Chapter Sixteen
James
___________________
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
I groaned, rolled over and slammed my hand on the snooze button of my alarm clock.
'SNOOZE BUTTON HAS BEEN DISABLED. GET UP AND GO TO that dickhead's house. WAKE UP NOW, Kayli.'
I glared at the alarm and swore loudly before thrusting my sheets away, and jumping out of bed. I staggered for a second as my head swirled. The dizziness faded to be replaced by a throbbing headache. Ugh, I am never going to drink again, I vowed silently to myself.
'IT IS SEVEN AM AND A LOVELY twelve degrees Celsius. GOOD MORNING Kayli AND HAVE A MARVELOUS DAY!'
I scowled. Stupid alarm clock.
Suddenly the window screen lightened, allowing the glare of sunlight to come through. I winced as it blinded me and rushed to get into the darker bathroom. I took a long, hot shower, towelled off and then slipped into a comfortable shirt, loose leather jacket and heat-generating tights, old clothes that the owner, Tony, had given me. Apparently they were from his ex-wife and 'there was no way she was coming back to get her stuff'. I accepted them anyway, simply glad to have warmer clothing.
I took a cab to Liam's house, thankfully remembering the address. I wish I'd had enough time to eat, my stomach was rumbling from the lack of food... and the residue of alcohol. But as we drove there I was glad it was empty as I felt light-headed and ill. I would have thrown up if it were possible. I felt disgusting and probably looked it... I had avoided all mirrors on my way out of the motel. As soon as we reached the house I quickly payed and leapt out of the musty smelling car, gulping in the clean, fresh air. I lurched down the path to the door which opened before I had the chance to knock.
"Kayli!" James cried out happily. I stared at him in confusion. What had happened to that solemn boy who had wanted too much truth from me? He was looking smart in a grey and black uniform, shirt tucked in, tie perfectly knotted and everything. Wait a minute...
"Uniform?" I queried.
His green eyes were sparkling with joy. Why was this kid so damn happy? I wondered suspiciously. It was seven thirty in the morning!
"Inside. It's hanging up." He beckoned me to follow him and stepped back inside the house. I made my way up the steps and over the threshold. Leaning against the wall, watching me with narrowed eyes, was Liam. I couldn't be bothered getting mad at him so I decided to just ignore him and I turned to James who was holding out my uniform. I scowled at it. The pleated skirt was long, it would pass my knees, and the black jumper and white shirt were way too big for me.
I put it on, in the privacy of their large downstairs bathroom, and cringed when I saw my reflection in the mirror. The uniform was bad enough. Though I kept my tights on underneath, the skirt was uncomfortable, I hadn't worn one in ages. The shirt and jumper was way too big, the sleeves passing my hands so that I had to fold them back several times to fit correctly. The colouring made my already pale face look washed out and that, added to the dark circles around my eyes, made me look like a druggy. My usually bright green eyes had dulled and my auburn hair was oily, there had been no shampoos at the motel. I quickly looked around in the cupboards and found a cleansing hairspray - I wondered whose it was - which I used to fix my hair.
A tiny bit happier with the improvement to my hair, I walked out of the room, nearly straight into Liam's chest.
"Wow. Could I have a little bit of personal space?" I grumbled, my bad mood back again in a flash.
