Playing With the Rich Boys | ✓

Chapter Thirty-One - rerun

Chapter Thirty One - rerun

WE ROUNDED THE CORNER AND I QUICKLY LEANED AGAINST THE WALL, LETTING OUT A DEEP BREATH. "You okay?" Elaine asked with a gentle hand on my shoulder. I nodded. "He ruined your shirt too," she scowled, noting the darkened patch on my top.

"I just need a second," I said, feeling the pressure building up behind my eyes. Her expression softened again.

"I'll get you some water?" She offered. I nodded.

Everything that had happened in the past week came rushing back. The lump in my throat was rising. My heart was pounding against my ribcage. I was in a house full of mostly strangers, and people who were happy with publicly humiliating me. What was I even doing there?

My train of thought was interrupted when I heard a loud cough and splutter coming from the room beside me. I knocked gently on the door, but it was met with the sound of more vomiting. Ah, so this huge room was actually a bathroom.

There was a girl with both her hand on the toilet seat and her head hovering over the bowl while she knelt on the floor. The smell of vomit hit my nostrils and I gagged. "Are you okay?" I asked, holding my breath. She looked up at me. Ah, it was Clarissa's right hand gal, Courtney. Her usually pristine hair was disheveled, and her eyes were half shut. She wiped away the vomit from her mouth, gave me a smile and a wonky thumbs up.

Just moments later, she turned back to the bowl and continued the vomiting, this time with some landing on her shirt. She let out some weird sound and then slumped against the toilet. Half of me wanted to leave her there, but the other half moved first.

I pulled her head off from the toilet, carefully avoiding areas of vomit and lay her on her side, resting her back against the side of the shower so she wouldn't roll backwards. I needed to get some help. I left the bathroom and back into the darkness of the hallway, reminded of just how loud the music was. Who could I get to help me? There was no one I recognised well enough. Then I saw him.

I took a deep breath. "Parker!" I exclaimed. He turned his head. "It looks like I'll be needing that shirt after all."

While Clarissa went to get some more towels and fresh clothes, Parker made sure Courtney wasn't vomiting into her mouth while I tried to get her cleaned up. Her makeup was smeared across her face, dark streaks of mascara running down her cheeks. These kids liked to party hard.

"Thanks for helping," I said reluctantly to Parker.

"All good," he replied. I couldn't believe I was wiping vomit off of a girl who'd been involved in tormenting me. We both knelt beside Courtney in silence. The tension could've been cut with a knife. "It's been bugging me all week," he finally said. "But have you been avoiding me?"

Just then, Elaine and Clarissa came into the bathroom. Elaine had the water in her hand while Clarissa had some towels and a bunch of clothes. I got up from where I was to let Clarissa in beside Courtney. "Court," Clarissa said, shaking her shoulders slightly. Courtney let out a small groan.

"Riss!" She slurred, playfully putting a hand on her friend's cheek. Luckily for Clarissa, I'd just cleaned the vomit from her fingers minutes before. Elaine left the cup of water beside the sink, probably realising she needed the water more than me. Now that her actual friends were there, they could take over. I looked at Elaine and she nodded. We both left the bathroom.

As I was leaving, I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Thank you," Clarissa said. "Courtney's been going through a lot. Her dad's been screwing a secretary again. Thank you for helping her." I nodded and gave her a small smile before leaving with Elaine.