Living a Nightmare and a Dream

Drink, Drank, Drunk...and One Messed Up Game

I awoke on the cold, hard tile floor covered in sweat and shaking. That was the most vivid memory I had ever. I still felt the heat from the fire, my father’s voice ringing in my ears. I slowly stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. I felt like I was looking at a ghost. My skin was white and my eyes were dark again, making them look like holes. I shook myself out of the daze and splashed my face with some water and finished changing. I tried to not look at the other scars, praying that that would be the only flashback that I have tonight. I gathered my wet clothes into a bundle and slowly opened the door. I peered out, hoping that no one had heard me or was waiting to see who was hogging the bathroom. I walked out and tried to look casual, but my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. I checked my arm just to make sure I didn’t have a bruise there because it was so real. Please don’t let him ever come back I thought to myself. If that man came back, I didn’t know how I would survive. I wouldn’t survive if he came back. I was so deep in thought that I almost walked into Parker.

“Heyyyyy,” Parker slurred. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and leaned in close to my face.

“I see you’re still super drunk.” I said taking in a whiff of the alcohol in her breath.

“I’m not drunk silly. I’m okay.” She slurred again, and lifted a beer can to her lips. “You want some?” She shoved the can in front of my face and pulled me a little closer. I grinned and took the can from her. I took a swig and grinned even wider. If anything could fight these flashbacks, it was the alcohol. Sure, when Sara and Steve weren’t home, I would get drunk. They seemed to disappear and be working more once Jessika had moved away to college. I became quite familiar with alcohol and the quickest ways to get drunk. I guess I did it so that way if I had a flashback, I had something to blame for triggering it.

“Thanks Park. Hey where’s Luca? I’m up for a beer myself.” I passed the can back to her and she led me out to the back. I dropped the clothes on a couch and followed her out the door. Luka was still having a blast impressing people behind the bar. I watched as he threw a can of beer into the air and caught it behind his back.

“Hey Luka! You think you can pass me one of those Coronas?” I asked him while I walked to the end of the bar. He reached under the table and grabbed a Corona out of the cooler sitting under it. He put it up on the table and slid it towards me. I caught it in one hand and then laid the very top right under the cap on the table and hit it with the heel of my other hand. The top popped off and hit the concrete with a slight clink. I bent to pick it up and all of a sudden I felt a hand on my ass. I whipped around, expecting it to be some horny drunk guy who wanted to try to get me to sleep with him just so he can go brag to his friends. I raised my fist, ready to punch him square in the jaw, only to see that it was Jesmin.

“WOAH! You wouldn’t hit your girlfriend would you?” Jesmin threw her hands up in the air and laughed. I put my fist down and laughed with her.

“Of course I wouldn’t. I just thought that it was a guy.” I kissed her and grinned. “Wanna beer?” I asked, jerking my thumb to the “bar.”

“Sure.” She answered and I handed her mine. She grinned and took a swig of it.

“Luka! I need another Corona!” I yelled at him, trying to be heard over the crowd that seemed to gather out back. He passed me another one and I opened it. I turned towards the beach and stared out onto the ocean. Night was starting to set in, the sky darkening, acting as though it was tucking the sun into bed. The sun was behaving like a child, trying to refuse sleep, but the night eventually overcame the sun and pushed it below the horizon. I went to take a swig of beer but nothing came out. I shook my head and grabbed another. Slowly one went to two, then became three. Lines became blurry and I remember dancing with some people, but none of them were Jesmin. My head pounding, I sat down on a couch in another room. I laid down on the couch for what felt like forever and eventually fell asleep.