the memory hit me. Zeus. We were supposed to meet last night, and I just… didn’t show up. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. I couldn’t sit around feeling sorry for myself, not when I needed to fix this.
I jumped out of bed, ignoring the dizzy wave that nearly knocked me over. “No, I… I have to go. I need to talk to him, like, now.” I fumbled around, grabbing whatever clothes I could reach, not caring what they were or how they looked. I just needed to get to him before he thought I’d ditched him on purpose.
"Oh my gosh," Mia snorted, watching me struggle to pull on clothes with zero coordination. "She’s got potential for a TV game show called ‘Five-Second Fashion Disaster Challenge.’ Look at her go—pure talent."
“Hey, let’s face it, girl,” Mia laughed. “Your outfit is not giving anything it needs to give. You look like a walking hurricane.”
I rolled my eyes, stumbling into my shoes, barely managing to tie them. “Thanks for the support, Mia. You’re a real friend,” I muttered, heading toward the door.
“Oh, you know I’m here to tell you the truth.” She smirked. “You need it more than you think.”
I ignored her, swinging open the door, throwing them a quick wave over my shoulder. “I’ll be back later, I promise! Just… gotta take care of something first.”
Mia shook her head, laughing. “Alright, Miss Messy Morning, go do your thing! We’ll save some chaos for when you get back.” 
As I dashed out the door, my heart pounded with a mix of nerves and regret. I didn’t know if he’d be mad or hurt or both. All I knew was that I couldn’t let him think I’d forgotten about him. Not after all we had been through.
My heart thudded with each step I took down the dorm hallway toward Zeus’s room. How was I supposed to explain any of this? I knew I had messed up, but did he even want to hear it? What if he never wanted to see me again? My mind was spinning, and the headache from last night’s chaos wasn’t helping.
When I finally stopped in front of Zeus’s door, I hesitated, my hand hanging there before I gave a small knock. Three light taps. I almost didn’t go through with the last one, but I forced myself. Clearing my throat, I tried to smooth down my clothes, as if that would make me look a little more… together.
The door swung open, and my heart gave a little jump, but it wasn’t Zeus. “Oh… hi, Kyle.” I smiled nervously, trying not to look disappointed. “Is, um, Zeus here?”
Kyle gave me this polite but confused smile. “Good morning, Stella. No, actually, he didn’t come back last night. I thought he’d be with you?” He looked at me, and his face changed. “That’s what he told me, anyway.”
“I… I didn’t go,” I admitted, feeling the weight of my own words. “Something happened, and everything just got out of control, and…” I trailed off, searching Kyle’s face for some sign of understanding, but all I found was disappointment.
"So, you let him wait outside campus all night by himself?” Kyle’s tone shifted, his disappointment sharp. “What were you thinking, Stella?”
I could feel my throat tightening. “Kyle, please… I had my reasons,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out. I wasn’t here to defend myself, but I wanted someone to understand.
But Kyle didn’t let up. “Well, whatever your reasons, he’s not here, and I don’t think he wants to see you right now.” He shrugged, giving me one last look before stepping back inside. “You should probably go.”
With that, the door closed, I stood there in silence, feeling like the last bit of hope I had was slipping away. Even Kyle was mad at me. I forced a bitter laugh, but deep down, I could feel pieces of me breaking. With a heavy heart, I turned and walked down the hallway, my feet feeling heavier with every step.
I needed someone to talk, someone who would actually listen. I pulled out my phone, texting Gwen. 
“Are you around? Just… need to talk if you’re free.“
Minutes passed with no response. I sighed, feeling the ache in my chest growing. Everyone was probably busy with the festival, off having fun, while I was here, drowning in regret. I pushed myself to head to Gwen’s dorm. Maybe she’d be there.
Once I got to Gwen’s door, I knocked, a little hope flickering inside me. But the minutes dragged by, and there was no answer. I let out a long sigh, ready to give up. Maybe she’d text back later.
Just as I turned to leave, the door opened behind me. I spun around, expecting Gwen, but froze in shock when I saw him.
His face looked pale and exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days. He was bundled up in a thick blanket, his eyes barely holding my gaze.
“Zeus…” His name came out in a whisper, like it took all my strength just to say it.
“Hey,” he said softly, his voice flat, almost like he was too tired to feel anything.
“I.. Zeus, about last night…” I started, but he raised a hand, signaling for me to stop.
“It’s fine,” he said, his tone empty. “I’m glad you had fun with your friends.” His words hit me like a slap. There was no anger, just disappointment and somehow, that hurt more.
My heart clenched, and I wanted to explain, to make him see that it wasn’t like that. But looking at him now, so worn out, I realized maybe he didn’t want to hear it. Maybe he was too hurt to listen.
Before I could say anything else, a voice called out from inside the room. “Zeus, who’s at the door?” The voice wasn’t Gwen’s, and it definitely wasn’t Kara.
My mind went blank for a second, confusion swirling until I saw a girl’s face pop up behind Zeus. My stomach dropped.
Dana’s eyes lit up when she saw me. “Oh, hey, Stella! Good morning!” She leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, her usual warm smile in place.
She turned to Zeus. “I made us some breakfast! Want to come finish it up?”
I swallowed, the scene in front of me feeling surreal. Dana here… with Zeus? Had she stayed over? My heart twisted in a way I couldn’t quite describe, jealousy, anger, hurt, all crashing into each other.
Dana glanced back at me, oblivious to my reaction. “You should come in, Stella! I made enough for three. We can all eat together!”
My voice was barely a whisper. “No, that’s… I just came to see if Gwen was here,” I lied, forcing a tight smile. “I’ll message her.”
Dana just shrugged, grinning. “Suit yourself! Zeus isn’t feeling great, so I thought I could check on him. Gwen called earlier and said she couldn’t come by ‘cause of the council students asked her for extra help. They’re drowning in props for the festival or something.”
I felt my face heat up, embarrassment mixing with frustration. “Right, thanks… I’ll just… I’ll go.”
Dana waved cheerfully. “Alright, see you around, Stella!”
I gave Zeus one last look, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. He just stood there, silent, not stopping me, not saying a word. Feeling the sting of tears in my eyes, I turned and walked away, trying to hold onto whatever was left of my pride.
As I made my way down the hallway, I fought back the tears, but inside, I was crumbling.