Want a Kiss I'll Give You a Punch

Chapter 23: Finally Getting Along

Mike

Last night was a disaster.

How do I know without really remembering much of anything? I'll tell you, the pounding headache that I got in the morning was a good indicator of it. I know these sort of headaches because when I have these headaches, I usually hear stories about the prior night of me acting like a dumb-ass.

I just hope that I was on my best behavior, or that Ashlyn wouldn't dare to bring anything up.

Knowing her, she would but I just hoped that the little speck of humanity left in her would respect the little speck of humanity that was left in me.

The earliest thing that I could recollect was spilling out everything about me and my family and then going to the fridge to get more beer- reckless of me to do so.

I knew Ashlyn was going to be there. I knew I was going to say stupid shit. I knew that I was going to fuck something up. And the worst thing about it all was that I ill have no idea what I said the past night until Ashlyn tells me. I don't want to know, but that won't erase the facts of last night. 

Fuck. I think that- maybe- I said something about not wearing any underwear or some weird crap like that.

Why the hell did I drink two more cans of beer when I already had three before that? Because of Ashlyn, I think I might just become an alcoholic.

No, I'm not one right now. I only drink when everything around me is going down the drain, which was exactly what was happening at that moment. I usually keep myself under control, but around her my nerves burst.

I can't keep anything under control. She always finds a way to get underneath my skin.

Groaning- from my ear-splitting headache and regrets from my decisions last night- I finally decided to get up from my bed and sit down on the side of it. "Why, why, why me?" I groaned aloud while I rubbed my eyes.

Before I could get adjusted to the graciously dim lighting of my room, the door was suddenly flung wide open and all the rays from the windows right outside of my door shot through and blinded me.

"Close the fucking door!" I yelled and buried my face in my hands, feeling my eyeballs shrink into the back of my head and my headache threatening to burst from my skull.

I fucking hate hangovers. Why do they have to hurt so damn much?

Technically, yes, it's my fault for drinking my heart out the day before but why couldn't the world work the way it's supposed to? Why couldn't heavy drinking be free of hangovers because the person who was drinking already has a fucked up life; why make it worse in the morning?

The door immediately closed, but I could hear Dane mutter a few comments about how cranky I always am in the mornings but that's his fucking problem. If he doesn't like it, then he shouldn't walk into it.

Still recovering from the sudden burst of death that Dane blinded me with, I squinted my eyes and glared at him. 

He should knocked and just leave a note or something. I could read, for fuck's sake.

"Mike," Dane started with his usual 'older brother' authority, "you have two choices. You can stay here and help set up for the family reunion, I pick you up for the Autumn Fair, and drop you off in time before the party starts. I don't have time to waste because I have my own schedule to follow."

God, no. The family reunion, how could I have forgotten that? If I would have remembered that last night, I would have had another beer. 

The Nor family reunion is unlike any other family reunion out there- not because it's great but because it's probably the most screwed up family reunion out there. Most people have family issues, but in our family it's normal to have them. And if we don't have them, we have a court case. Or in an extreme case, murder.