I wake with a start, my wide eyes aching from crying and my stomach churning with the remnants of last nights drink fest.
I groan as my throat burns and I slide from my bed, crawling slowly toward my bathroom so as not to disrupt my poor belly. I don't particularly feel like hurling on my carpet.
"Lauren Grey!" I hear my mothers voice yell up the stairs, the softness bouncing off of the walls. "Get up!" She bellows.
'I am up...' My brain bellows back, but my stomach churns and twists tighter. Finally I make it to the bathroom and just in time, I'd say.
As I lift the lid of my toilet, my stomach heaves and I throw up into the clear water.
I hear my bedroom door open as the bile smell fills my bathroom. Quickly yet carefully I lift my hands from gripping the toilet seat to cover my sensitive ears.
"Lauren?" Mom says questionably, coming into the bathroom. "Oh, sick this morning? You look like hell, darling." My mothers toxic sweet voice says hotly.
I'm glad I covered my ears as my head throbs at her loud voice. "Mom..." I whine in a groggy voice. "C'mon, I'm sorry..."
"Sorry?!" She outbursts, "Christ sakes, your father and I were worried SICK! And you're SORRY?"
I groan louder and jam my eyes closed as she bellows loudly. "Mom, please, stop yelling..." I whisper quietly.
"Get up off of the floor and get dressed!" She snaps, "you're going to help me clean out the garage today!"
I sigh and drag myself to my knees and then onto my feet, bitterly pressing the flush button. "Okay, just stop yelling..." I brush by mom into my room, grabbing up a pair of grey denim shorts and a white singlet.
I pull off the pyjamas mom dressed me in and toss them on my bed.
"I'll be in the kitchen waiting, young lady. Ten minutes and I'm getting your father to drag you out here, you hear me?"
Wow, she's seriously pissed!
"Yes, Mom."
"Good."
I pull the singlet on without even bothering to wear a bra and then the shorts. I tuck the singlet in and slip my feet into my thongs.
I brush my hair into a neat ponytail at the crown of my head and brush my teeth, ridding any aftertaste of puke from my mouth.
Just before ten minutes is up, I saunter downstairs to find mom in the kitchen. She taps away on her phone, sighing and then the swoosh of an outgoing email sounds.
Her warm hazel eyes move up to me and she pouts her pink lips, tucking her streaked blonde hair behind her ear.
"Jesus, Lauren..." She says quietly as she folds her arms over her chest, clad in a long-sleeved black shirt. "We were so darned worried about you. No call, no text? You could've ATLEAST done that."
I see the disapproval in her eyes as she turns away from me, shaking her head. As she turns back around, she places a mug of steaming coffee on the counter, "come here." She says softly, holding her long thin arms out for me.
I waste no time hurrying to her arms, wrapping my own around her thin waist and resting my head on her chest like when I was a little girl.
"I'm sorry, mommy..." I whisper, my voice breaking on the last bit. She nuzzles the top of my head.
"Don't ever scare me like that again, you hear?" She whispers back, kissing the top of my head.
I nod quickly and hug her tighter. "Mom?" I let out in a shaky whisper after a moment.
