Chim - Keep Holding On

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Cheryl woke up when she heard a groan next to her. She opened her eyes to see Kimberley with her hand clutching her head and her eyes clamped shut.

“That’ll teach you for drinking so much!” Cheryl giggled.

“Shut up!” Kimberley moaned, her headache getting the better of her.

Cheryl got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. She came back with a glass of water and put it on the table next to Kimberley.

“There you go, babe. Try and get more sleep, I’m going to get dressed and head downstairs.” Cheryl lightly brushed Kimberley’s cheek with her hand. “Oh, and remember the girls are here, so don’t come wandering downstairs in your underwear!” she winked and turned around to find some clothes.

Once she got downstairs she found Nadine and Nicola sitting at the kitchen table, perusing through the newspaper.

“Morning, how are you feeling?” Nicola asked Cheryl as she walked in.

“Not too bad actually,” Cheryl smiled. “Think Kimberley will be feeling a little worse for wear today though!”

“Aye, she was rather merry last night!” Nadine laughed. “I went to see if she was alright this morning, but couldn’t find her.”

Cheryl walked over to the kitchen counter and put the kettle on. “Oh yeah, she ended up in my room, think she was a bit disorientated!”

Nicola rolled her eyes. “She’s a liability when she’s had too much to drink! But to be fair I guess she’s allowed to be – she’s normally the sensible one; it’s quite rare for her to get drunk.”

“That’s a shame; she’s quite amusing when she’s wasted!” Cheryl laughed as she opened the cupboard to get some mugs out. “Coffee?”

“Someone say coffee?!” Sarah appeared in the doorway, looking tired but cheery.

“Heya Sarah, sleep alright?” Cheryl asked as she handed out mugs of coffee.

“Yes thanks, you’ve got some bloody comfy beds here! Didn’t want to get up but thought I should – it’s so sunny outside it makes me feel guilty if I stay in bed for too long!”

“Yeah, it’s really warm,” Cheryl nodded, and idea coming to mind. “How about you guys stick around for some sunbathing and a swim? For once the pool can get some use!”

“Actually that sounds very tempting,” Nadine smiled while the others agreed. “We just need to go home to get changed and get our bikinis and stuff.”

“Sure, well I can give you a lift if you want.” Cheryl smiled, glad they’d accepted her offer. She liked how close she’d got to all the girls, and she’d grown quite fond of them. She wasn’t used to having real friends, normally people just liked to call themselves a friend of hers when they needed something.

“Kimberley! Welcome to the land of the living!” Nicola giggled when she saw Kimberley enter the kitchen in a dressing gown. “Feeling nice and chirpy this morning?!”

Kimberley grunted and sat down opposite Nadine and Nicola. She smiled at Cheryl as she took the coffee that was offered to her.

“So Kimberley, you slept with Cheryl last night then?” Nadine asked while flicking through the paper.

“W-what?” Kimberley’s eyes widened as they darted over to Nadine.

“She said you slept in her room last night?”

“Oh...yeah.” Kimberley looked up at Cheryl, who was standing behind Nadine and Nicola, laughing silently at the panic that had just been over Kimberley’s face. Kimberley glared at Cheryl, trying not to smile.