90s Queen Bee #Wattys2016

Chapter 8 - Rewind

1998

Thora was right, I didn't feel hungover at all. Sunlight streamed through the blinds and I stared at the patterns it made on the ceiling.

The downside to having no hangover was that visions of last night were coming into my mind in sharp, vivid bursts with no fuzzy edges. I'd lost my cool with Blair, but he'd deserved it. At least now he probably wouldn't try to talk to me if we ever ran into each other again.

The person I felt for was Penny. Poor Penny. I'd have to put my counsellor hat firmly on to deal with the fallout. Starting now. I'd take her out for eggs and possibly a hair of the dog mimosa, not only to perk her up, but also to keep her memories of last night lucid.

I'd taken her back to my place last night, put her under a warm shower and tucked her into bed before crawling under the covers next to her. Snug as a bug in a rug.

I turned over expecting to see her sleeping face. Instead, I was greeted with the enormous head of Leonardo DiCaprio on a wall poster.

I yelped and sat up to see the Backstreet Boys smiling at me.

I was in my old room? I knew mum had kept it the way it was since I'd moved out, but I'd taken those posters down years ago. I turned my head and saw my dream catcher hanging on the back of the door and tear drop crystals hanging from the ceiling lights. They'd always been there, so that was okay. What was not okay was the fact that I was in here. I was supposed to be in my own bed listening to Penny dry retching in the toilet.

I'd definitely taken her back to my place last night. Right? Yes, I had. You don't imagine scrubbing dried up sick off your best friend's arm. That type of memory stays burned in your mind.

Had I gone over to mum's house after that? If so, why?

I groaned and placed my hand on my forehead. I should never have taken that pill. What on earth had I done after putting Penny to bed?

My phone might solve some of the mystery. I reached for it on the bedside table and frowned as my hand felt the buttons on my old pink radio alarm clock. I thought that thing broke years ago? And where was my phone? I looked down to the floor to find my handbag but instead I saw an old school jumper. What was it doing down there? Mum had preserved all my school uniforms in vac packs and stored them in the back of her linen cupboard.

It was then I noticed that I was wearing my old N*Sync t-shirt. How on earth had I found that? And what in the world had possessed me to put it on?

'Sammy!' I heard mum's footsteps coming up the hallway.

Great. I'm sure she was just dying to give me a lecture about drinking myself into oblivion. The door flung open. Mum had never been a big believer in knocking. Her head appeared around the door.

'Samantha Day, get in the shower now or you're going to be late for school.' Her head disappeared and I heard her clomp back down the hallway.

School? Had she hit her head on something? I knew her memory was getting worse, but jeez.

It was then it hit me - there was something strange about mum's head.

She looked young. I mean, really young. She hadn't looked that young yesterday at the hospital. Her hair was also different. It wasn't her usual immaculate golden bob. It was long and wavy, how she used to wear it.

It was probably my imagination. She'd only poked her head in for two seconds.

I peeked out the door to my room and looked down the hall. Everything seemed normal. Grandma's antique lamp sat where it always had.