Finding Richie

Average Day

An alarm clock blared loudly, waking a scruffy and tired man whose headache made his head pound, like someone was slamming him with a sledgehammer. He slammed his alarm clock as he rubbed his head. "Fuck it's already eight am?" Leaning up for a stretch he grabs his Tylenol and whatever drink he had open on the nightstand. Popping two small white pills in his mouth and taking a swig of his drink he swallows cringing slightly. Of course, bourbon. He thought before taking another sip and setting it aside. He looks around the room not remembering a thing he did the night before, all he remembered was chugging a bottle of vodka. He feels a hand on his thigh that jogged a memory of last night. I slept with someone, fuck I don't even know her name. Nice going idiot.

"Good morning handsome, you were quite fun last night." He looked at the woman , noticing her dark brown hair that could be confused for black, her green eyes; how she looked like she just put on her makeup. She was beautiful but not exactly Richie's type. "Good morning." He replied softly, still admiring her beauty. The mysterious girl got up and stretched, providing a full view of her breasts. Richie stared for a moment before looking away, in an attempt to give her privacy. He stood walking over to his closet throwing on the first few items of clothing he saw. A pair of torn blue jeans, black tee shirt, and a black hooded sweatshirt. When Richie looked back at the girl she was dressed in the clothes she wore last night, a tight pair of jeans, black tank top, and an oversized peacoat. She smiled at him as she collected the rest of her things.

"You don't even remember my name do you?" She said in a sly tone as if proving a point from something Richie could only remember vaguely. Richie stared at her puzzled and she continued. "I've seen the expressionless face before, and half attempt to give some sort of privacy. You aren't my first guy to sleep with after getting drunk and I'm sure you won't be my last." She said this with such conviction Richie was left speechless. Most of the women he woke up to were either furious with him or in the midst of walking out. "My name is Rose and although this has been fun, I have class in an hour." Rose put on her shoes and Richie led her to the door.

"What class are you taking? I have class myself, pre-chem." Richie asked and Rose shook her head. "I'm taking disease and pathology. Advanced disease and pathology." As she opened the door she looked back at Richie before speaking. "Maybe we can get coffee after this?"

"That would be nice, however I'm not looking for anything serious." Richie says

"Neither am I." Rose replies with a wink, and with that she leaves, closing the door softly.

Richie sighs and walks into the kitchen grabbing an energy drink from the fridge. He took the first sip and thought to himself. Ah, bliss, the first sip of the day. "Good morning Richie" a groggy voice calls. "Have you taken your medication yet?" Richie groans before shaking his head to indicate no. "You need to take them before ten please, I don't want any more late night parties." Tommy says as he grabs a coffee mug and a packet of tea. Richie reaches into a dark brown cabinet grabbing a pill bottle and rattles it in front of Tommy. He pops open the lid taking one pill out, it was white and oblong shaped with some letters on one side. Richie puts the pill in his mouth and takes a sip of his drink with a rough swallow.

"Happy now?" Richie asks as he puts the bottle away, and continues on his drink. "Very much so." Tommy replies, adding honey to his tea before taking a sip. "You were having fun last night, I'm surprised I wasn't woken up to yelling from Rose."

"We're getting coffee after class today." Richie says, going over to their small couch to sit down. "I don't even remember meeting her."

"That's because you didn't my friend." Tommy says, sitting down next to him. "You two went outside for a smoke and then proceeded to make out for fifteen minutes before coming inside and hiding in your room. Loudly hiding, I might add." Tommy looks at his watch and stands up finishing the last of his tea. "C'mon we gotta be at class soon." Richie sighs and chugs the last of his redbull not wanting to carry it during the cold winter walk. Richie and Tommy were a thirty minute walk from the college campus and didn't own a car; so they walked everywhere, even in the winter. Richie puts on his black vans tennis shoes and a brown windbreaker jacket, grabbing a black backpack and throwing it over his shoulder.