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“You’re late,” he says, the bitterness in his tone like a punch to the gut.
I swallow the bile clawing its way up. Yep, I am definitely going to vomit at some point today. At least I can finally sit down. “I’m so sorry, Coach, I—”
“And you look like shit.” Coach crosses his arms, his gaze darkening on me. “Do you think this is all fun and games?”
I shake my head. “No, not at all. I—”
“Well, I hope it was worth it, whatever it was you got up to last night. You let the team down. And you let me down.”
I have nothing to say. He’s right. I did let everyone down. This is supposed to be a dream come true and I’m ruining it.
Coach sighs and shakes his head. “Get your ass inside,” he says while nodding at the door. “If you hurry, we might still make our flight.”
“Yes, Coach,” I mumble while climbing up the steps, not bothering to find a place in the bottom of the shuttle for my suitcase. I avoid the dark looks my teammates give me. I have no clue how long they have been waiting and I’m sure they will have harsh words for me once we are at the airport.
“Hey! Hunter!” Brody calls while smacking the seat next to him.
I lift my gaze and instantly meet Adrien’s dark scowl. He shakes his head at me and turns his attention to the window. Well, that’s one friendship down the drain. I force a smile at Brody while dumping myself in the seat next to him. I roll my luggage close to me while Coach takes his seat and the shuttle lurches forward.
I close my eyes, groaning as nausea swims through me. The air is hot, my face flushed from drinking. I really am going to be sick. Why did I have to drink so much last night?
Brody smacks my back and I flinch. “Had too much fun last night, now, didn’t you?” Brody laughs while I open one eye, watching him take a flask out of his suit jacket and take a long pull from it.
My fingers twitch. The need rises inside me.Just one drink,that dark voice whispers in my ear.Only one small drink. That should be fine, right?
“Man, I thought I woke up late,” Brody says with a laugh. “I made it with a minute to spare, but you!” Brody shakes his head. “You really are a legend.” He hands me the flask and I take it as if he’s handing me a chocolate bar. I don’t deny myself anything anymore. What’s the use?
My eyes close and I take a long swig. My throat burns, my eyes tearing at the taste of whiskey burning down my throat. It’s a good burn. It makes my head swim and the pounding in my head dissipate. However, my stomach has other ideas. It twists and turns as if I’m on a small rowboat in the middle of a hurricane. I quickly swallow the whiskey and clench my jaw against the bile, refusing to make any more of a scene than I already have.
I quickly hand the flask back to Brody, who downs the rest of it. “Do you think they will be serving Bloody Marys on the flight?” he asks.
Adrien whirls around, scowling at the both of us while he says, “Do you really think now is the time to be drinking?”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere!” Brody laughs. “Why don’t you lighten up, Adrien? Just because your missus is pregnant doesn’t mean the fun in you has to go.”
Adrien scoffs, his gaze narrowing on me for a moment, as if he’s telling me:You’ve changed.I watch him turn around, knowing I have definitely earned his ire and that dirty look. I have changed. I want to change back, but I don’t know how. I don’t know if I can.
The drive to the airport seems to take forever. I don’t know if that’s because of traffic, or if it’s due to the fact I need to vomit immediately. As soon as we arrive, I rush to the front, running down the steps and missing the line for Delta completely as I make a beeline for the restroom. I cover my mouth with a hand, not knowing if I will be able to make it. I pass by several people giving me strange looks, but I don’t care. I need that toilet. Stat!
I throw open the door to the men’s restroom and leave my suitcase near the front, not caring if it gets stolen. It doesn’t matter. I can buy new things. I definitely have the money now for it. I run into one of the stalls, not bothering to lock it behind me, and as soon as I’m hovering above the toilet I let everything I’ve been holding in explode out of me. My body quivers. It’s so dehydrated. That whiskey didn’t help at all. My head is aching all over again. It’s even worse than before.
I stumble out of the stall when my stomach settles and there’s nothing more for me to vomit. I wash my face in the sink, hoping the cool water will help calm me down. My face feels like it’s on fire. Staring at myself in the mirror, I can see I’ve lost weight. My face looks more sunken in. My eyes are bloodshot. Dark circles surround them. My tan from the summer has disappeared and my skin looks unusually pale, even for me.
“Are you all right?”
I turn and find Adrien hovering near my bag, his hand on the handle. Did he follow me inside? Has he been protecting my things while I’ve been getting sick?
“Y-yeah,” I say shakily. “I’m fine.” I clear my throat and trudge toward him, reaching for my suitcase.
Adrien hands it to me as he says, “I’m worried about you.”
I chuckle and shake my head, but my gaze drops to the tiles. I can’t meet his eyes. I can’t lie directly to his face like this. “I told you, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Well, I am.”
Adrien sighs and shakes his head. “I just don’t understand why you’re hanging out with Brody all of a sudden. He was so mean to you in the past. He still is.”
