Us | A Stardew Valley FanFiction

Chapter 18 - Spring 1

The drive back to the Valley was nothing short of brutal, though watching the sun rise behind the mountains, welcoming the dawn, was undoubtedly a magnificent sight. The faint chirps of birds attempted to peek through the overbearing sound of the wind from the highway, which was rushing relentlessly through the back window. Sam, whose head was almost completely outside, looked like a dog experiencing the thrill of a road trip for the first time—he, however, did not seem to be enjoying the ride. I was convinced that the only thing preventing him from regurgitating last night was his determination to prove that he was, in fact, not hungover.

"How are you feeling back there?" I asked with a chuckle, peering into my rearview mirror.

"Chipper," Sam said with phony enthusiasm.

"Are—"

"Please just be quiet."

I flashed him a salute, though his eyes being closed prohibited him from seeing it. Haley's faint snores, which had become almost comforting to the group, filled the car from the passenger seat—Alex's blending with hers from directly behind. It would almost be peaceful—if it weren't for the occasional dry heave—but the serenity, in a sense, was almost heightened by the familiarity of Sam consistently surpassing his own limits.

"Fucking hell," Alex groaned as Sam thrusted his fingers into his throat, resulting in a rather unpleasant awakening for the two sleeping beauties. "Need me to hold your hair back, princess?"

I stifled a laugh—little spats were not uncommon in a small house of four people. A striking combination of old married couple and sibling style, arguments were frequent and short lived around the farm; I already knew that Alex's snide remarks and Sam's hangover were a lethal combination. While it was fair that stomaching an hour-long car ride with Sam's grotesque state would make the others grumpy, the lingering tensions from last night weren't helping. Not a word had been spoken regarding the chain of events that transpired following the cursed bottle—something that I feared would not last much longer.

Sam turned around slowly, the silence of the car interrupted by the squealing sound of the window rolling up. With a swift motion, he wiped his mouth using his sleeve, and cleared his throat. "Fuck you, Alex."

"Jesus, someone's cranky today."

"Apparently you all are too good for a little hangover, huh?" Sam motioned sloppily at the rest of us, who were at least able to sit upright—his figure slouching onto the door.

"You're an amaetur," Alex scoffed, ruffling away the blonde strands that were plastered to Sam's forehead. "You have to do all that before it digests, otherwise, it's gonna haunt you allllllllll day."

"I may be an amaetur," Sam grumbled. "But at least I'm not the idiot throwing up at the party."

Alex laughed. "Coming from the idiot who'll be cleaning his own puke off of Sade's car, I think I'm happy with my position."

"God!" Haley shrieked, yanking her silk sleeping mask off of her face. "Alex, shut the fuck up. Sam, shut the fuck up. I barely slept last night, and you know we have work to do today!"

I smiled to myself, knowing that I could take partial credit for her lack of rest. "Right, Sade?" she smirked, looking over at me.

I could feel my face starting to get hot, my eyes glued to the road. "Absolutely," I said sternly. "Got about 100 parsnip seeds, 100 cauliflower seeds, 100 potato—" My game plan was rudely interrupted by another strained gag.

"Will you stop talking about food?" Sam groaned, the squealing window opening once again.

"Look what you did," Alex mumbled, giving Sam a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.