*
Alex awoke with a start, breathless that her dream had woken her. She sat up and swung her feet to the carpeted floor, instantly warmed by the path of morning sunshine filtering through the blinds. She had to pee, but needed a second to collect herself. She had heard of wet dreams before, but that was something else. She got up and headed to the bathroom, removing her underwear and tossing them into the hamper. She was about to return to the couch with thoughts of getting herself “there” when inspiration hit.
What better way to make up to Matt then a morning quickie? That way she wouldn’t have to feel so guilty about the fact it wasn’t him she had dreamt about.
Alex crept into the bedroom, visualising the surprise he would have when she started to—
She stopped in the doorway. Matt was awake and dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed putting his socks on.
“Hey,” Alex said, picking the at the door frame. “Can we talk for a sec?”
Matt stood and gave her a look of annoyance. “You’re not interested in anything I have to say, so no. I’ll see you later.” He walked past her and out the front door, leaving Alex staring after him.
Alex showered and dressed, hoping the routine would calm her down, but she was still fuming. Matt hadn’t even let her speak.
She tried calling her phone again, on the off chance that someone at the club had found it and would answer, but it went immediately to voicemail. The battery had probably died. Alex remembered the business card Dante had given her the first time they met. She’d stuck it under a magnet on the fridge. She dialled the number, but no answer there either. It was a long shot though, given the late-early trading hours.
She called the two banks she had cards with and cancelled them. She then grabbed some cash from the “emergency fund” jar she and Lauren kept under the sink. Each week, they put in twenty each, and after almost three years of living together, they’d amassed almost six thousand dollars. Alex took four twenties and made a mental note to replace them with five as soon as she could. She knew she’d be all right for today, but just thinking about the hassles until she got her cards back would be a pain in the arse. She tried put it out of her mind. Her year six class did not need to know of her frustrations. She had to get her head right before the beginning of the school day. What a great start to the morning.
*
Lauren awoke very slowly, eyes fluttering open and taking several seconds to adjust. When her vision cleared, it was as if the pain in her head had been given a green light to start. She tried, unsuccessfully at first, to move, even just to sit up. Her whole body ached. She winced as she rose and walked gingerly to the bathroom.
Barely through the door, no time even to flip the light on, she knew she was going to be sick. Crumbling right there, kneeling on the floor in the dark, she leant her cheek against the cool porcelain and tried to catch her breath.
After several minutes, she felt she was ok to stand. She flicked on the light and went to the sink to wash her mouth out with water. She splashed her face as well, trying to rub away the tired feelings. Peering at the water slipping down the drain, Lauren saw that it was tinged with pink. She wiped her nose and saw more blood on the back of her hand. It was only a small amount, but she quickly got some toilet paper and scrunched it to her nostrils, throwing her head back for a minute or two. She removed it and put her head over the sink again; no more came out. It was then she got a look at her reflection.
Her skin was pale and clammy, her eyes looked sunken, her face was gaunt, and her hair was flat and hanging lifeless around her face. Carefully probing her cheeks with her fingertips, she saw in the mirror a naked Ryan coming in. He boldly relieved himself behind her. In contrast to her, Ryan looked positively beaming.
“Ugh, couldn’t you flush?” Ryan said, doing just that, swatting away the smell of vomit with his hand.
“Hey…” Lauren began, her voice croaky and strained. “What happened last night?”
“You can’t remember again?” Ryan mocked. “What’s up with that?” he finished with an accusatory tone.
“Can you just tell me?” she snapped.
“We came back here, did some blow and fucked like there was no tomorrow.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah, why? You said you’ve done coke before.”
“I have…but it never made me feel like this.”
“Yeah, but this was the good stuff. I warned you. You hoovered it pretty hard. Not to worry, just not so much next time. I’ll fix you a good greasy breakfast.”
Ryan leant in to give her a kiss but patted her on the arse instead. “Brush your teeth, baby,” he chirped, and walked out of the room. Lauren turned back to the mirror, hoping the minutes she had spent looking away had improved her appearance, but it hadn’t.
Through her crushing headache, Lauren could hear a tingling. She moved toward the bedroom, hoping a few hours of sleep would help. She sunk into the sheets, face down. Still hearing the tingling, then nothing, then it started again. She raised her head an inch and realised it was her phone. She moaned and resumed her position. It was after the fifth re-try of the caller that Lauren burst into action, frantically going through her bag on the floor.
“What?” she screamed into the phone.
“Good morning to you too.” Matt sounded far
