The girls are picked up

After what felt like hours, Taylor had finally had enough. Staggering away from her friend, she sat down on the side of the road, whimpering.

"Taylor, we've got to keep going-" Belly started to say, attempting to drag Taylor back to her feet.

"I can't!" Taylor wailed. "I hate this so much!"

Belly dropped down next to her friend, hugging her knees to her chest and shivering.

Now that she had stopped, she realized how tired she was. Her body was exhausted from trying in vain to shiver warmth back into herself, and the cool air stung her bare skin. She gingerly touched her bare feet, wincing at how tender they felt. Why couldn't Nicole at least have left shoes for them?!

Her eyelids felt heavy. Belly knew that falling asleep on the side of the road in her birthday suit was a bad idea...but it was so tempting...

xxx

Nicole was woken up by a persistent buzzing noise.

Rolling over, she saw that the screen of Belly's phone was lit up.

"WHERE ARE YOU?"

"PLEASE CALL ME BACK WHEN YOU GET THIS!"

Judging by the half-a-dozen missed calls and texts from her mom, Belly still wasn't home.

She glanced at the time.

6 am.

The sky was brightening beyond the curtains, and Nicole could already hear the residents of Cousins Beach waking up. She grinned as she made out the sound of a garbage truck emptying the dumpster into which Nicole had thrown Belly and Taylor's clothes.

Content in the knowledge that Belly had absolutely no chance of getting out of this mess with any sort of dignity left, Nicole rolled over and drifted back to sleep.

xxx

"Belly! Wake up!"

Belly was ripped from her dream by Taylor shaking her shoulder. Looking around groggily, the former realized that a police officer was standing over them, her arms folded and looking very unimpressed.

"Are you Isabel Conklin?"

"Y-yes," Belly said, wishing the cop would look away.

"Your mom was worried and sent me to look for you two. I'm sure she'll be interested to know that you're breaking the law."

"W-what?!" Belly squeaked.

"Are you aware that public indecency is a crime? Even at this hour, you girls can't walk around naked."

"Someone stole our clothes!" Taylor spat back. "You think we're running around like this by choice?!"

"I'd advise you to watch your tone when speaking to an officer of the law," the cop said. "Now get into the car. Now! Before I cuff you and drag you down to the station!" she added, when neither girl moved.

Terrified of getting a criminal record aged just 18, both girls jumped to their feet and folded themselves into the cop car.

The sensation of the seat belt on Taylor's bare torso served as another awful reminder of how totally naked she was.

"Any chance we could have something to wear?" Taylor asked as the cop pulled back into the road. Both girls were shivering and hiding behind their arms; surely she had to take pity on them?

"Maybe this will be a good learning experience for you both," the cop said unsympathetically, glancing at them in the rearview mirror. "Next time you consider streaking, you might think of the consequences."

Taylor opened her mouth to argue, but Belly kicked her, shooting her an expression that made it clear that it would be better if they stayed quiet.

Instead, she looked out of the window, sliding as low in her seat as the seat belt would allow. Taylor knew it had been a mistake for her and Belly to fall asleep, as it was now much lighter, but Taylor hadn't been able to go a single step further without shoes.

She relaxed somewhat when the cop confirmed that she was taking them back to Belly's house.

In just a few minutes, the worst night of their lives would be over.