Chapter Thirty-Three

Ethan clutched the straps of his backpack as he panted, trying to steady his breath. They were in the middle of a two-hour hike to the top of the hill, and his head was pounding with a severe hangover. He knew that it was a bad idea to give in to Luke’s offer to ‘have fun’ last night. He promised himself to get it over with a couple of shots, but his plan had obviously failed.

It was especially warm that day. The sun shone brightly through the trees and the birds chirped as the students chattered excitedly about the apparently breathtaking view at the end of the hike. But the brightness and the happy noises only made Ethan’s headache worse by the second.

“Ugh”, he groaned in complaint. Greg, who was walking alongside him, chuckled and threw an arm over his shoulder. The latter was a little bit shorter than he was, and the act made him stumble.