Killing Carter

Chapter Thirteen - Breathless

I woke up to silence, feeling something heavy and warm across my stomach pinning me to the soft surface I lying on.  Slowly opening my eyes to a bright white ceiling that made me want to close my eyes again I turned my now throbbing head to see a figure lying beside me, their arm trapping me.  Carefully turning onto my side I leant over them to see their face.

Kale!

He looked so peaceful and blissfully happy in sleep so I didn’t want to wake him.  Instead I found myself staring; committing every feature and freckle to memory.  He was shirtless with one leg out the covers and red cheeks, his body a furnace.  Unable to help myself I reached out my fingers to touch the warm skin on his chest, tracing the shape of his collar bone sparks of electricity flowing through my body.  He shivered under my touch but didn’t wake so I allowed myself one kiss on his scarlet cheek, his skin deliciously soft before I slipped out of the bed.  The movement sent shards of pain through my skull, my eyes screwing up to block out the bright light of Saturday afternoon.

As I walked through the house memories of last night came trickling in like a leak in a roof.  Standing in the living room I remembered dancing with Kale, the feel of his hands on my body; singing loudly along to songs I recognised with Lippy and Glenn joining in, slurring our words; drinking games that I kept winning much to Will’s annoyance; and all the shots that I kept being given by the three guys.  It had been so much fun but now I felt like shit.  My throat was raw, my head was throbbing and my whole body ached.  Thinking about how much I was all over Kale last night then waking up next to him this morning when he was half naked just made me hate myself.  Lippy is such an amazing person and she is Kale’s girlfriend.  She is his GIRLFRIEND!

I am a horrible person.

Bile rose from the pit of my stomach.  Dashing out the front door I threw up the entire contents of my stomach in the bushes that lined the left side of her garden then sat down on her front door step.  My black tights were dusty and severely laddered in many places and my top was stained with alcohol that must have missed my mouth.  I could only imagine what my hair and face looked like.  My mum and dad were gonna freak if I went home like this.  Fuck!  They didn’t know I was staying the night.

Running back into the house and up to the bedroom as fast as my hung-over self could manage I searched for my phone.  At some point during the night my bag, phone and shoes had walked off to party somewhere else.  Raiding the room I managed to find my bag that had my keys, make up and one shoe in it but no phone.  I opened every drawer in the chest of drawers knowing how much my drunk self loves secret hiding places but there was only men’s clothing and a couple of packets of cigarettes.  I slammed the bottom drawer shut in frustration and anger at myself then realised what I had done.

“Kimberly?”  Kale asked his voice thick with sleep.  My stupid, hung-over self had woke him up.  I didn’t make a sound hoping that he would fall asleep again but I just wasn’t that lucky.  “Kimberly?”  He climbed out of the bed pretty fast for someone who had just as much to drink last night as I had.  Placing his hand gently on my back I turned to look into his grey sleepy eyes.  “Are you ok?”

“I can’t find my phone.”  I said pathetically, so sore and tired.  He reached into the pocket of his rumpled jeans and pulled out my phone.  It was blinking away with what I’m guessing was a bajillion texts from the parentals.  Hastily I opened up my messages to see the first line of each.

Mum: ‘When are you coming back? xx’

Mum: ‘You should be home by now.  Let us know you’re safe. xx’

Dad: ‘Your mums worried you better phone her now x’

Mum: ‘Where are you? xx’

Cole: ‘You awake? x’