Lady Spencer-Windsor

• afterparty •

Grace pov. On:

S**t.

That's exactly my first thought when I wake up and see what time is it. Almost lunch time when in reality I should have been at work long ago. AT 8 F* AM IN THIS F* MORNING.

Damn Old Joe, why did I agree to go to this party in the first place? Oh, but Old Joe has nothing to do with it. And as I am slowly remembering the party, neither does Maddie or Bethany, or the random girl at the window... BUT LEO! I should have never agreed to a drinking game. AND I BARELY HAD ANY DRINKS! As far as I remember... anyway, it doesn't matter now. I've spent so long (before that party) with no drinking that I guess my body is just trying to get through it right now, no matter how many glasses I had.

I try to get up but the biggest headache hits me. I take my water bottle and drink a little bit. I put the bottle on my nightstand and grab my phone to let someone at work know that I'm coming late.
As I turned my phone on, notifications started to come in but a message that was sent around 9 am caught my attention for reasons of ehhh... kinda embarrassing. Here we go:

"Hey party girl! Joe told Jim that he excused you from work yesterday because you had a party to go, hope you had fun because I did. Lulu didn't wake up in the middle of the night and I WAS ABLE TO SLEEP!!! Cheers to me and Jim! Anyways, go to work whenever you wake up but if you're feeling bad just take the day off, you've been working too much lately. I might go to the diner just to walk a little, Jim and his mom will stay home with the baby today. See ya! "
- Jenna

Yep, that Jenna. She is wonderful and so kind I know, but still she is Jim's (also known as my boss) wife.
I make sure to go straight to the shower after I sent the following response.

"Party was okay, and fun actually. But me waking up right now with this headache is not fun. I want to meet Lulu, bring her to the diner ASAP! I'll try to go today, even if it's just to grab a coffee. Hope to see you there!"

After my much needed shower, I went to the kitchen and took some medicine while I made a sandwich for lunch. I wasn't that hungry but from past experiences I know that eating nothing won't help at all in this moment. After I finished I just drank a bit of juice and changed to a nice pair of jeans (those bell button ones, very hippie-styled) and a white shirt with small flower embroidery all over it, a pair of black converse shoes and my small bag. I'm all ready to go. I made a low ponytail on my way out, and as I walked down the street. One specific song came into my mind:

So raise your glass if you are wrong
In all the right ways
...
Raise your glass
For me

Ironic, isn't it? Someone not feeling well after drinking quietly singing to a song that... well, it's amazing, I mean P!nk is amazing, but the after-drink feeling is not. Not for me at least.
But that brings my mind into another thought, the fact that in many, many months (I guess we can even say a whole year and something) I felt like my old teenage/college self again. Someone who would always have fun, someone who used to be the life of the party. "Our dancing queen", how they called my mother. And in a few years -the college ones- my cousin (the silly and ginger one) called me like that. After... I don't know, some whole lot of stuff, the "Dancing Queen" was gone, the life of the party was gone; just like they were.

Will there ever be another glass being raised for me?

Grace pov. Off

Grace made sure to take such thoughts off her head before entering the cafe, being greeted by one or two smiles from the regular clients among some unfamiliar faces, probably people who just discovered the amazing and welcoming family diner.
But don't think that smiling faces were all she got, she also got an excitedly waving Jenna calling for her from the kitchen.

J- Grace!

Grace immediately turned away just like a child would, already knowing the questions she will be asked.

J- I know you saw me, turn back!!

And Grace went back, crossed her arms and entered the kitchen with Jenna, who had a seemingly wicked playful smile on her face.

J- Sooo how was the partyy...

G- Kinda cool, I guess?

J- Kinda?? I guess? Grace come on, tell me!

G- Well I don't drink that much anymore and it's been a while since I last did before the party, I remember not drinking a lot but also it wasn't too little. I was conscious but some moments I have no idea what I did! Jenna, I woke up feeling bad. Like, bad bad bad.

J- If you say bad one more time I'm gonna feel bad.

G- Jenna sto-

J- Aww my big kid has a little hangover!

G- Jenna I am not a baby.

J- Fine, whatever then.

It's not like Grace and Jenna have a very small age difference (you know they do), but you see, when Grace started working there she and a -then- really pregnant Jenna got along really well. Grace helped her a lot and when Lulu was born, she was probably the happiest person after the new parents. It reminded Grace of her own family, and all the kids. Let's be honest, there are a lot of them... a lot.
Eventually, Grace told Jenna more about the party and got more comfortable with the whole situation. Becky and Dawn were working so they couldn't stop, still they made some small breaks to talk -more like gossip talk- with Grace and Jenna. Grace got a coffee and a piece of apple pie, it made her feel better. She left after quite a while actually, waving goodbye and now walking down the street to her very quiet home. Just thinking on how a party, where nothing extraordinary happened, had such a big effect on her.

///

- Hey y'all! It's been a while, but here is a new chapter!
- It's shorter than what I intended to write, but still I hope you guys enjoy. Next chapter will probably be longer and we'll get to see more of Grace's personal feelings and also, her family.
- English is not my first language, so even though I revised everything let me know if something is so wrong that u can barely understand 🙃
- Thanks for following this story. Make sure you check out the other one in my profile, I have a guess Swifties might like that one!

Love,
V :)