Small Town Girl, Big City Dreams • Kate Martin

Chapter 6: Hangover

Inspiration Song: The Spins by Mac Miller

My alarm went off and I groaned. My head was pounding. I remembered why I didn't drink alcohol. Or sleep less than six hours. I was not in college anymore.

I reached for my bedside table and my hand found a piece of paper when I went to grab my phone. I brought the scrap to my face:

Hey Kate,

Sorry I had to rush out this morning. The people of Vegas need their coffee. I'm sure you will too. Come see me before practice and I'll hook ya up.

Congrats again, superstar.

X,

Jade

Shit. Jade had stayed the night? Honestly, I didn't remember anything after getting in her car last night. I remembered kissing her, and then getting so nervous that I blushed and just grabbed her hand. We walked around the botanical garden for a bit and then she suggested we leave. I really hope nothing happened. She had said last night that she wasn't about that, and I wanted to respect that.

I grabbed my phone and looked at the time. It was already 4:30, which meant I needed to hurry up and rinse off in the shower and head to practice. I figured showing up smelling like alcohol was not the best move. Granted, neither was the amount of drinking I did last night.

I grabbed my clothes, set them in the bathroom, and took some Tylenol while I was waiting for my shower to warm up. Once I was rinsed off and dressed for practice, I headed to Sinsations.

When I walked in, I had a nervous pit in my stomach, not remembering what had went down last night.

I was immediately greeted by a perky Jade with a shit eating grin on her face. "How ya feeling, superstar?"

"I definitely feel like I partied like a superstar last night—I'm dying," I confessed. She laughed. "I really don't drink like that."

"It's okay to let loose once and a while," she shrugged, currently making a drink.

"I know, but that's just not me," I replied.

"Oh?" her eyebrow quirked up. "So, the super affectionate and sweet Kate that came out last night isn't you?"

"No," I quickly assured her. "That is me—I just meant the drunk part. I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries last night. If I did, I'm so sorry."

"Kate," her brown eyes met mine. "Nothing happened last night."

I let out a breath that I didn't realize I had been holding in. "Oh...that's good."

"Depends on your definition of good," she joked. "I just figured that since you were already talking about a restraining order and an NDA, taking advantage of a drunk basketball player wouldn't be my best move."

I blushed. "Smart. Are you also a lawyer on the side?"

"I definitely know how to argue," she said with a chuckle, "But no."

She set a matcha in front of me and an egg and bacon bagel as well. I sat in silence, contemplating if I should ask her what happened last night. I picked at the skin around my fingers, trying to decide how to broach the topic.

"Do you want to know what happened last night?" she guessed.

"Yes, please," I replied. She nodded her head toward my sandwich.

"Get some food in your stomach and I'll explain quick." I did as I was told and started on my sandwich. "So, we kissed last night."           

"Oh shit, really?" I asked with a gasp, trying to get a rise out of her.