It Started With You + Me

Chapter 38: Coffee time.

-NINA'S POV-

"NINA !" I grumbled as my best friend shouted through my sleep. I grumbled a sluggish 'what?' which she promptly ignored. 

A stray ray of sunlight protruded from the gap between the two black-out curtains, defeating the purpose those specially requested curtains. I looked at the digital alarm clock that was isolated on my rather large bedside table. 4:30. I slapped my hand to my forehead and shook as the impact between hand and head was made. Now I knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of my early morning wakeup calls.  

"What?" I dragged the 'a' purposefully, impatiently waiting for a response. Assuming she had just popped into to the bathroom, I lay on my bed and tried to tame my messy hair. Starting at the front, the knots all slipped through with ease, but as my fingers went to the back, the appendages became entangled. After what felt like an eternity of hair pulling and agonising screams, I had pulled my hair into a high ponytail. 

Barefoot and curious, I tip-toed into Nika's room where she was sprawled out of the bed, her face pale and sickly. Her chest was heaving erratically and just as I thought she was going to be sick she puked to the side, sending a stream of vomit across the once perfectly polished oak floorboards.  

My eyes bulges out of my head as another round of sick emerged. Slipping out of the room ever so slowly, I ran over to the kitchen and grabbed a few things. Then stromed over to the room again.

I placed the obsurely large bucket in the other side of the double bed and tapped my best friend on the back. And motioned to the other side of the bed. With a thankful look in her eye, she turned over, rolling onto the other side. Just as round three of puke expolded, but fortunately for me, it all landed smack-bang into the bucket. The floor was soiled and the stench was unbearable, almost causing me to empty my own stomach contents. If I had know just how much she had drank, I wouldn't have left her alone last night.  

A loud groaning noise came from the other side of the bed and Nika's croaking sleep induced voice finally spoke properly, for the first time today. 

"Water!" The raspy voice shredded through the putrid air. I grabbed the bottle from my kitchen raid and an unopened packet of painkillers. Then looked back at the flaking puddle of puke. With a disgusted sigh I got down on my knees, knowing this wasn't going to clean itself. With a mop in hand, I attacked the layer of filth.

...

After a well-deserved shower and many different air freshening methods, the room was now smelling extra sickly sweet with a hint of fake floral essence, aromas of lemon and lime grime-stripping soap and yet, the lingering tinge of stale vomit... lingered. I glanced at the kitchen clock and sighed. After a quick ice-tea break it was time to get ready. Unfortunately for the agenda, the shopping trip had to be cancelled in order to allow my friend to rest and recover from last night's hangover. As it was now getting closer to 3 o'clock, it was time to get together with some of Nika's friends. 

"Hurry up!" She yelled at me, only after making me change my outfit thrice. First I was too casual, then too formal. Then she had to paint my face with just the correct amount of make-up. I groaned as I made my fourth apearance of the day, slowly emerging from the room.

She looked up it once, then critically twice. Then she opened her mouth but quickly bit her lip as she looked at the time. Giving one definite nod of approval, Nika caught herself. From her pocket she pulled out the tiny heart pendant on a lone chain and quickly fixed it around my neck. The engravings "you + me" etched onto the piece of jewellery. The piece of silver history adorned my neck, offsetting my one-shouldered, oversized plum coloured jumper and my denim bumshorts.