The Jealousy Game

Eighteen - Dating

I moan and wrap myself tighter in the duvet, waves of nausea adding to my misery. My brain feels like it is going to swell beyond the capacity of my skull, and now my dehydration is too obvious to ignore. I am going to have to crawl out of the room on all fours in search of the kitchen, like someone in the desert crawling to their mirage. Again my stomach lurches and gurgles. I definitely had too much to drink last night... I am such a lightweight. Perhaps some painkillers will help. I raise my heavy eyelids half way only for them to fall shut. Suddenly there is a knock on the door making me moan and retreat further into the haven of my blankets, the noise bouncing around in my skull.

I have never gotten drunk before, and if this is what it feels like when you drink to an excess I'm not sure I ever want to drink again!

"Nell? Oh you poor soul, why did you do this to yourself?" Waverly sighs like a disappointed mother. "Come on, sit up. I've got some water, painkillers and toast for you."

"Oh thanks Waverly." I moan as I sneak a hand out the blanket, flopping it around so that she will get the idea and hoist me up.

She does so with a sigh, and my stomach lurches again before settling.

"How did I get home?" I ask, my memories blurry.

"Zander brought you." Waverly hums as she sits on the bed, offering me the glass of water.

"Really?" I ask a little breathlessly after I take a glug of the water and swallow a pill down.

My memories are feint and blurry, but I do remember seeing Zander at the club. I hope I didn't embarrass myself in front of him.

"Yeah you were asleep in his arms... it was pretty sweet actually." She giggles, and I wish I could remember what that felt like.

"Hey how was your evening? You went out for dinner?" I ask as I rub my pulsing temples.

"Yes it was really nice. River is sweet." She comments, and I nod in response. "Do you want me to open the curtains?" She asks.

"No!" I call out dramatically, only just surviving in the dim light as it is.

"Ok." She giggles. "If there's nothing else you need me to do I am going to go grocery shopping."

"You go ahead." I mumble as I nibble on the toast.

"You should take a shower. You stink." She playfully teases me before leaving the room.

I don't get up for another hour, until my head starts to clear a little. I trudge down the hall to the shower feeling quite unwell. Luckily I don't have work today, but I am on the early morning shift tomorrow. I seem to remember an assignment due tomorrow as I step under the hot waterfall, but I can barely string a sentence together let alone write an essay right now. I do feel a little worried about my studies as I stand silently under the comforting water, as I have been procrastinating a little and focusing on Zander when I'm not busy with work. I don't think I'm behind yet, but I will be if I'm not careful. I'm starting my fifth week now, so things are only going to get more intense as we start preparing for exams.

Once the water runs cold, I hop out the shower, wrap a towel around me and head to the kitchen. Scrounging around the cupboards I find a carton of chicken soup and heat it up whilst my hair drips down my back. Once the soup is done, I grab a slice of bread and make my way back into my room, still feeling pretty dead. As I collapse into bed and start slurping the soup down I feel a lot better, and after getting dressed into comfies I decide to catch up on the reading and go over my lecture notes.

An hour into being proactive I hear a knock on the front door, and expecting it to be Waverly forgetting her keys again I trudge to the wooden door looking like a member of the dead. Instead, as I pull it open there stands Rylan looking way too handsome and alive considering what we got up to last night.