Washed Up ≫ A.I

Chapter [1]

[Charlotte Kendall]

Earlier this morning I had found myself in our cabin passed out at the foot of my bed and with an empty glass in my hand. A warm liquid was soaking the carpet beneath me before I lifted my chest to discover the old stench of last night's alcohol on my white shirt. When I sat my back against the mattress my head began pounding a little too hard to notice the stranger sprawled out across the second bed beside me.

Luckily, for both of us, he was fully clothed. I couldn't remember much from last night except for the fact that it was New Year's Eve; the only reason I was waking up like this in the first place.

My best friend Emma had this brilliant idea to take several weeks off for a cruise to the Hawaiian Islands over winter break. Two days ago we left Los Angeles on this ship in order to celebrate the New Year while in the Pacific waters. Now that it is the day after yesterday that only means three more days until my feet can properly settle on flat ground again. I hated the water and so drinking the crap out of the alcohol on this ship was the only thing keeping me afloat for the rest of the cruise, no pun intended.

After my vision was no longer fuzzy and red I looked around the disastrous room for Emma.

"Em?" I whispered with a scratchy voice. I repeat her name while coughing to clear my morning tone. I was hoping not to wake the unfamiliar boy in my bed.

Just crawling around on the carpet was making my head pound. I was literally on my hands and knees, making my way to the cabin door with alcohol still dripping from my wrinkled shirt. I was upset that my shirt was once white and too concentrated on how I was going get the stain out of it that I didn't even realize the front door was opening. It whipped out and smacked me straight between the eyes on the forehead.

"Ow!" I huffed, backing away from the door jamb to cover the bump forming on my head with my palm. Now my headache was severely painful thanks to that early morning smack.

"Charlotte? What the hell?" I heard Emma's voice from above before crawling upward to stand. The room was definitely spinning and if not from the alcohol then from the concussion. "Ew, Ben is still here!" I should have figured Emma's attention span would shift as usual.

She brushed past me, spinning my shoulders as she walked over to my bed while avoiding the mass loads of trash and drinks on the floor. She ripped out the covers from underneath the boy causing him to flip off the bed completely. His body landed on the ground with a hard thud and when he didn't move right away I was worried he might have been dead for a split second.

Soon Ben got up from the bed, rubbing his hip before grumbling something to Emma. I let go of my breath that I didn't know I was holding in as Ben turned away from Emma with a hard scowl on his face. I couldn't hear much of what he said until Emma shouted after him, "Yeah sure, nice meeting you too dick!"

Whoa. Language girl, I think to myself.

My eyes widened as the guy came closer to me, scratching his face, "What are you staring at?" He remarked harshly before sliding past me and back out the front door.

Ah well, Emma wasn't wrong, he was a dick. I hadn't realized I was staring in the first place; all was very bizarre this morning.

And so here I stand, with yellow liquid stained down my shirt, a Doritos chip knotted in my hair and a newly developed pink knot on my forehead.

"Did I take some kind of drug last night?" I ask with slight seriousness before heading over to my bed and falling back onto the mattress. Just flopping down onto the fumbled sheets caused my stomach and head to swirl.