Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
The pounding inside my head is nauseating. Whoever thought drinking was a good idea must have been a sadist. It’s miserable. I’m miserable.
If only it were just the alcohol to blame.
The alcohol is more like the icing on top of a shit cake.
Last night was supposed to be fun. Turns out, it was nothing but a giant nightmare. Somehow, while being with my new friends, I managed to lose my boyfriend in the process.
Sun gleams in through the window, attempting to cheer me up, but it’s a lost cause. I’m far from happy today.
My stomach roils violently. If I don’t put food in my body soon, I’m going to spend the rest of my Saturday hugging the toilet.
Somehow, I find just enough energy to crawl out of bed. As much as I’m dying to text Callum, I avoid my phone and stagger to the bathroom. My room tilts and spins. Saliva fills my mouth. I clutch onto the doorframe of the bathroom, clenching my eyes closed so I don’t puke my guts out. Once the wave of nausea has passed, I’m able to pee and brush my teeth, all of which while avoiding my reflection. Eventually, I chance a peek.
I look like death warmed over.
Dark hair is ratty and puffed up on one side. Black smudges remain under my eyes even though I managed to wash my makeup off before falling into bed last night. My eyes are red and swollen from crying. I’m a mess.
Tears burn my eyes, but I quickly blink them back. If I start crying, I’ll never leave my room, and if I don’t eat something soon, I’ll never leave the toilet. With a sharp inhalation, I stagger out of the bathroom to my bedroom door where the nightstand blocks the door. It takes more energy than I possess to move it aside, but I finally get it moved.
Now I somehow need to make it to the kitchen and back without any run-ins with my family. The house is quiet, so I’m hoping everyone is still asleep. I turn the knob and slowly open the door, wincing when the creaking sound echoes down the hall. Before I exit, I pause to listen. Nothing. Good.
I creep my way into the kitchen, doing my best to keep silent. When I see Darren sitting at the kitchen table, I nearly crawl out of my skin. His gaze lifts from his phone and he spots me right away. No retreating now.
“Morning,” I croak out, offering him a slight wave as though his presence doesn’t bother me.
But it does bother me.
Everything about him and Levi bothers me.
“Morning,” he parrots. “You look a little green around the gills. Feeling okay?”
His voice almost sounds sincere, which has alarm bells ringing inside my head, making the hangover headache throb even harder. Darren isn’t the caring stepfather he portrays to the outside world. He’s a total dick.
“I’m fine,” I croak. “Where’s Mom?”
“She went into the office.” He sets his phone down on the table with a soft clank. “Want me to make breakfast? Sausage gravy and biscuits perhaps?”
I nearly throw up at the thought, which makes me think that was his intent. With a quick shake of my head, I reach into the cabinet and grab a box of PopTarts. “This will do.”
Mom never goes into the office on Saturdays. Usually, on the weekends, she sleeps. A lot. It’s when she takes many of her pills. It’s like she knows she has to put up with Darren and Levi too, but chooses to check out completely, leaving me on my own to deal with them.
“I should go visit her,” I say, not looking at him. “Maybe bring her lunch.”
“Don’t bother your mother. Besides, she should be home by lunchtime anyway.”
I snag a bottle of water from the fridge and am planning to take the whole box of PopTarts with me to my bedroom when I’m stopped by Darren’s laugh.
“This is too good to be true,” he murmurs, shaking his head with a grin splitting his face. “Unbelievable.”
“What’s too good to be true?”
He holds up his phone. “It’s all over the news this morning. Underage drinking bust at Park Mountain Lodge. Do you know what this means for my lawsuit?” He chuckles again and then glances over at me. “We should go to dinner tonight to celebrate.”
If it weren’t for my intense desire to leave Darren’s presence immediately, I’d have probably thrown up at his words. But I’m desperate to lock myself away in my room away from him.
Callum’s family is under scrutiny for last night’s party.
This will be bad for the campaign—the whole family really.
“I’m going to lie back down,” I murmur. “I’ll let you know if I’m feeling well enough for dinner later.”
I don’t wait for a reply and rush out of the kitchen. Once I’m safely in my room, I set down my stash on my dresser and then start for the door to block it with my nightstand. Just as I reach it, someone pushes inside.