We're Not Related Anymore...

Roofied

Maddie: Three Years Ago

I wake up in my bed with a screaming headache. Someone's left my curtains open and now the bright afternoon light is streaming into my room and hurting my eyes. I groan and turn over in my bed. 

I hear my bedroom door squeal open and groan again, shoving my face even further under the covers. A second later, I feel something tug and then I'm left cold when my duvet is suddenly ripped away from me. 

"Hey!" I protest, looking up to see an angry Josh towering over me. He looks furious and I shrink back on my bed, bringing my pillow up to cover me. But he snatches it from me before I have the chance to. 

"You're awake," he says, still looking mad. I blink up at him blearily, my eyes and mouth feeling dry. He takes a seat on my bed and starts threading his fingers through my hair. For Josh, his actions are surprisingly gentle. But they're a total contradiction to the expression on his face. "How do you feel?" He asks me. 

How do I feel? I feel like I just got hit by a car. My body feels weak and shaky and when I try to shrug my shoulders, I feel as if I just lifted a pair of weights instead. And that's before I feel the wave of nausea hit my stomach. I cover my mouth but before I barf all over my bed and Josh, my brother is lifting a waste paper basket up from the floor and handing it to me. 

I take it with both hands and start shaking as I feel bile crawl up my throat. Josh starts gently rubbing my back as I continue to throw up. When I'm done, he takes the bin away and lowers me back down to my bed. 

"What happened?" I ask. What I really want to ask is where is everyone? If the sun's anything to go by, it looks like it's late in the afternoon. I feel like I've missed a whole day. 

"Maddie, were you drinking yesterday?" My brother asks, concern etched on his face. I thought he was mad at me but he doesn't seem to be. If anything, he looks like there's something bad he wants to tell me. 

"Yes," I croak out, my throat feeling scratchy. 

"How much?" He asks, and I try to think about his answer carefully. While I was out in the lake, a couple of guys approached me and asked me if I wanted a beer. Tessa joined us and she agreed. She said we could both only have one though since she needed time to sober up and drive me home. 

"One beer," I tell my brother, sure of my answer. Yesterday might be a blur, but I remember what Tessa said word for word.

"Was the beer in a can or glass?" Josh asks me now.  I look up at him, my vision blurring by the corners of my eyes. 

"It was a red cup," I tell him, rubbing at my eyes. "Like in the movies." 

"Did it smell funny? Taste funny?" He keeps going. 

I sigh, not knowing where he's going with all his questions. "I've never tasted beer before. I don't know if it's supposed to taste what it tasted like but it was disgusting..." I say, remembering how the bitter liquid washed over my tongue. I wince as I recall the sensation. I'll never be drinking that again. 

"Ok," Josh stands up and smooths his hand over my hair. "I'm going to leave you for now. Go get some rest." 

I fall back into a fitful sleep. I'm aware of my door opening a few times throughout the day and when I wake up again, I see a glass of water, medication, and a sandwich on my nightstand. 

I sit up and chug the water and wolf down the sandwich. When I'm done, I test my legs by standing up and walking slowly out of my bedroom and down the stairs. 

I hear Josh and Jacob's voices in the kitchen. There's the sound of something sizzling on the stove and my stomach growls even though I've just eaten.