“What is it? Are you okay?”
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Let’s go find your friend.” David braced me as we walked around. I felt better standing, less dizzy and queasy.
“That’s our car. If I sit down for a bit, I’ll be fine. See ya!” Before he could dissuade me, I crawled into Roger’s back seat and leaned against the headrest. That was the last thing I remembered.
I experienced my first hangover the following morning. My dry mouth resembled chalk. The light hurt my eyes. A headache the size of the Transamerica Pyramid throbbed against my temples. In short, death was imminent. And might be preferable. I silently swore I would never drink again.
I sat up, wincing at the effort. I was still in last night’s clothes.
Michelle rolled onto her side over on her bed. “This blows.”
Spikes shot through my head. I squinted, but it only made the pain worse. “I can’t believe how terrible I feel.”
“At least you had a good time.”
“Did I? I don’t even remember coming home.”
“You passed out.”
Oh no. I rubbed my eyes. “When?”
“Around eleven-thirty. That guy you were hanging out with came and got me.”
“Sweet Jesus.” The memory was sketchy. Corduroy pants. Not a serial killer.
“You’re lucky he was nice. Any other creep would have taken advantage of you.”
I shuddered, sobered by the truth of Michelle’s words. Donald? Danny? David? That’s it—David. “How did you get me in bed?”
“You can thank Roger. I couldn’t possibly lift you. He slung you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and dropped you right here, Sleeping Beauty.”
I closed my eyes and opened them again. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Rog said you were a pain in his ass, but secretly, I don’t think so. I think my brother has a slight crush on you.” She smiled knowingly.
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. In fact, he was pretty emphatic about making sure no one had messed with you. Vehemently so.” She reached down and picked up her sweatpants off the floor, pulling them on.
“I’ll have to thank him. And I’m sorry.” Great job, Anna. You’ve got a hangover plus you embarrassed yourself. Way to go! Even hungover and sporting smudged mascara, Michelle could have won a beauty pageant.
“Don’t be. I was glad to see you having a good time. You laughed a lot last night.” She smiled, tilting her head at me.
I understood her relief and was touched by it, but last night remained a vague, fuzzy memory. Right now, none of it seemed important—I just wanted to die or escape this agony.
She stood and reached out her hand. “Let’s eat breakfast. That should help.”
I allowed her to drag me off the bed, groaning with each increment required to stand. “I feel seriously grody. And I am never drinking again.”
“Yeah…right!”
I don’t understand why Michelle was skeptical. I meant it.
14
Out of Purgatory
I continued my homebody routine of staying home and keeping to myself most of the winter. Avoiding a social life was easy and smart. What if I showed up at a party and ran into Alec? I couldn’t risk it, but I counted the days until graduation knowing I would never have to see him again. That’s why when Reese approached me at school, I surprised myself by agreeing to come to Jaime’s birthday bash. Even though our friendship was as brief as my romance with Pete, I warmed at Reese’s invitation.
I bought Jaime a pair of colorful dangling earrings at Bedazzled in downtown Montclair and wrapped them in pretty paper. I invited Michelle to spend the night so she could come with me—too afraid of going solo.
A glimmer of excitement filtered through me as I dressed for the party. I figured Pete would be there, a thought both anxiety producing and thrilling. I took care with my appearance, wearing a snug pair of bell-bottoms with a black scoop-necked T-shirt and sandals. Around my neck, I placed a gold necklace with the suspended letter A. I stared into the mirror and applied a coat of lipgloss. Not too shabby. Even my hair cooperated.
Michelle arrived in a similar outfit to mine, except her jeans were white. She’d straightened her hair again, so pretty and flattering on her. We climbed in my father’s Volvo, and he dropped us off at Reese’s house, reminding me what time he would pick us up. As if I wasn’t painfully aware my father had to drive me to and from parties.
The music blared from inside. When knocking on the door didn’t yield any results, we let ourselves in. Tez yelled a greeting and resumed play of his air-guitar, scrunching up his face in rapt concentration. I shouted a greeting to Steve, also in the living room.
“What?” he mouthed, shaking his head like he couldn’t hear.
Reese and Jaime bounded into the room laughing. They made a striking couple: he tall and handsome, with his coral-tinged flaxen hair, and she with her complementary auburn mane and foxy outfit. Jaime smiled and gave me a hug. I wished her a happy birthday and handed her my gift, which she ripped opened with a squeal of approval.
Reese led us to a keg on ice in the backyard. Nearby, a hot tub overflowed with bodies, including the dynamic duo of Jake Miller and Manny Rodriguez. Manny grinned, showing off his dazzling bright teeth, a stunning contrast to his darker skin. I returned the smile and feelings of my junior high crush flickered. Manny and I became friends after sitting next to each other in math class for three years. He was a notch or two up on the popularity scale, most assuredly from his good looks. I probably bought three hundred packs of bubble gum from his covert sales
