I wake with a pounding in my head. I am lying in a bed, in a room I don't recognise.
Then I remember. Last night. The party. Getting drunk. Punching Joe.
I drag my legs over the edge of the bed, still aware of what it felt like to have a hangover.
I head for the bathroom. I was a mess.
My hair was all over the place and my makeup was smudged, leaving me looking like a deranged panda. I brush my fingers through my hair as I head downstairs. Phil and Vincent were sitting on the couch, watching TV.
The room was littered with food and left over cans from the night before.
Looks like no one had bothered to clean it up.
Vincent spots me coming down the stairs.
"Morning, Jess," he calls out cheerfully, completely oblivious to the fact that I was just recovering from a hangover.
"Morning," I reply. Phil looks up and glances at me. "Do you want some breakfast? You look hungry," he says.
Before I knew it, I was sitting on the couch between Vincent and Phil, eating pizza and watching game of thrones.
Just then, Vincent's phone rang. "You guys wait here, I need to answer a call," he says before heading out of the room. "What happened last night?" I asked Phil.
"Well, after you passed out, everyone when home. I put you to bed and stayed with you," he replies with a shrug.
"Thanks, I say. Wait-you stayed? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It was kind of hilarious watching you sleep, actually," Phil replies with a smirk.
"Ugh, whatever, you pedo," I say, making a face at him.
At that moment, Vincent walks back into the room.
He holds the phone out to me. "It's Nikitha," he says.
I take the phone. "Nikay?"
"Jess! Oh my gosh! I was so worried! I was supposed to take you home but Vincent just called me and said you stayed the night!" she says all this very quickly, not pausing to take a breath.
"Oh you know, got drunk and passed out so I had to stay," I explain.
"WHAT?! YOU'VE BEEN DRINKING? ARE YOU CRAZY?" She yells.
"Woah! calm down, jeez. It's not a big deal, all I did was pass out. I swear."
"Whatever." Nikay doesn't sound convinced.
She knows me too well to tell when I'm lying. It's almost like she can read minds. Possess them, even. "As long as you're alive."
I smile a little. "You're a really great friend, you know that? And I mean it." I say, smiling a little.
Having over protective friends were better than friends that didn't care at all, right?
"Aw thanks babe, love you too," Nikay replies before she ends the call.

_____________________________________________________________

Phil offered to drive me home after I had finished my breakfast.
It was almost 4pm in the afternoon, which meant I had spent almost a whole day at Vincent's house.
I am now lying in bed, doing nothing as I stare blankly at the ceiling.
The throbbing pain in my head has receded a little, leaving me with a dull headache, a blank void in my brain.
Just then my phone rings. I cover my ears with my hands as 'anaconda' starts playing at full blast. I try to concentrate on staring at the ceiling. Ugh, why didn't I remember to change my ringtone? Soon I give up and decide to answer the call.
"Hello? This is Jessica Tran speaking," I say in my full business voice.
"Jess! It's Mishii," says the annoying feminine voice I knew only too well.
I sigh. "Ugh, what do you want now? Better not be to tease me about the party," I say.
"No! I mean, no. I was just wandering if you wanted to go in a field trip with us tomorrow? Like in mt. Gambier or something," Mishii says.
"Sure! And who exactly do you mean by 'we?'" I ask.
"Let's see.. Ning is coming, Nikay, me, Phil, Vincent, Prithvick and you." She replies. "I tried to convince Natasha to come too, but apparently she's busy or whatever."
"Wait-why isn't Joe coming with Ning?" I ask, a little suspicious.
"Didn't you know? After you fainted last night, they broke up." Mishii answers casually, as if this wasn't big news to her.
"Oo-kay, so when are we going?" I say.
"Vincent is taking us in his van," she says. "Tomorrow. We're going for three days two nights," Mishii answers as if she were reading this off a piece of paper.
"We'll pick you up at 6am in the morning," she says. "So you'd better be ready! Oh, and just for your information, we'll be sleeping in tents," she adds.
"Great. Just great. Two nights sleeping in the middle of nowhere, in a tent. Real good stuff." I remark sarcastically.
"Aw, don't be a sissy," is all Mishii says.

I had a hard time persuading my parents to let me go on the field trip. They were a bit worried at first but I told them Mishii's parents were going, too. Lie. I hated lying to my parents but if I didn't I doubt they would let me go.
Finally I convinced them to let me go on this 'wonderful, adventurous experience'," as I had put it.
I am now packing my bags which were already flooded with my daily needs.
Clothes, check. Phone and charger, check. Book, check. Toiletries, check. Food, check. Check check check check check.
By the time I had finished packing, I was too tired to move.
I lay spread-eagled on my bed, face down and found myself slowly drifting off into oblivion.