Here's To That Summer

Chapter One

Opening my eyes, the sun’s glare burns through my skull.

“Fucking hell.” I muttered as I crawled off the bed to my window just to shut the blinds. I take a quick look at the clock just to see that it’s already three in the afternoon.

“How was your sleep?” Alex says as she tossed a bottle of water my way. I fail to catch it and it hits me square in the face.

“Ouch.” I grunted.

“Idiot.” she said and hands me a couple of aspirins.

I take them gratefully and swallow them down quickly in a bid to get rid of the raging headache I was facing.

“What happened last night?”

“The usuals. You got your sorry ass drunk, had a panic attack and ended up needing a babysitter.”

“Fuck? I had a panic attack?”

“Yeah. In Bazuka. Everyone was laughing.”

“Who brought me home then? You’re too small to carry me.”

“Andy did. He was the one who took care of you last night.”

“Oh. Is he here?”

“He had breakfast then left. Look, I gotta head to work soon. Don’t get your ass in trouble. Stay at home and rest okay?” she says and pats me on the back.

I nod. She stands up and opens the door.

“Hey, thanks sis.”

“Don’t mention it.”

And with that, she left. I leaned against the headboard of my bed and looked at my phone. Scrolling through endless stupid posts on Facebook and twitter. And like that, hours went by. I didn’t know what to do.

Most days the last two years of my life, I’d be out with Jess. We’d be doing something and when we didn't, we’d talk on the phone, or just text all day. Staring at my phone now, there isn’t even a single text coming in.

“Fuck it.” I mumbled and threw my phone on my bed. I went out to the porch to see the sun already going down. I smiled. We used to watch the sunset together on this porch. I sat on the little couch we had on the outside, ash tray on the coffee table in front of me. I could hear the neighbor’s dog barking in the yard next to mine as I lit a cigarette and took a drag off it. This is going to be a long Sunday.

…..

The next day, I wake up to a screamingly loud alarm ringing into my ears. I throw my phone away from me and close my eyes again. Nothing was going to ruin this perfect sleep of mine. This beautiful sleep. Nothing except my backup alarm which began ringing just five minutes later.

I sighed and sat up, contemplating my decision setting twenty different alarms at five minute intervals just to make sure I woke up. It was horrible, but it worked. At least I’m up now, and within the second alarm too. Used to be she’d call to wake me. Her voice flowing through my phone’s speakers. Either that or she’d just kiss my cheek and tickle me until I got out of bed.

Another sigh and I got myself to school.

Math was horribly boring, so was literature. But I soon found myself in economics without my classmates. New thing it was, the school forced us to mingle with others in our cohort.

“You’re new aren’t you?” I heard a voice ask.

“Huh?” I snapped back.

Turning around I see this huge guy in a muscle tank. Ridiculously big arms, and this sexually dominant aura flowed around him. I opened my mouth in sheer amazement.