Page 106 of Spin The Bottle
I don’t even notice the girl next to him at first, but when I do, I shatter, dropping the drink onto the floor, everyone around me jumping out of the way, the murmurs and conversation coming to a halt as they turn around and look at me, including Aiden. But when he turns around… it isn’t Aiden. It’s just a random guy.
My eyes squeeze shut, turning back around. Fuck, I need some air.
I head outside, push the back door open, sit down on the steps. What is happening to me? When Jake dumped me, I didn’t feel this way. I cried for a few days but I didn’t grieve what I thought I lost with Jake, I was just pissed about what he had done and how he exposed my texts.
This is completely different. It hurts. I can feel my heart shattering thinking about what I lost.
I miss him.
I hate him and I love him. And I miss him.
“Leila.” My head snaps behind me, seeing Rosie standing at the door, looking down at me. She frowns, her brows tugged together as she shakes her head. “Let’s go home, we can talk about this.”
“I don’t want to talk, Rosie.”
She closes the door, sitting beside me. “You’re allowed to be sad, you know?” She pulls her dress down over her bare legs. “I was a mess last year, and you helped me.”
I scoff. “I dragged you out of bed.” I would hardly say I helped her. I just needed my best friend back. Her smiles and bubbly personality were gone when she was heartbroken over Grayson and I couldn’t let her rot away in that bed.
“And it helped.” She leans in, resting her head against my shoulder. “We work differently. I wanted to cry, and you want to move on and forget.” My throat constricts. “But you still need to grieve the relationship you lost,” she tells me, wrapping her arm around mine. “You can talk to me and I’ll listen.” When she lifts her head and looks at me, her eyes swimming with guilt and a little sadness. “Talk to me,” she pleads.
I can’t. I can’t even think about it without wanting to break down, and I’m not going to let that happen. The sigh that leaves Rosie when I stand up riddles my stomach with guilt, but I don’t give her any time to say anything before walking back into the party and grabbing another drink out of the ice bucket lying around.
One way or another, I’m going to forget.
“Fuck.” My head pounds when my eyes open, squinting against the bright light that spills into the room. Damn those giant windows. My head feels like it’s being hammered from the inside, a wave of nausea washing over me when I try to sit up.
I groan again, clutching my head, hoping it eases the throbbing pain. What was I thinking? How did I let myself get so drunk?
I turn my head, the pounding in my head a constant reminder of my mistakes, of the pain that I was so desperately trying to erase last night. I hear a soft groan from beside me and look down at Rosie lying haphazardly over the edge of the bed, her head buried into the pillow.
My heart squeezes when I turn, seeing Madi lying on the sofa, her dress from last night wrinkled around her body as she sleeps. Gabi’s laying on the floor, using a cushion as a pillow.
Tears threaten to spill as I look around at my friends here with me. I haven’t slept alone in so long. It was the best feeling, waking up beside him, our bodies together as we slept. He would kiss my forehead, pull me closer to him, and I would wrap my arms around his waist and bury my head in his chest.
But now all I get when I wake up is a reminder that none of it was real. That it was all a farce.
I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, careful not to startle any of them as I head to the kitchen. Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, I fill it up with water. I barely finish drinking before my bedroom door swings open and out comes the girls. Gabi groans holding onto the wall as she stumbles out. “Shit,” she curses when she nearly trips over her feet. “I don’t think I can stand.”
Madi grabs onto her hands, catching her from falling over. “I thought you could handle your alcohol. How much did you drink?” She groans when Gabi nearly topples both of them over.
Gabi falls to the floor with an oomph, dropping her head back against the wall. “I lost count after the tenth shot.”
Madi shakes her head. “Come on. You need to shower.”
She groans. “Just let me die right here.”
“So dramatic,” Madi mutters, leaning down to wrap her arm around Gabriella, lifting her off the floor. She glances back at me. “I should get her in bed before she throws up on me. Are you going to be okay?”
No.Instead, I press my lips together, attempting a smile, my hands clutching the glass so hard I’m afraid it will crack. “Yes.”
I can see the disbelief in her eyes when she shakes her head, walking over to the door, Gabi holding onto her like a lifeline. She reaches the door, holds onto the handle and turns back to me. She swallows. “If you need anything. Anything at all. Call me.”
I nod.
“And me,” Gabriella buts in.
Madi snickers when Gabi nearly trips again. “You can barely take care of yourself right now. Come on.” They both leave, closing the door behind them.
