"Jane! Please stop. You are giving me a headache." As if to alleviate the pain, Mara started massaging her temples. "I am drunk. Please let me sleep in your house. My mom would make sure I see hell tonight if I go home like this." And that's no joke at all.
"Okay. I have nothing else to do tonight." That was quick and Mara became suspicious of how quick this naughty friend to give her this favor. I can hear a "but" a mile away from where she is sitting from. "But,.." See? "...tell me first who that guy is. The one confessing to you? If you don't want him, can I have a bite at that yummy treat? Is he delicious? Is he a hunk? Is he-"
"He's the guy who lives next to me who you have been having the hots for for a very long time." It's true. From the very first time she saw Mark, she has been asking for his number. And because, again, he is a non-existent being in my universe, I didn't have nor do I want to get it. "Please pick me up, as in ASAP. I will send you the address." GPS has been very helpful lately. No need to type an address. Just turn on navigation and send it. Done.
Her headache is beginning to pound harder. Am I already having a hang over even though I am still drunk? Is that even possible?
"Who was that?" Mark now looks sober. But wasn't he even a few minutes ago already? Damn! It's so hard to shake this guy.
"My bestfriend, Jane. You haven't met before."
"I've seen her." he said. "She often stays over at your house. I usually see her with a black Mercedes. Is she from a rich family?"
Wow! This guy knows a lot about Jane. Maybe Jane won't have to try to catch his attention that hard, then. He seems interested in her.
She can't help but clap her hands. "Yes! That's her! Black hair in Hime-cut. Sexy body. Small girl, fair and pretty!" Jane is very pretty. Unlike her. "Her family owns a chain of gas-refilling station in our province, so yes, she is rich. She is taking up nursing in one of the most expensive schools here. Wanna date her? You will like her. Very... ahm... how should I put it... adventurous."
It was really hard to distinguish what kind of emotion was shown in his face, but she interpreted it as irritation and a little bit of anger.
"Can I?" he asked.
That lit up her face immediately. "Yes!" her exagerated nodding caused her surrounding to converge in front of her, thus earning her a nauseatic feeling. "I think I need to sleep for now. Jane is coming. Tell her to-... zzzzz"
Mara is knocked out cold. 1 point for the beer. Zero for Mara.
**********************************************
"Mara!"
Someone's shouting her name. Mara didn't care though. The bed is so soft to even care.
"Mara!"
Still, Mara didn't care. She even found herself curling up more.
"I swear Mara, if you don't get up this instant, your mother will know about you getting drunk."
Now that got her. Upon opening her eyes, Jane's face is what she sees. The girl is smiling. Wolf smiling. She knows something I don't. Damn alcohol.
"I have nothing to say to you, girl. I have a headache and I don't remember anything after I had my 1 bottle, so please let me be."
The pout. The woman had the audacity to pout.
But she really can't remember anything. She is not surprised though that she ended up in Jane's house because she is always the person she calls when she's drunk. How does she remember to do that when she's drunk? No she can't. She does tell the bartender to call Jane before downing a bottle in every bar. Yup. Girl Scout here.
The headache is killing her. Being nauseous is not a trait of hers but the headache always tends to kill her. Every freaking time.
Jane is still pouting when she asked for a glass of water and a paracetamol. She may sound like a pussy, but she is allergic to any kind of oral painkillers except for paracetamol. 2 tablets of it.
When the paracetamol started kicking in, Jane is still pouting. Rolling her eyes, "What do you want to know?"
The pout was automatically replaced by a smile and her normal barage of questions. Mara couldn't catch everything. The headache came back in a full blast, and then her vertigo hit her like a train. She threw up with the dizziness that came with it, and then darkness.
**************************************************
Present Day
"Fuck traffic!" blurting out her exasperation, Mara slapped the wheel. She's been stuck there for 2 hours now. Her whole playlist now on its second repeat. Her rap playlist usually calms her down, but she feels so reminiscent today that it makes her feel irritable AF.
She has not thought of her college days for a while now and she has welcomed that. It just makes her want to go back and change some things.
But going may mean losing Marco. And she would rather live the whole horror again than lose Marco. Than not have Marco.
Marco makes everything go right for her. Marco is the light she needed when everything slowly went dark for her. Literally.
***************************************************
Back to the Past
Fast Forward 2 weeks after the incident at Jane's house.
Her vertigo has been recurring quite frequently. It tendedd to go away after her medication but it still comes more often.
She went to the eye doctor to make sure it isn't her eyes. They confirmed it wasn't it. They did prescribe eye drops just to make sure. Still not working though.
She is now in the university clinic. Hanging there for about 4 hours now because getting up would mean the whole world turning around and the feeling of losing her footing.
"Fuck vertigo." She also can't go to sleep because the spinning sensation still remains even if she has her eyes closed.
Good thing though that all her classes for the day where all in the morning before her vertigo attack. Her phone's alarm went off. Meaning it's already 4 in the afternoon and it should be time for her to go home now. Jane should also be picking her up anytime now.
Having a rich friend is a perk itself because she can always give you a ride on her luxury cars whenever you have vertigo attacks. Yassss!
She heard the door opening and closing. That could be Jane. She smiled. Her friend is a friend indeed. Their friendship goes way back and has gone through all different kinds of hardships and is now tested by time and difficulties. They promised to always be there for each other, and for each other they would do anything. They are the sisters from another mother they've always prayed for.
The footsteps though brought her back to the present. Heavy footsteps. Not Jane's.
"Mara?"