Chapter 1 Zoe's Exhaustion
Zoe Hart had just three dollars and fifty cents in her bank account, and even that small, depressing figure seemed to mock her from her phone screen. Standing in front of the vending machine, she was staring at the blinking red light, as if it held the key to her survival.
She jabbed the button again, more forcefully this time, because apparently hope was supposedly free, and she was determined to use every ounce she could muster. The machine groaned and whirred, but achieved nothing. The relentless red light blinked again continuously.
"Of course," she murmured. "Why would anything in my life go right today?"
Her forehead thudded softly against the cool plastic as she sighed in defeat. Her backpack hung heavily off one shoulder, stuffed with architecture drawings, crumpled drafts, textbooks thicker than her patience, and a laptop that overheated every thirty minutes. Her shoes were painfully snug, thrift store bargains that had turned into instruments of torture.
Her hair was another chaotic story, tied in a messy bun that had lost all sense of order hours ago. She couldn’t bear to imagine how she looked under the harsh fluorescent lights.
All she wanted was a granola bar, a small, cheap, slightly stale one.
But apparently, the universe had decided she didn’t deserve even that.
“Zoe!!!"
A familiar voice echoed down the hallway, a bright, bubbly sound too energetic for the hour. Zoe pulled her forehead off the vending machine and looked up to see her best friend, Maya, jogging toward her with cheerfulness that seemed illegal before noon.
Maya took one look at Zoe’s expression and grimaced. “Oh no. Rough morning?”
Zoe chuckled without humor. “Define rough. Because I've survived three different disasters and it’s not even ten yet.”
Maya reached her and linked their arms, guiding Zoe away from the machine’s unkind glow. “That’s it. You need a break.”
“What I need,” Zoe replied dryly, “is for that machine to operate properly. Or maybe a miracle. I’d take either.”
“Good news for you,” Maya said with a dangerously cheeky smile, “I have something better than a vending machine.”
Zoe narrowed her eyes. “Maya, if this involves glitter, karaoke, or emotional investments, I’m out.”
“Vegas.”
The word hit Zoe like a slap. She halted mid-step. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Yes,” Maya insisted, stretching the word playfully. “Vegas. A weekend trip with just you, me, and freedom.”
Zoe groaned. “I have work, deadlines, finals, sleep deprivation, bills, rent, and—”
“—and none of those issues will magically disappear by you sulking next to a vending machine,” Maya interjected smoothly. “You have a boss who treats labor laws like options, a laptop that seems to be out to get you, and a professor who said ”she made finger quotes" you ‘lack structural imagination.’”
Zoe flinched. “You didn't have to bring that part up.”
“Oh, I definitely did,” Maya teased. “Because that’s exactly why we’re going. You need to recharge, Zoe. Just one weekend away from feeling like the world is on your shoulders.”
Zoe struggled to come up with a counterargument, but the words got lost in her exhaustion and the dull ache behind her eyes. She felt emptied out, as if someone had drained her energy long ago and she was just coasting on fumes.
She was twenty-four and felt ancient. Each day felt like an unasked-for marathon, a race toward an unclear future. Rent was due. Her final design project was hanging by a thread. Her savings were a joke. And sleep, real, restful sleep was a distant memory.
She couldn't recall the last time she had truly laughed, not the tired or forced kind of laugh that comes from trying not to cry, but a genuine one. The last time she experienced anything resembling peace felt like an eternity ago.
Vegas wasn’t logical. It wasn’t a wise choice. It certainly wasn’t something she could afford.
But as Maya’s words lingered in the air, something flickered in Zoe’s chest, small and delicate, like the first flicker of a lighter in the dark.
“A weekend,” she said slowly, testing the idea out loud.
“A weekend,” Maya echoed, her tone brimming with promise.
“No obligations?”
“None.”
“No responsibilities?”
“Zero.”
Zoe raised an eyebrow. “And no vending machines denying me basic human sustenance?”
Maya laughed, a sound far too cheerful for Zoe’s mood. “Vegas has real food. And drinks. And actual q fun. Remember fun?”
Zoe glanced back at the vending machine, where her reflection barely appeared in the scratched plastic, the tired eyes, the dark circles, the messy bun that looked more like a cry for help than a hairstyle. She resembled someone who had been waging a long battle for too little reward.
She didn’t need a granola bar.
She needed to breathe again.
“Fine,” she conceded finally, straightening her shoulders. “Let’s go to Vegas.”
Maya gasped, then squealed so loudly that nearby students turned to look. Zoe didn’t care. For the first time in what felt like ages, something other than exhaustion stirred in her chest, something dangerously close to excitement.
Maya beamed triumphantly. “You won’t regret this. Vegas is going to reset everything.”
Zoe rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small smile creeping onto her face. “If you say so.”
As they headed toward the parking lot, Maya buzzed about outfits and playlists while Zoe lost herself in thought. Perhaps this was just what she needed—a break. A weekend to escape the relentless pressure of deadlines, expectations, and the dread of checking her bank account.
Maybe, just maybe, she could rediscover a fragment of herself beneath all that fatigue.
The vending machine hummed behind her, its red light blinking like a silent goodbye. She glanced back one last time, a wry smile forming. “Guess I’ll take that as a sign.”
Had she known what awaited her under the neon lights, the laughter, the chaos, the poor choices, and most importantly, the captivating stranger with dark eyes and an irresistible smile—she might have hesitated.
But destiny, it seemed, didn’t wait for a green light.
And while Zoe Hart felt too exhausted to pursue her dreams, destiny was already at a Vegas bar, ordering tequila shots in her name.