Chapter Seventeen
Ok. So, in hindsight, going out last night probably wasn't a good idea. Telling five of my best friends about my dead brother was probably an even worse idea. Drinking god knows how much rum before even going to the party was the worst idea of all.
I woke up on the futon, my face buried in a pillow. I was still wearing the pants, jacket, and boots I'd worn out the night before. Inexplicably and to my utter amazement, I was also wearing a t-shirt, backwards and inside out, under the jacket.
I rolled over onto my back and tried to figure out what the strange buzzing sound above my head was.
"Oof," I said, and lifted my head. "What the . . ."
My alarm clock had somehow moved from my nighttable to the windowsill above me. I didn't remember doing it, and I couldn't figure out why I, or anyone else, would have moved it. I also had no idea why I had set it, because it was Saturday and, as far as I knew, I didn't have any plans. I tried to find the button to turn the buzzing off and couldn't, so I unplugged it instead. I flopped back down and covered myself with a blanket, trying to piece my night back together.
We finished several drinking games and moved onto a dance party before eventually leaving the dorm and heading to the party. My shocking revelation was forgotten as the alcohol seeped deep into my brain, making everything pleasantly numb and blurred. I practically skipped down the hall and into the elevator, everyone else laughing as they ran to catch up.
"Where is this party?" I asked, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes. "I hope it's not far."
"Don't lean against the elevator," Lauren shrieked. "People puke and spit all over it."
"That's OK," I sighed. "We're all god's children."
I smiled as I listened to my friends laugh. I didn't even mind that they were laughing AT my drunk ass, not with me.
"I didn't know you were so religious, Jo," Caty laughed.
"There's a LOT you guys don't know about me," I said. "I have seeeecrets."
"So we gathered," Lucy said.
I opened my eyes and looked at Lucy. She gave me a small smile and I figured I'd need to have a long talk with her later. She was, after all, my best friend and I'd dumped a huge pile of new information on her earlier. If she spilled something like that to me, I'd probably be shocked and a little angry that she hadn't told me before.
Oh well, I thought, that's tomorrow. Tonight was for fun.
The walk to the party was a welcome blur; the only reason I realized we were going in the right direction was the growing noise. I could see my breath in front of me, but I didn't feel cold.
When we got to the party, at Isaac's frat house of all places, we threw our coats in a chair and went in search of a bathroom. On the way up the stairs, I ran into Isaac.
"Hey," he said, yelling since we were next to a speaker. "Let's go talk!"
"Later," I yelled back. "Let's go get something to drink."
I grabbed his hand and he led me down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Is beer ok?" he asked, standing in front of one of the three kegs. I nodded, and he filled a cup for me and refilled his own. I smiled and thanked him. He smiled back. I grabbed his hand again, stood on my toes, and gave him a kiss.
"Sorry again," I whispered into his ear. "I'm better now."
"Good," he said. "Let's go dance."
I remembered dancing. I remembered beer pong. Lots of beer pong. Lots of beer, period, so I must not have been too successful at the game. What I didn't remember was how I got home. Or why I had only half changed into my pajamas and then put my jacket back on, as if I was going back out.
I rubbed my eyes, willing the pounding of my head to subside. My tongue actually tasted furry. I sat up slowly, squinting because someone, probably me, had left the lights on and the curtains open. Everything still looked all blurry. I wasn't still drunk. I had definitely moved into Hangover City, judging by the blinding pain in my eyes and my churning stomach. I looked on the floor and two crumpled contacts drying on the carpet. Well, that explained why everything had soft edges at the moment.
"Lucy?" I croaked, and looked up at her bunk. It looked as if someone had slept there, but the bed was now empty. I walked closer so I could read her alarm clock. 8:43. No wonder I felt so horrible, it was still early. I knew I should probably go back to bed for a few hours, but I didn't feel tired, just sick. I sat down at my desk and gulped down three Advil. I stuck a piece of gum in my mouth because, quite frankly, I didn't think I could make it all the way down the hall to the bathroom.
I had several open instant message windows on my computer screen.
IsaacGreen: hey did you girls get home alright?
Autoresponse from JoJo2006: ssssok slepe nw adfksdjwouerld
IsaacGreen: haha, guess so. see you tomorrow
The others were all drunken messages I'd sent to random people on my buddy list. I couldn't read any of them and no one had responded, so I wasn't too worried about it.
