choice – I needed a wee. Still with my eyes
closed I sat up tentatively, purposely trying not to rock my extremely
precarious stomach. Oh sweet Jesus, the pain in my head almost knocked me
straight back down. It was official – I am never drinking again. Ever.
Right, time to open my eyes. I can do
this. The light literally burned my retinas the second I peeled back my
eyelids. I blink several times in an attempt to stop the stinging and then rose
slowly to my feet, holding on to the back of the plush couch for support.
When I reached the bathroom I made the grave
mistake of catching my reflection in the mirrored cabinet. My hair was a
tangled mess – all that was missing was some twigs and bits of straw. The
dark purple circles framing my eyes were so prominent it looked like I’d been
punched in the face and I had smudges of mascara trailing half way down my
cheeks. And I stank. Badly. Stale alcohol mixed with sweat and sick was enough
to make me want to retch again.
Wow. Sexy.
I got the necessities out the way first by
having my wee and brushing my teeth with one of the two toothbrushes propped up
on the side of the sink. I hoped it was Jared’s, otherwise it would be weird.
Then I stripped off and hung my clothes over the back of the bathroom door
while I sprayed them down with some spicy smelling men’s body spray I found in
the cabinet before hopping in the shower.
Hot water had never felt so good. I felt like
I had been marinating in a bath of grime for a month and I could literally feel
the steaming stream melt it from my body. I lathered myself up three times in a
row before washing my hair the same number of times. By the time I stepped out
onto the slatted slip-board I felt almost human again.
After raking a tiny men’s comb through my
hair and dressing quickly in last night’s clothes I headed back to the living
room to gather my things. Sitting on the couch I noticed a glass of water and a
box of aspirin resting on the side-table. My first thought was that Jared must
be up. My second thought was how sweet that was of him. My third thought was…
Dexter.
The previous night came crashing down on me
like sixty tonnes of house bricks. Jared didn’t get me the water. Dexter did.
Jared didn’t carry me to the bathroom because I was too drunk to stand up
straight. Dexter did. Jared didn’t hold my hair back while I spewed my guts up
all over the bathroom. Dexter did.
Oh God what must he think of me?
I needed to get out of there before he came
home. There was no way I could face him without wanting to toss myself off the
nearest bridge. Okay so maybe that’s a little dramatic but still, I couldn’t
deal with the embarrassment just yet. Then it hit me I was only delaying the
inevitable and I wanted to cry. We had classes together. Sooner or later I
would have to look him in the eye. Ugh. I felt sick again.
The sound of my phone ringing snapped me back
into reality and I suddenly remembered I hadn’t told Rachel I’d be out all
night. Oh crap, I was in for a lecture.
“Hello?” I answered quietly as I waited for
her to start bawling.
“Fuck me, Em, tell me everything! ”
Okay so I totally wasn’t expecting her to sound excited. What’d gotten into
her?
“What do you mean?”
“Well let’s start with The American. Jesus,
Ho, that’s fast work even by my standards!”
“Rach, what are you talking about?” Had she
been on the pop too?
“You stayed the night at his place right?”
“No. I stayed at Jared’s. Dex just happens to
be staying there for a while,” I protested. “Wait a minute how do you know
where I stayed last night?”
“Well firstly it was obvious when you didn’t
come home. I know you, Em and you’re not stupid enough stay out with someone
you don’t know. And second, because The American called me in the middle of the
night,” she said with a mischievous tone in her voice.
“ What ?” I asked, wrinkling my face in
confusion. “He called you? How?
closed I sat up tentatively, purposely trying not to rock my extremely
precarious stomach. Oh sweet Jesus, the pain in my head almost knocked me
straight back down. It was official – I am never drinking again. Ever.
Right, time to open my eyes. I can do
this. The light literally burned my retinas the second I peeled back my
eyelids. I blink several times in an attempt to stop the stinging and then rose
slowly to my feet, holding on to the back of the plush couch for support.
When I reached the bathroom I made the grave
mistake of catching my reflection in the mirrored cabinet. My hair was a
tangled mess – all that was missing was some twigs and bits of straw. The
dark purple circles framing my eyes were so prominent it looked like I’d been
punched in the face and I had smudges of mascara trailing half way down my
cheeks. And I stank. Badly. Stale alcohol mixed with sweat and sick was enough
to make me want to retch again.
Wow. Sexy.
I got the necessities out the way first by
having my wee and brushing my teeth with one of the two toothbrushes propped up
on the side of the sink. I hoped it was Jared’s, otherwise it would be weird.
Then I stripped off and hung my clothes over the back of the bathroom door
while I sprayed them down with some spicy smelling men’s body spray I found in
the cabinet before hopping in the shower.
Hot water had never felt so good. I felt like
I had been marinating in a bath of grime for a month and I could literally feel
the steaming stream melt it from my body. I lathered myself up three times in a
row before washing my hair the same number of times. By the time I stepped out
onto the slatted slip-board I felt almost human again.
After raking a tiny men’s comb through my
hair and dressing quickly in last night’s clothes I headed back to the living
room to gather my things. Sitting on the couch I noticed a glass of water and a
box of aspirin resting on the side-table. My first thought was that Jared must
be up. My second thought was how sweet that was of him. My third thought was…
Dexter.
The previous night came crashing down on me
like sixty tonnes of house bricks. Jared didn’t get me the water. Dexter did.
Jared didn’t carry me to the bathroom because I was too drunk to stand up
straight. Dexter did. Jared didn’t hold my hair back while I spewed my guts up
all over the bathroom. Dexter did.
Oh God what must he think of me?
I needed to get out of there before he came
home. There was no way I could face him without wanting to toss myself off the
nearest bridge. Okay so maybe that’s a little dramatic but still, I couldn’t
deal with the embarrassment just yet. Then it hit me I was only delaying the
inevitable and I wanted to cry. We had classes together. Sooner or later I
would have to look him in the eye. Ugh. I felt sick again.
The sound of my phone ringing snapped me back
into reality and I suddenly remembered I hadn’t told Rachel I’d be out all
night. Oh crap, I was in for a lecture.
“Hello?” I answered quietly as I waited for
her to start bawling.
“Fuck me, Em, tell me everything! ”
Okay so I totally wasn’t expecting her to sound excited. What’d gotten into
her?
“What do you mean?”
“Well let’s start with The American. Jesus,
Ho, that’s fast work even by my standards!”
“Rach, what are you talking about?” Had she
been on the pop too?
“You stayed the night at his place right?”
“No. I stayed at Jared’s. Dex just happens to
be staying there for a while,” I protested. “Wait a minute how do you know
where I stayed last night?”
“Well firstly it was obvious when you didn’t
come home. I know you, Em and you’re not stupid enough stay out with someone
you don’t know. And second, because The American called me in the middle of the
night,” she said with a mischievous tone in her voice.
“ What ?” I asked, wrinkling my face in
confusion. “He called you? How?
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