Once Upon A Rodeo

4: The Morning After

The Morning After

All though that night was one of the best nights of my life, the morning that follow was not so great. I spent so much time dancing and talking with Travis that I wasn't paying any attention to Jenna. She was beyond drunk by the time the cowboy and I wrangled her up and took her home.

I was lying down on the floor in her room with a hoodie as a pillow and a small blanket, while Jenna was sprawled across her bed snoring loudly. Every time I was able to fall asleep, I was woken up twenty minutes later to hold Jenna's hair back while she puked up everything she had in her. She would cry and tell me that it was all my fault between each up chuck. Her room quickly started to smell stale alcohol and bile; it was so bad that even I had to fight down the urge to puke.

It was 5:30 and I just put Jenna back in her bed after another trip to the toilet. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take the uncomfortable ground, the awful smell, and Jenna's snoring, crying, and cursing. I walked out. I walked out of my best friends room, down the hallway, and outside onto the back porch. I sat down on one of the chairs, put my head in my hands, and let it all out.

I cried and my shoulders shook. My face hot and red stained with tears. I felt a hand on my back and I snapped back up. I hadn't realized that while I was crying I gained company. Travis Hillwood to be exact.

I blushed furiously and tried my best to wipe away my tears. "What are you doin' here" I asked with a fake smile.

"I heard someone come outside so I decided to follow," he shrugged. "Why are you cryin'?"

I placed my head in my hands again. "I don't know. I don't wanna be." I looked back up at him. "It's just we've been back for four hours and I've gotten no sleep because I have to old Jenna's hair back while she barfs and when she's not puking I'm on her uncomfortable floor and she is snorin'. Plus each time she's leanin' over the toilet she's yellin' at me, tellin' me that it's all my fault. I should've payed more attention to her, I should've made sure that she didn't drink so much."

"It is not your fault," he said forcefully. "Jenna should be more responsible. She shouldn't have to have you babysit her. She should take responsibility for her own actions and not blame what she did to herself on you. She needs to know that having a person to look out for her and protect her in so many ways that she doesn't even know is a great privilege, not a right. She is lucky to have you."

"It's not like that," I said sticking up for my friend. "She is grateful to have me, I know she is. She's just upset 'cause she's barfing. Bein' sick and hung over sucks. She doesn't mean what she's sayin'. I just feel bad 'cause she feels bad and I could have prevented it."

"I'm sorry," he said taken aback by my outburst. "I did not mean to offend."

"It's okay. I know you didn't. Sorry, I'm just really really tired."

"Well how 'bout this," he said with a lopsided smile. "You can go in my room and sleep for the rest of the morning in a comfy bed, while I take your place on Jenna's floor as her hair holder backer."

"Oh my goodness gracious! You would do that for me?!" I said excited to get some sleep. This is too good to be true. "Wait a second, what's the catch?"

"There is no catch, Belle. I want to do this. I don't need or want anything in return."

He said it again. He called me Belle again. I wasn't sure if I should ask him about it or stay on topic. I decided that it was too early to get into it. I'll just ask him about it if he calls me that again.

"I have to do something's in return! I can't let you take Jenna duty while I'm all snuggled up in your bed. I totally owe you for this!"

"Okay, okay. You owe me," he said with his hands up. "Now go get some sleep."