I rested my forehead on the desk, trying to make my head stop pounding. When that failed, I stood up, took off my jacket and boots and climbed into bed, determined to wake up feeling better.
I woke up on the futon, my face buried in a pillow. I was still wearing the pants, jacket, and boots I'd worn out the night before. Inexplicably and to my utter amazement, I was also wearing a t-shirt, backwards and inside out, under the jacket.
I rolled over onto my back and tried to figure out what the strange buzzing sound above my head was.
"Oof," I said, and lifted my head. "What the . . ."
My alarm clock had somehow moved from my nighttable to the windowsill above me. I didn't remember doing it, and I couldn't figure out why I, or anyone else, would have moved it. I also had no idea why I had set it, because it was Saturday and, as far as I knew, I didn't have any plans. I tried to find the button to turn the buzzing off and couldn't, so I unplugged it instead. I flopped back down and covered myself with a blanket, trying to piece my night back together.
We finished several drinking games and moved onto a dance party before eventually leaving the dorm and heading to the party. My shocking revelation was forgotten as the alcohol seeped deep into my brain, making everything pleasantly numb and blurred. I practically skipped down the hall and into the elevator, everyone else laughing as they ran to catch up.
"Where is this party?" I asked, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes. "I hope it's not far."
"Don't lean against the elevator," Lauren shrieked. "People puke and spit all over it."
"That's OK," I sighed. "We're all god's children."
I smiled as I listened to my friends laugh. I didn't even mind that they were laughing AT my drunk ass, not with me.
"I didn't know you were so religious, Jo," Caty laughed.
"There's a LOT you guys don't know about me," I said. "I have seeeecrets."
"So we gathered," Lucy said.
I opened my eyes and looked at Lucy. She gave me a small smile and I figured I'd need to have a long talk with her later. She was, after all, my best friend and I'd dumped a huge pile of new information on her earlier. If she spilled something like that to me, I'd probably be shocked and a little angry that she hadn't told me before.
Oh well, I thought, that's tomorrow. Tonight was for fun.
The walk to the party was a welcome blur; the only reason I realized we were going in the right direction was the growing noise. I could see my breath in front of me, but I didn't feel cold.
When we got to the party, at Isaac's frat house of all places, we threw our coats in a chair and went in search of a bathroom. On the way up the stairs, I ran into Isaac.
"Hey," he said, yelling since we were next to a speaker. "Let's go talk!"
"Later," I yelled back. "Let's go get something to drink."
I grabbed his hand and he led me down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Is beer ok?" he asked, standing in front of one of the three kegs. I nodded, and he filled a cup for me and refilled his own. I smiled and thanked him. He smiled back. I grabbed his hand again, stood on my toes, and gave him a kiss.
"Sorry again," I whispered into his ear. "I'm better now."
"Good," he said. "Let's go dance."
I remembered dancing. I remembered beer pong. Lots of beer pong. Lots of beer, period, so I must not have been too successful at the game. What I didn't remember was how I got home. Or why I had only half changed into my pajamas and then put my jacket back on, as if I was going back out.
I rubbed my eyes, willing the pounding of my head to subside. My tongue actually tasted furry. I sat up slowly, squinting because someone, probably me, had left the lights on and the curtains open. Everything still looked all blurry. I wasn't still drunk. I had definitely moved into Hangover City, judging by the blinding pain in my eyes and my churning stomach. I looked on the floor and two crumpled contacts drying on the carpet. Well, that explained why everything had soft edges at the moment.
"Lucy?" I croaked, and looked up at her bunk. It looked as if someone had slept there, but the bed was now empty. I walked closer so I could read her alarm clock. 8:43. No wonder I felt so horrible, it was still early. I knew I should probably go back to bed for a few hours, but I didn't feel tired, just sick. I sat down at my desk and gulped down three Advil. I stuck a piece of gum in my mouth because, quite frankly, I didn't think I could make it all the way down the hall to the bathroom.
I had several open instant message windows on my computer screen.
IsaacGreen: hey did you girls get home alright?
Autoresponse from JoJo2006: ssssok slepe nw adfksdjwouerld
IsaacGreen: haha, guess so. see you tomorrow
The others were all drunken messages I'd sent to random people on my buddy list. I couldn't read any of them and no one had responded, so I wasn't too worried about it.
I rested my forehead on the desk, trying to make my head stop pounding. When that failed, I stood up, took off my jacket and boots and climbed into bed, determined to wake up feeling better.
posted by Jennie at 11:36 PM
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