I groaned and rolled over. I had been sleeping peacefully until a burst of loud music woke me. "Tim?" I muttered without opening my eyes. When I received no answer, I opened my eyes and found the bed next to me empty.

I slowly sat up. With every movement, pain shot through my body, and with every beat of music, my head throbbed. "Tim?" I called again, this time louder. Light was flooding through the windows, indicating it was already late morning.

Still not getting an answer from Tim, I rolled out of bed and began searching the room for the clothes I had been wearing the night before. The fact that they were scattered all over the room caused me quite a bit of embarrassment; the fact that I couldn't clearly remember the details of the night made me feel even worse.

Fully clothed, I left the room in search of aspirin. I found none in the bathroom, so I headed downstairs, massaging my temples in a poor attempt to alleviate some of the pain. I followed the sound of the music to the kitchen. "Hey Tim, ya'll have any aspirin?" I said as I entered the kitchen.

I jumped at the sound of a feminine yelp and the crash of glass. The sound of the music diminished and I stood staring at Angela dumbstruck. Angela continued to stare at me, as though she expected some sort of explanation. Unfortunately, I had none to offer, so I simply looked at the floor and said, "Can I have some aspirin? My head is killing me."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. "What the hell are you doing here?" Angela hissed. "I thought I was the only one in the house. For the love of God, can't a girl skip school in private once in a while. You scared the hell out of me. Why are you wearing my clothes? And we ain't got any aspirin!" Angela's voice rose throughout her rant, until she was shouting.

I wasn't sure where to start. "Well," I attempted to answer, "I need some clothes. My clothes…"

Angela cut me off. "You did it, didn't you?"

"Did what?"

"Don't play stupid. You slept with my brother! How could you? Couldn't you just leave him alone?" Angela's voice had softened, and I could tell that I had actually hurt her.

"I thought you were okay with it," I tentatively put forth.

Angela's dark eyes narrowed, and for a moment I thought she was going to smack me. You could practically feel the tension between us, until suddenly it evaporated. "I dunno," she told me, "I thought I was. But, man, I just don't want my friends fucking my brothers. I guess I lied."

I took a step closer to her. Angela was such a volatile creature, and I wasn't sure what to do. I felt like I should apologize, offer excuses, proclaim myself an idiot, and comfort her all at once; however, one step was all I was able to take before Angela burst out, "Just get out of my house. Now. I don't want to look at your ugly face any more."

I could feel my face crumple. "Okay," I quietly said. I turned and left, holding my head high. Just because I was being thrown out of the house of my friend didn't mean I wasn't going to keep my pride.

I walked away from the Shepard residence without a glance backward and feeling even more confused than before. I didn't want to feel bad about my actions. I truly had feelings for Tim, and Angela had given me her blessings. What right did she have to take them back?

But I did feel guilty. On top of all the things in my life, I had betrayed the only girlfriend I had. I was a disloyal friend, a tramp, and a bad sister. I could only think about what a horrible human being I was, and as I began crying, I cursed myself for being a weak person. I needed to buck up and quit being so soft. I quit crying and sat down on the curb. I wasn't going one step further until I could reign my emotions in and think clearly.