Night to Remember

Hangover

- Victoria -

"Arr... I'm dying." I groaned as I tried to open my eyes, but the pounding in my head prevented me from moving even for an inch of any part of my body.

"Shhh. You're too loud." Harper's groggy voice greeted me from my left.

"I'm not drinking, ever again," I stated as the blinding light from the unclosed curtain beamed on my face.

"You and me both. You and me, sister." Harper agreed, and with a groan, she tried to sit up. "I'm too old for this shit." She added as I heard her walking away from me.

I lay in my position for another minute before finally opening my eyes and seeing the damage. The headache was unbearable, and I winced while sitting up, worsening the pain.

"Here, take these." Harper handed me a glass of water and two painkillers.

I thanked her, swallowed the pills, and downed the glass in one gulp. I closed my eyes and rested on the sofa, waiting for the painkillers to work. After about ten minutes, the headache slowly subsided, and I could finally check my surroundings.

"Oh, God," I gasped.

That's all I could say, seeing the state of Harper's living room. The uncountable amounts of empty wine bottles scattered on her rug under the coffee table, the opened boxes of uneaten pizza, and torn, half-empty packs of cigarettes made it look like some savage teenagers' party den.

Oh God, we did it. Now I feel the ashy taste in my mouth and the sweet taste of overdosing on the wine. I'm not surprised by the massive headache right now. Looking at the scene, I only wanted to throw up, crawl into bed, and sleep for three days straight.

"Do you remember anything?" I heard Harper reenter the living room.

I turned to meet her, but it was a bad move. My head started to spin. "I think I'm gonna throw up." I rushed from the floor, and like a mad woman, I ran past Harper straight into the bathroom, covering my mouth with my hands.

I reached the bathroom door just in time to bend over the toilet and empty my stomach from last night's content. I placed my elbows on the toilet seat, brushing away my hair from being accidentally puked on. The waves that ripped through my body caused me to cry and snort simultaneously, cursing myself for being stupid.

When the last wave drained me out of everything, leaving me crying, snorting, and spitting mess over the toilet, I heard a soft knock on the door, and Harper's concerned voice asked me if I was ok.

"I want to die," I confessed, not looking at Harper.

"It's going to be fine, honey. We've been worse, remember?" She comforted me while rubbing my back gently.

"Yeah. But we were teenagers, and it was during summer break, not on a working day." I reminded her, but she only chuckled.

"Thank God you're on your notice and don't have to work during it," Harper said, and I instantly raised my head.

"Oh, my God. I'm divorced and jobless!" I almost cried at the realization.

"Now, don't worry, Tori. You're going to be fine. Now, let's shower, clean up the mess and eat something. Then we can think about the future." She instructed, and I nodded in agreement.

I took my sweet time during the shower, letting the water wash away all the evidence from last night. I brushed my teeth three times to eliminate the stench and ashy taste. God, I'm never smoking again.

After half an hour in the bathroom, I returned to the guest room Harper offered me about a week and a half ago when my life turned upside-down. She has a three-bedroom apartment in a ten-story building near my workplace. Correction, my soon-to-be previous workplace.

I opened the closet and picked up the outfit for today. I put on a simple set of cotton underwear, wash-out blue jeans, a gray top, and an oversized cream cardigan. I piled my wet hair in a messy bun on the top of my head, and after putting on the fluffy black socks, I walked out of the room fresh and clean.

Harper was already placing all the bottles in a big black trash bag, and I noticed she was also in a fresh set of clothes with her hair braided on one side. She looked gorgeous in simple yoga pants and a big blue sweater. She resembled a model without a sign of tiredness.

"My God, we had ten bottles of wine and half of the whiskey last night." She informed me, and I shook my head at our stupidity.

"Never again. I don't want to feel like s**t ever again." I vowed, placing the boxes of uneaten pizza in another bag Harper had prepared.

It took us fifteen minutes to clean the living room, and after throwing out the bags, we sat on the sofa and ordered takeout. Not in the mood to stand in the kitchen and cook.

"How could he do this to me?" The words slipped out of my mouth uncontrollably as I looked at my left hand, gazing at the groove where my wedding ring was.

"He is a scumbag, for sure. But I don't know how to answer that question." Harper put her hand over mine, and I looked at her, "I mean, Tori, I never liked him, and you knew that, but I never thought he could do that to you. You were so in love that it sickened me at some times. But maybe," She stopped and smiled sadly at me, "Maybe you were just a pawn for him to put his hands on your money?" She suggested and sighed.

I know she always warned me about him, and along with my parents, she insisted on the prenup just in case. And now it turns out they were right all this time. I feel stupid for thinking he was my Prince Charming. How could I not see through him? Sighing in defeat, I looked at the coffee table where the goddamn certificate lay.

The intercom buzz brought me back to reality, and Harper stood up to let the delivery guy in with our food. I stood, took the certificate, and took it to the dining table when Harper started unpacking all the food she had ordered.

The smell of creamy lobster soup, seafood pasta, and white chocolate créme brûlée made my mouth water and my stomach grumble in anticipation. I opened the soup container and dug in right away. Harper did the same, and we both moaned when the food melted on our tongues.

When we were done, Harper took all the empty boxes, leaving me alone to think about my next moves. I have never been alone. After leaving my parent's house, I was with Harper. After uni, I was with Tom. Now? Is there anything else coming my way?

And as if I was calling for more trouble, my phone started ringing, and my mother's face appeared on the screen. My heart stopped, and my breath hitched. I didn't tell them about my divorce, not even my brother, who would probably come down to town and punch Tom in the face for breaking my heart.

"Harper!" I called my best friend in horror.

"What's wrong?" She asked, running back to the living room, alerted.

"This." I turned my phone and showed her the incoming call, "I don't know. I don't know what to say to her." I almost stuttered.

Harper took my phone and answered it. "Hi, Aunty Jane." She said in her sweet and chirpy voice. My heart pounded in my chest like a hummingbird.

"Yes, she's fine. A little tired." She said as I tried to calm down to face my mother.

"Well, we had a small party yesterday. You know, my new contract, and we got carried away a little bit." She chuckled, trying to sell my mother her perfect lies. "No problem, I'll tell her when she wakes up. Ok, bye. Love you too." She ended the call, and I relaxed.

"You'll have to tell her at some point," Harper commented, throwing my phone on the sofa.

"I know, I know. But not today. Today I repent of yesterday's sins. Let me deal with the hangover before I deal with my family." I sighed and closed my eyes, placing my head on the table.