Brooklyn James

Chapter Three

Early the next morning, I had woken up to the rumbling in my stomach and the constant sour tasting burps that I was doing. Suddenly the room filled with the smell of liquor as everything came up and into the trashcan that Alysia left beside my bed. I heard Alysia groan then rolled over to look at the time.

9:23am. 

“Brook, please hurry up and finish. I’m freakin tired. You kept me up all night drunk talkin.” I ignored her and continued to let myself go inside of that small trash can as I promised God that I’d never drink again if he left me survive the hangover I was experiencing. After what felt like hours of throwing up I had finally dosed back off to sleep. I was being shaken three hours later. I peeked one eye open to see Alysia staring down at me.

     “Get up and take a shower or something and get this damn throw up out the room. It smell sour in here.” I sucked my teeth and threw my purple blanket back over my head. I laid there for a minute still feeling Alysia standing over me. I threw my blanket back to see her staring at me with narrow eyes. She was right, it did smell sour, and our room didn’t look any better. Rushing to the party we’d thrown every article of clothing we had all over the place.  When we were first assigned to our room it resembled a jail cell. White cinder block walls, uncomfortable twin size beds on each side of the room connected to the wall. Our shelved desks were connected to the wall as well as our dressers as if we were going to run out with them. We had to make the room our own, hoping that our taste in design didn’t clash. Pink and Purple. Area rugs had now felt plush under our feet as we stood from our beds. The walls couldn’t hold picture frames so we taped pictures of our family onto the wall. Before vomit invaded our nostrils, the room smelled like vanilla.     

“Aight, let me go brush my teeth then I’ll be back to help you with this room.” We shared the bathroom with twenty other different females. Of course I wish I had gotten a room in the dorms that were apartment style like, but I was use to living the way I was. I had been doing it for three years already. The bathroom had three six toilet stalls, five shower stalls and four sink bowls. I always tried to take my showers at night so I didn’t have to experience the early morning rush.

I sat against my headboard playing with a stuffed animal that I brought at some store when visiting Myrtle Beach but I had told everyone that some guy from my past that meant a lot to me won it for me. I didn’t want to seem too sad and pathetic for buying something like that for myself.

I looked at Alysia as she sat at her desk with her books wide open and high lighter in her hand. She was an inspiration that I wasn’t ready to follow behind. She was so clean cut. I on the other hand was known to get around and had built a reputation of the female who’d accept any kind of offered sex. I was promiscuous and did enjoy casual sex, but most of the rumors floating around had been greatly exaggerated; like the one that said I had let the entire football team run a train on me after Homecoming a few years ago. Now, I did sleep with all the players that weren’t gay; but not all at once.

     “Aly, I love you. You’re my best friend, for real. I know I do some fucked up shit and I might even take advantage of you sometimes and I’m really, really sorry. I love you with all of my heart and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me these past three years we’ve known each other. You got my back, no matter what; and I want you to know that I’ve got yours.” She smiled and nodded at me.

     “I love you too Brook but you gotta chill out. Every time we go out you gotta get drunk or you gotta fuck someone, which is not my business, but I get worried some shit gonna happen to you.” There was no need to respond because deep in my heart I knew she felt some type of way about me. She put up with my funky attitude, mood swings, and other annoying things that made me who I was. Our friendship wasn’t perfect; but I loved her regardless and knew she was only trying to help.