My head was in agony when I woke up in the morning. My mouth felt dry and I my face felt red from how much I had cried last night. Make up still covered my face, making me feel even more disgusting than I already felt.
Vomit threatened to make its way up my throat before I swallowed it back, craving aspirin to aid my hangover. I wiped the remaining make up from my face before cleaning my teeth and tying my hair up on top of my head.
The thought of how disgusting the house would be was making me feel even more sick to my stomach.
Water had been placed on my bedside table by someone, but I wasn't exactly worrying about who put it there. I swallowed large gulps of the liquid until my throat felt more refreshed and the taste of vodka had disappeared from my mouth.
It was a Saturday morning and that was probably one of the only things I actually knew at this point. I checked the clock to see it had just turned two in the afternoon.
Instead of lying in bed all day, I stood up slowly and made my way downstairs, ignoring the mess around my feet and across all the furniture. Red cups littered every inch of the house, making me imagine how much alcohol was actually consumed last night.
I shuddered at the thought before I scanned the cupboard and found some aspirin. I took it with some water before sitting at the kitchen table and holding my head in my hands.
The smell of the house resembled a mix of cigarettes and vodka whilst someone had accidentally used the fruit bowl as an ash tray.
Clara and Kylie were also in the kitchen, eating breakfast, surrounded by empty cups that were once filled with alcohol. "Hey, how was your night?" Clara asked, hinting that she knew I got drunk.
"Fine, how was yours?" I asked back sarcastically to show that I understood what she meant and that I really wasn't feeling too good. She simply laughed and turned to Kylie.
"Ours was good, wasn't it?" Kylie nodded to her quickly as she was too busy scoffing down whatever cereal she had poured for herself.
Footsteps tiptoed down the stairs and thinking it was Caleb, I turned straight away to see a girl who I didn't actually know, walking down the stairs wearing less than half of her clothing.
"Sorry, where's the front door?" She asked as I pointed round a corner and to where the door was as she scooted out from where she was standing. Kylie and Clara laughed at her expense as grinned, despite feeling the exact opposite inside.
A strange feeling crept inside me as I shrugged it away and pulled out a black bin bag and began filling it with all the littered cups and food that had been left on the side in the kitchen.
Caleb walked down shortly after the girl, making my stomach twist again. "How is everyone on this fine morning?" He asked, stretching out his body, obviously in a good mood despite the hangover he probably had.
"Fine," I bluntly replied, skipping past him to start cleaning at the stairs. Picking up cups was more boring that I expected, then again my expectations couldn't have been very high.
Caleb simply smiled as he grabbed another bin bag. "I'll help," Caleb said as he strutted over to me, picking up cups on his way. I rolled my eyes as I walked up each step, picking up everything that had been thrown there.
I was getting very fed up of seeing and hearing about cups by the time I had finished on the stairs. "What's up?" Caleb whispered to me, leaning down to my level which was sitting on one of the stairs, picking glitter from the carpet, which I didn't even understand how it had gotten there.
"Nothing." I replied to him, biting my bottom lip and picking up as much trash as I could find to avoid a conversation. I think I was just grabbing at nothing at one point when I walked over to the living room.
However, Caleb followed me as Clara and Kylie continued cleaning the kitchen and everything around it. "There is something, just tell me." I shook my head and threw a few more cups into my bag.
Something was wrong. I really needed him for a part of last night before bed and he was cuddled up with some random girl that couldn't even wear proper clothes when she walked out of the house.
Sighing, I filled up one black bag then started filling another as Caleb sat on the couch next to where I was standing. Before I could move away, he pulled me by my waist so I was sitting next to him.
"Get off," I almost shouted, getting angrier as he tried to talk to me. I stood back up and hastily threw more trash into the bag. "I can see why James and Flora can't stand to be around you sometimes." He smirked as my stomach turned inside out.
He was the last person I'd ever expect to say something that cruel to me. I wasn't just a throw away girl he could treat like shit, but I was sure feeling like it.
We finished the cleaning in silence except for the talking between Clara and Kylie, but other than that, everyone did their job and completed it rather well. The house looked good as new once we had finished at some point in the evening.
I think we were all too tired to speak and I sure as hell didn't want to speak to Caleb again after what he said to me. My phone started ringing from upstairs so I sprinted up to get it, wanting to get away from the silence that was filling the house.
Every time my phone rang, I'd always hoped it was my mom telling me she was coming home. I missed her like crazy and after everything that's happened this past week, I really needed my mom here, back home with Kylie and I.
Putting the phone to my ear and not checking caller ID, I answered it with a hopeful look in my eyes. "Hello?" I spoke into the phone, waiting for someone to reply.
"Hey." I noticed her voice straight away. Anger ran through my veins as I prepared to hang up on her. Just before I pulled down the phone away from my ear, she shouted down the phone
"Please don't hang up, I really need to speak to you!" I decided that I didn't exactly have much to lose by listening to her. I wouldn't forgive her as easily as I wanted to. My anger was more directed at James now that I had taken my anger out on Flora.
"What is it?"
"Please come to my house later, I really need to speak to you," she confessed in a voice that seemed like she was crying.
I thought about it for a while. I stayed so silent on the phone, Flora had to say my name a few times just to get answer from me. "Fine." I replied, as much as I didn't want to. She seems shocked when she answered.
As much as I hated to admit it, I missed Flora. I knew how much she had liked James and I took him for myself. What she did was the word thing a person could ever do to me, but I didn't feel that way about James anymore.
As much of a bitch Flora was, I needed someone to
to talk to. Surviving alone was becoming too difficult and I needed my best friend back. My mom always taught me the saying of forgive but don't forget, and this situation was exactly when that saying would apply.
I hung up shortly after and breathed out a sigh. I wasn't completely sure if it was a happy, upset or confused sigh.
I soon changed out of last nights clothes and into some suitable clothing which consisted of some long leggings, a loose top and my black boots. It wasn't exactly a fashion statement but they were my most comfort clothes and I wasn't too bothered about looking good to walk a few blocks down the street.
Not mentioning it to anyone, I walked out into the freezing cold air. Floras house was only a short walk away so I crossed my arms to conserve heat I had left in my body before walking with my head down towards Flora's.
By the time I got to her house, I was almost frozen solid from the wind and the freezing cold temperature. Knocking slowly on the door, I remembered when I could just walk in without asking and it would be a normal thing. Now it felt strange.
I don't think I've ever knocked on her door before except from when I first met her.
From about kindergarten, we've been inseparable and I didn't want to lose that with her over a boy, especially a boy I didn't care about anymore. I mentally sighed as she opened the door, giving me a sad smile before motioning me inside. It felt strange to feel un-welcomed in my best friends house.
I knew I would never forget about what she had done, and she knew that. She knew that the whole time we were speaking and her continuous apologises reminded me that I would never ever forget.
"It's fine, Flo," I said slowly between gritted teeth after she had apologised numerous times and had cried another few times. She leaned in and gave me a tight hug. I did the same with less comfort.
It would take me a while to completely forgive her, but I guessed that this was a start. I still didn't think I could bring myself to forgive James yet. He was a piece of shit and although Flora was also, I needed someone that I could lean on.
And she was the only person I knew I somehow could.