Ghost From the Past

Walk of Shame

Chapter 16:

"Don't freak out!" I internally scream, balling some of the bedsheet into my mouth. There's a naked stranger sleeping in the single bed beside me. He's on the outer edge of the bed, and I'm pressed against the cold wall. It will be impossible to get out of bed without waking up the guy. Who is this guy? How much did I have to drink last night?

I look around the room, hoping that something will jog my memory.

The wall I'm pressed up against is cold, and I soon come to realize that the walls are made out of brick, with beige paint painted over it to give it a warmer look. The room is tiny with a single curtained window above the desk at the foot of the bed, my dress tossed carelessly across it. On the opposite side of the room is an identical bed with a matching desk placed next to the nightstand. At the foot of the bed is a wastebasket, a door that I assume to be the exit out of this dreary room, and finally, on the right side of the room are two small closets, and an ajar door leading into the bathroom which doesn't appear to have a bathtub or shower.

My head drops into the pillow with a heavy groan as the realization hits me. I'm in some guy's college dorm. I hooked up with a cute college guy I met at the party! What the hell is wrong with me? When did I become so...slutty?

"At least he's cute," I mumble, taking in the man's delicate features. His brown hair is cut short, except for where his bangs hang across his closed eyes. He has a defined jawline. Clear skin. A silver cross earring on his left ear, which is touching the left side of his face. He has some muscle tone, and I'm sure I would find a nice set of abs if I flipped him over, but, compared to Trunks, he's more on the slim side. Whoever this guy is, my first thought when I set my eyes on him in my drunken state must've been..."Kpop idol. Get him girl!"

I don't get the chance to feel any delight from last night's hook up as I come to a huge, life changing realization: This was my first time.

Yes, I slept with Trunks when I was 22 and married to him during that time I went into the future, but this is the present.

I slept with a stranger! My first time was with a stranger! This is the day I'll think of when Bulla and I talk about our first times! This is the day I will think about when older Fable asks," Mom, what was your first time like?"

My chest tightens at the sudden thought of Fable, the little girl currently growing inside Valese's womb. The little girl who was never mine to begin with.

The stranger next to me falls to the floor with a heavy 'thump' as I shove him off the bed. Clutching the bedsheet to cover my body with one hand, and clasping my mouth shut with the other, I stumble to the toilet, barely making it in time as everything I drank and ate last night pours out of my mouth.

" Oh, God," I groan out as my stomach prepares to eject more fluids. It tastes horrible and I wish it would stop soon, but the vomit seems endless. Worse, the toilet smells like it hasn't been cleaned in weeks. I know I shouldn't rest my face on the toilet seat or cling to the sides as if it were the only thing keeping me afloat in the middle of a sea storm, but the room is spinning, and a pounding headache has crept in. This is my first real hangover. "That's what you get for ditching me at the party," I imagine Bulla saying once she sees me. Oh, crap. What time were we supposed to leave today?

"Do you want me to hold your hair back?" The guy offers. He slowly places a bottle of water and container of aspirin on the floor next to me. I shake my head. It's too late. My extensions are ruined. I'll have to take them out before I leave this room.

He stares at me for a moment. I look nothing like the hot girl I was last night. " Is there anyone you want me to call to come get you?"

"No," I gurgle out just before another wave of nausea hits me. Once my stomach is completely empty and there's nothing left for me to possibly puke out except for my organs, I take a few breaths, then ask," What's your name?"