AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What if we’re too late?
Chapter 24
HUNTER
There’ssomethingsoftbeneathme. I feel both hot and cold. My head is pounding as if my brain is trying to escape my skull and my skin tingles with this crawling sensation that sends ripples down my spine. I reach for my blankets, but I can’t find them. Licking my chapped lips, I groan while rolling over, cradling my pillow close to my head, wishing I could return to that wonderful, quiet darkness.
Unfortunately, my mind has other ideas. I can’t stop thinking about the awful taste in my mouth and how my throat burns. My stomach lurches and I swallow the bile. I try to remember what happened yesterday. It was Thanksgiving, but I don’t think I had anything to drink. I do remember going back to my bedroom several times for my bottle of rum.
One eye opens as I remember my bottle. There’s still a swig or two left. My other eye opens and I grimace at the light seeping into the room. However, no matter how bright it is or how hot my face feels, I’m still determined to find that bottle. I wince when I lift my head, pain radiating from the front of my skull all the way to the back, leaving a dull ache in its wake. Gritting my teeth, I try to push my body up from the bed. My shoulders quiver. My fingers dig into the mattress. I feel like I am benching three hundred pounds as I try to push myself up.
A soft whimper escapes my lips, but I don’t give up. It’s not like I am at the gym, lifting dumbbells accumulating twice my weight. All I’m doing is getting out of the bed. It should be the easiest thing in the world. My stomach heaves and I wretch, wrenching myself to the side of the bed to spare my sheets, but nothing is coming out, not even bile. I gasp and try to regain my breath, but my stomach twists again and I feel the need to vomit. My hands tangle themselves in my blankets under me. Tears sting my eyes as the pain filters through me.
I overdid it,I think when the pain ebbs and my breath returns to somewhat normal. Still, my gaze swivels to the floor, searching for the bottle that should be resting near it. All I find is blank space. Is it on the other side?
I roll over. My head spins with the movement and I grit my teeth against the pain. Searching the floor near my bed, I find nothing. Only the bros’ suitcases and some of Seth’s clothes lying on the ground. I push my body up, moving slowly, carefully, until I’m finally vertical. Looking around, I can’t see the bros or Rachel. My gaze lands on the clock and I see that it’s only nine in the morning.
Surely, they can’t all be up now?
Placing one foot at a time on the floor, I ease myself into a standing position, groaning when my head spins and my stomach churns again. I sway on my feet as I stumble into the bathroom, hearing humming wafting towards me from the kitchen.
Is Rachel making breakfast? Is that syrup I smell?
This time bile does rise and I scramble into the bathroom, slamming the door closed and releasing my insides into the toilet. Not much comes out, but it’s enough to ease the gurgling in my stomach.
“What the fuck did I do to myself last night?” I ask my reflection.
The circles under my eyes are darker. My face is flushed. My cheeks look puffy. I feel like I have been run over by a semi-truck and then repeatedly kicked in the face by some punk teens.
“Look what you did, you fucking idiot,”I remember slurring. A chill ripples through me as I recall that voice—that disgusting drunk, angry voice.
“What?”I remember Seth shouting. I recall how shocked and angry he was, the turkey on the ground, the way everyone was staring at me as if I had officially lost my mind.“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. That was all you.”
No, that didn’t happen,I tell myself while splashing water on my face.That was a dream. I didn’t do that. I’m not like that.
I stare down at my hands, my eyes brimming with tears as more memories fade in and out. I gasp as I remember Rachel saying,“You’re drunk, aren’t you?”My hands tremble as the tears slip from my eyes. I was drunk. I was completely wasted and I was treating everyone like trash. They had all taken the time to come out and visit me and I had been an asshole to them. Did Seth, Alex, and Lucas leave? Is that why I awoke alone in the bed? Rachel is here. I heard her.
Is she going to break up with me?
“You haven’t given me a reason to trust you, Hunter,”Rachel’s words repeat inside my head.
I gasp while staring at myself in the mirror. I ruined the last good thing I had. I ruined everything. What will I do now? I already feel so alone. I never thought it could get worse than this.
“Hey!”
I jump at the sound from the door and I straighten myself, blinking at my reflection in confusion. Was that just Lucas?
“Are you finished in there? Rachel says breakfast is ready.”
There’s no way I can stomach any sort of food in my stomach right now, but regardless of that, I open the door, finding Lucas staring back at me as if nothing had happened. My mouth parts and I watch him smile. There’s worry in his gaze, but he doesn’t look angry. I don’t think he’s going to punch me.
“We can deal with it in the morning,”I remember him saying.
Fuck. They’re going to give me an intervention. Not that I don’t need one, but I’m so hungover. I don’t think I can really concentrate on them telling me about how I need to take better care of myself, or how I need to speak with someone. I know that.
I begrudgingly follow Lucas into the kitchen, finding Rachel in front of the stove. The air smells of syrup and cinnamon and once again my stomach churns. Alex and Seth perk up from their seats at the table. Seth’s face is stuffed full with what looks to be French toast, while Alex sips delicately at his coffee.
“You want some?” Alex asks while offering me his cup.
