"My Chick"

6 || Recovery - pt 1

Jackie groaned pitifully as she rolled away from the piercing light cascading across the pillows of Donna's guest bed. Her stomach felt painfully empty, and her head was still swimming from the alcohol that hadn't quite left her system. She could tell she'd thrown up the night before from the pain in her stomach and the extra gross feeling of her mouth.

She groaned. There's no way she was going to continue laying in her own filth, despite the part of her brain begging her to lay in bed until the remains of her hangover disappeared. So, she reluctantly pulled herself out of bed and headed to the bedroom.

After turning on the hot water, Jackie brushed her teeth with her toothbrush that she kept in the medicine cabinet for when she stayed the night. As the water heated up, the bathroom became filled with steam, and by the time she was done brushing her teeth, washing her mouth out, and flossing, she could no longer see her own reflection in the mirror.

She undressed and carefully placed her clothes on the towel rack, (she hadn't brought any spare clothes and there was no way she was wearing Donna's gigantic garments) before stepping into the shower to let the beads of hot water run down her back.

Jackie loved a long, hot shower. It was one of the few places she felt like she could really think about the things going on in her life. The last shower she had taken was yesterday morning, and it was full of happy singing and dancing, thrilled to get to see Matthew and go on a breakfast date before seeing her friends. She remembered standing under the hot water, remembering how close Matthew held her at their first date to the drive in, and the polished smell of his cologne...

But today was different. There was no dancing, no singing, and as the warmth of the water enveloped her... it was not Matthew's arms she imagined around her.

She stood beneath the water, her brown doe eyes staring forward, glazed over -deep in thought as she picked through her hazy memories of the night before. She lingered on the memory of being in his arms as he carried her through the Foreman's house. She could almost feel the warmth radiating from his neck against her forehead, and the scent of pine and musk lingered in her nostrils. Her body ached at the memory. She rested her head against the cool tile of the shower and quietly murmured, "Steven..."

~•~•~•~

"So help me God Jackie, if you used up all my hot water I'm gonna strangle you!" Donna's voice cut through the bathroom door, still slightly hoarse from sleep. Jackie rolled her eyes and reached over, opening the door from where she sat shaving her legs over the side of the tub. She was wrapped tightly in a towel that felt scratchy against her skin, which was used to the luxury linens kept at her family estate.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," she replied, rinsing off her right leg before moving on to her left.

Donna shook her head in aggravation before walking to the sink to brush her teeth. "Well you try being the only sober person in a house full of drunks, having to carry your fiancé up the stairs to his bed as if he's a child, and then having the two dumbasses you're trying to drive home throw up all in your vehicle... I can promise you one thing, it doesn't set you up for a good nights sleep."

Jackie chuckled to herself at the thought. They sat in silence for a moment while Donna brushed her teeth and Jackie finished shaving, rinsing, and drying her legs. "I can't believe he never showed up," Jackie finally broke the silence. It was the one thing that had been eating her up since she'd gotten out of the shower. Matthew was absolutely smitten with her, she always knew how tightly a boy was wrapped around her finger by how long they would be willing to hold out for sex. So far, Jackie and Matthew had been on six dates without her allowing him to get past second base. He always had his protests of course, as most men do, but he eventually retracted his advancements each time.

Donna gave her a confused look, "Who?"

"Matthew, who else?" Jackie snapped back, annoyed that Donna seemed to be 'moving slow' this morning due to her lack of sleep. She grabbed a tube of lavender lotion and began applying it to her freshly shaved legs until they gleamed.

"Oh, he did. But you were already passed out, so Hyde just brought you to my house." Donna replied as she washed her face.

Jackie paused, her eyes suddenly hardening. "...what?" She asked, anger slowly simmering within her stomach, making her skin prickle.

Donna just looked at her, confused, "Jackie, it was like 1:30 when he finally showed up. There was no point in loading you up, unconscious, into the back of his car when you could just stay at my house." Her voice held a certain tone that always pushed Jackie's rage forward. It was a "mothering" tone that Donna often got when explaining things that are "for the best."

Despite the fact that she had missed the feeling of being close to Hyde, and somehow she kept feeling like she was smelling wisps of his scent all morning... she didn't like the idea of him making decisions for her. He had no right telling her boyfriend he couldn't take her home. Hyde wasn't her father. He was barely even still her friend. He had no right to make decisions about who could and could not have access to her.

She sat and steamed in her own feelings for a moment before she grabbed her clothes and walked into Donna's room to get changed. I think it's about time someone gets a wake up call.