“Aha! I’ve done it! Now, there’s only one way to test…Wish me luck Pepper.”

Pepper simply stared up at him, barking and wagging her tail, almost curious to know the outcome.

Jesse stared at the concoction in his coffee mug. He had hoped the mix of spices, liquids, and whatever his roommate stored in the freezer (it looked healthy) would cure his massive hangover.

He knew that he shouldn’t have partied so hard last night, especially now that he had work in a few hours. Jesse _needed_ this to cure the hangover.

He stared at it with hesitation for a moment before taking a sip and spitting it out.

“Wow, that is awful. Just wow. Ugh, you’re lucky you don’t have to down this. I think I need to wash my mouth out, Jesus…” Jesse set the mug down on the coffee table and walked to the bathroom.

Pepper stared at the mug with curiosity. She was known for getting into things she wasn’t supposed to, especially when it came to stuff from the kitchen.

She knew she shouldn’t. She could get in trouble if she was caught. She didn’t want to be told to go to bed. She didn’t want Jesse to be mad.

However…

That coffee mug was in her reach. Jesse didnt want to drink it anyways. So really, she’d be doing him a favor by getting rid of it.

Pepper put her front paws on the coffee table and knocked over the mug. The brown liquid came pouring out all over the table. Quickly and eagerly, she licked it up before any of the concoction dripped onto the floor.

Meanwhile, Jesse had finished rinsing his mouth out and brushed his teeth just to really get the taste out.

“Well, I guess work is gonna suck today.”

He headed back to the living room only to see his dog sitting politely on the couch.

“Pepper, you know you’re not supposed to be on the couch!! And you got into my hangover cure?? Seriously??”

“Hello Jesse. Don’t worry, I will clean up that mess later! For now, I’d like to continue watching television on the couch. I can finally understand what’s happening., and its so fascinating!”

“What the fu-”

“It seems that your hangover concoction has granted me super intelligence, allowing me to learn human communication and understand so many things about your way of life.”

“That’s it. I’m still drunk, and this is all one big hallucination. Because there’s _no_ way this is real.”

“The only thing I can think of that would enhance my intelligence is the roomates mystery food in the freezer. The average college student would never have something like that. This means-“

“Colin isn’t who he says he is.” Jesse finished. “We have to figure out what’s going on. I have so many questions. Who is Colin really?? If you talk now, does this mean we’re gonna get charged more for rent?”

“We’ll figure all that out later. For now, I’d like to keep watching Grey’s Anatomy.”

“I can’t…I think i’m gonna-“ Jesse fell to the floor with a soft thud, and passed out.