Antagonym

Chapter 34

My head hurt like hell. The blood in my veins was pounding through my skull like a sledge hammer, cracking like a head bouncing off asphalt in an accident. I had way too much to drink last night.

When Elijah came back with Ben, Beck and I had somehow seen them before they saw us allowing our make out session to stay a secret. God knows how long we were swallowing each other's faces for. Then all three of us proceeded to take shots of tequila to mock Ben for not holding his alcohol. Somehow Beck and I ended up on shot four and beer two by the time we left, definitely tipsy but not stumbling or slurringly drunk. I was a woman but I also weighed a hundred fifty pounds and drank all that over the span of three hours. But, for me at least, no matter how much you spaced out your drinks, the hangover was always what got you.

I remember perfectly clearly how I had pushed Beck against the wall as soon as the hotel door closed and kissed him. He'd also told me right then he wasn't going to have sex with me because I was drunk. He stayed true to his word, and didn't even try to have sex with me but somehow we both still woke up shirtless in bed with his hickeys covering my neck and breasts.

I had marked him myself, right on the side of his neck and below his ear, but it was nowhere near as bad as the purple bruises across my pale skin. I don't care how trashy people thought hickeys were, they were fucking sexy. Clearly, I was having a good time last night. Though waking up in jeans and heels without a shirt, curled against Beck's chest, was definitely a new thing for me.

I had never been more grateful that sober Beck had set an alarm for today, because there was no doubt in my mind we would have slept all day if not for that pesky iPhone ringer. I was so done with everything that I didn't even care Beck and I had the same joggers on or that Sebastian and I were twining with our Quinnipiac sweatshirts. I just got through TSA, put my sunglasses on, and closed my eyes.

Or tried to.

"Nice to see we're all up bright and early," Bradley's loud voice rang out in the near empty weighting area. Only our team was filling the black leather seats of the airport. I couldn't help but wince at his intentionally loud voice, picking my head up from Sebastian's shoulder as he woke up. "I see some of you had more fun last night than others."

He wasn't able to see it because of my sunglasses, but I was sending Bradley the meanest glare I could manage as he looked pointedly at Sebastian, Beck, and myself. Beck was significantly less hungover than I was, but like Sebastian, he was so tired he was about to pass out. Axel just sat there across from me in the rows of chairs, smirking with his arms crossed. That little bitch was lucky he didn't go out, because this is what death felt like.

"It's five thirty in the morning. Do you have to be that preppy?" I grumbled.

"Considering some of your nights ended two or three hours ago, I think it's fitting. Besides, we have six AM practice three days a week, Riley. It's not that big of a difference." I cringed at his voice again. It was huge ass difference, especially since I had to haul my ass out of bed at three thirty instead of six in order to get my shit, get dressed, and get on the bus for an hour. Bradley was lucky I wasn't in my fucking club clothes, because I got an hour of sleep.

"I'm going to kill myself," I muttered in agony. I didn't even care anymore, I just stuck my arms in my sweatshirt and took my bra off, discretely putting it in my backpack. I breathed a sight of relief as I leaned back, no longer wearing that damn bra over my sore hickeys. There was one right where the underwire of my bra sat and I wasn't happy about it.

"Did you just take off your bra in the middle of the airport?" Seb whispered, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. That got Beck's attention, who turned and looked at my chest as if to deem it appropriate or not before closing his eyes again in a half shrug. I couldn't help but roll my eyes to myself despite the splintering pain.