Lucas And The Time-Traveling Fog Party Animals
Chapter 22 Cleanup Crew

The next thing I remember is waking up on the same couch where we supposedly watched the horror movie marathon in the living room, and I see that I was covered in some blanket and I was resting on a pillow. Other than that, I had a bad headache, but that was just from the heavy drinking. My headache was almost gone when I smelled someone cooking some bacon, and it was coming from the kitchen. Now, who could be cooking at this hour?

I went to the kitchen to replace out who was there, and there was some girl cooking. She had one look at me and said, “Ohhhh, Robbie, looks like your girlfriend’s awake.”

Robbie, who came from the dining room, said, “Claire, can you stop that? she’s not my--” he then stopped talking once he saw me and awkwardly said, “H-Hey Liz...Good Morning. How did you sleep?”

Sleep? Morning? What? Did I sleep through that entire party? I asked him, “It’s morning already. How long have I been out?”

Robbie replied, “About quarter to twelve, I’ll say, but hey, at least you got some sleep, unlike the rest of us. I’m surprised the Party Animals didn’t keep you awake all night. So, what’d you like for breakfast?”

What do I want for breakfast? I wondered. Ohh, I know some scrambled eggs sunny side up will be good right about now, so I answered, “Uhh, some scrambled eggs sunny side up will be just fine.”

“I’m on it,” he assured me.

I told Rob, “I can do it; it’s the least I can do for you. After all, you’re the host.”

Rob replied, “No, you’re my guest, and I have to take care of you.”

“If you say so.”

When he put two eggs on the frying pan, I was actually surprised that he was making an attempt. I didn’t think he was gonna do it. I thought it was a joke. As he was busy cooking, I whispered to Claire, asking, “Does he always do this?”

Claire whispered back, “Not really...the last I saw him cook was at our little sister’s birthday party where he made cookies that looked like charcoal.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Rob, looking annoyed, said, “Hate to interrupt the chatter, but Liz, your scrambled eggs are almost done, so grab yourself a plate.” I grabbed myself a plate, and as I took a bite into this scrambled egg, I realized that this was not half bad. Sure, it was burnt on the side, but overall, it tasted great. I looked at Rob, giving him a little smirk, and said, “Not bad, Rob. Not bad at all” and continued eating.

As I was eating, I saw Claire rolling her eyes at me and said, “Liz, now’s not the time for that. You can do that some other time with him because our parents are coming home in less than two hours, and I need him to be around to clean.”

Rob shockingly asked, “Are you serious? Now’s the perfect time to tell me?! I thought you said Monday morning, not Sunday Morning! Why didn’t you say something sooner to me, Claire, when I told you about having this party?”

Claire answered, “Will you just relax, string bean? I must’ve forgotten... it happens, and don’t worry, I will help you clean up your mess as usual.”

I said, “Hey, as soon as I’m done eating, I’ll help you too.”

Rob replied, “Well, we might be close, but if we don’t slack off as much, I think we can do it.”

After I finished eating, we got to work. Claire cleaned up and vacuumed the couch in the living room, while Rob and I were busy picking up all the red cups and beer cans from downstairs and putting them into a garbage bag, which was a lot. Boy, it must’ve been some party. Next, we had to awaken the party animals from their hibernation and make them clean up too before they could leave, and when the last person other than me left, I closed the door and said, “That’s the last of them, and huh, I guess we all make a pretty good team. Don’t you think?”

Claire replied, “We sure do. Now, you better get out of here too before our parents bust in because they will be here in like any minute.”

I replied, “Ok. Well, hopefully, I will see you guys again soon...bye.” But as I grabbed my purse and opened the front door, I saw these two adult strangers staring at me in horror.

The lady shrieked, “Who are you, and what are you doing in our house?!” I slammed the door shut in their face and said, “Claire...Robbie? Can someone…. Can anyone come over here, please? Your parents are here.”

Claire said, “Already?!” and ran to my aid. She opened the door while I stood behind her and watched from afar. Robbie’s mom said, “Hey Claire, I was wondering did Robbie decide to have a party at our house and not tell us just because we said no the first time, and who’s this girl and why was she staying over? You know how I don’t like uninvited guests.

Claire said, “Mom, calm down, this is Elizabeth Ross, and she’s…. she’s, well, she’s Robbie’s girlfriend.” I eyeballed at her in shock.

Robbie’s mom asked, “Is this true?”

Claire answered, “Yes...mom, it is.”

But Robbie’s mom surprised us both and said, “I wasn’t asking you, I was asking Robert,” who was leaning on a door to the garage from far away but still visible. She then asked him, “Is this true, Rob...all of it? Is she your girlfriend?” She then kept on asking and pressuring him to tell him the truth. He cracked under pressure and said, “No, Mom, she isn’t.”

I felt like my heart broke into a million pieces when he said that. Was the time that we spent together last night really all for nothing? Gosh, what do I have to do to fall in love with someone even if I was really drunk? So, I said, “I think it’s my time to go...see ya,” and rushed out the front door, holding back my tears.

I was a complete trainwreck after that. I mean, what’s the point in it all trying to get a guy to fall in love with me even though I got so drunk last night and actually had a shot of coming back home...my real home where I can see my real friends and family again. But my hopes and dreams were chugged right out the window when Rob flat out denied it in front of his own parents. The very next day.

Agh, I’m so sick and tired of being stuck here in this decade, and I can’t stand being Elizabeth. I don’t even know if I would ever get out of her life…the way I’m headed seems like I’m going to be her forever. This was the only time in my life that I felt like I was the biggest loser known to mankind.