The Hardest Part of Today is a Hangover.

I groggily opened my eyes and groaned, rolling over and smacking my head (which was already aching) against the thinly carpeted floor. I groaned again as I heard laughter, but wasn’t really up to opening my eyes.

“You okay, love?”

I recognized that voice as…Curtis’ voice…I think.

“Not really,” I mumbled into the carpet, “Where am I?”

He laughed and rolled me over carefully. “You’re in our hotel room, love. Oli brought you here last night because you were passed out on the sidewalk.”

My eyes popped open to see Curtis. I groaned and rolled my head back on my neck. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“Oh, he scoffed, “I missed you too.”

I chuckled a little and looked at him from my spot on the floor. “It’s nothing against you, Curtis,” I mumbled, using the dresser next to the bed to help me up, “It’s the wh- Never mind. Where’s Oli?”

“At the store, getting you some Aspirin. Don’t leave, Anna,” Curtis whispered. Even Curtis was begging me? What the hell is this? Make Anna Feel Like Shit Month? I definitely dislike it, whatever it is…

“Curtis, I-”

“I’m back!” I heard somebody yell, then the front door slam.

“Oli,” I whispered to myself, biting my finger. “What do I do, Curtis? Fuck,” I ran over to the window and looked down, “That’s like a fifteen foot drop. I can do it, right? I mean, I can ju-”

“Shut up, Anna. You’re not jumping out of shit. Come on,” he ordered, yanking me by my elbow towards the door. I let out a yelp and tried to shake free, but he wasn’t having it. “I will tie you up if you be a bitch, got that?” he hissed.

I’d never seen Curtis like that before.

“Y-Yeah,” I mumbled, looking down at my shoes, “I got it.”

“What the hell is going on here?” Oli asked from the door, his voice slightly below yelling.

Curtis stammered, “She, uh- She fell! And I was helping her up, see?”

I nodded. “Yeah. He was just… Yeah. He was- He was…doing that.”

What the hell had I just said? I wasn’t even sure. Curtis looked at me like I had grown a third eye in the past five seconds. Hell, I would’ve looked at me like that too if it was possible…I am such an idiot.

“O…kay,” Oli muttered, holding up the bag in his hand, “I got you Aspirin. You want some?”

Suddenly, the second he said that, everything came rushing back to me - the headache, my conscious, the bitchy attitude - and I groaned. “Yeah, please,” I muttered, gripping at my head.

Curtis smirked. “I’ll go get some water.”

The second he was gone Oli handed me the bottle. “Are you feeling okay? You bit the dust pretty bad last night. I thought you were dead or something.”

I sent him a look. “Why did you know where I was?”

What, Anna? Seriously? This guy is taking care of you! Stop being a bitch and say thank you! I yelled inside my head, mentally kicking myself.

“What? You think I was stalking you or something?” he laughed, then noticed the serious look on my face. “Are you- Are you serious? You think I was stalking you, Anna? I wasn’t fucking stalking you!” he yelled, standing up.

I stood up right after him. “Then what the fuck were you doing? Huh, Oli? How did you know that I was passed out on a sidewalk? Were your Oli senses tingling?” I yelled back at him, stomping my foot.

He laughed. “Not everything’s about you, Anna. I thought I was being nice.”

“Well, you should’ve just left me there. I would be fine,” I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

“What the fuck are you talking about? Somebody would be raping you for the umpteenth time right now if I hadn’t picked your drunk ass up off the side of the road! You should be fucking thanking me, not bitching at me!”

I groaned. It was a loud groaned, full of anger and just plain…annoyance. I was tired of all of this shit. This was the last thing I needed.

So I grabbed my jacket and my bag, stomping out of the room, right passed Curtis, who was holding the water with a grin on his face, clueless. Oli followed my right out the door, stomping behind me.

“Where the hell are you going now, Anna? Huh?”

“The hell away from you!” I yelled, swinging open the door to the room. “Now leave me the fuck alone,” I muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

He yelled at me as I stomped down the hall, “I would if you would just fucking disappear!”

[-Oli-]

I was with Curtis and Matt N. at a Mexican restaurant down the street. I didn’t realize it was the same one that Anna and I had gone to only so many months ago until I was sitting now and eating my bean burrito.

“You told her to disappear?” Matt muttered around his fork.

I sighed, running my hand through my hair and leaning back in my chair. “Yeah, mate, I did. I’m hoping she doesn’t take it personally and actually leave.

“I doubt it,” Curtis started, then took a bite out of his taco, “But, with no offense, mate, she can’t stand you for the life of her. She tried to jump out the window when you got back to the room. I don’t know what it is, but it’s something…” He took another bite out of his burrito, then said: “I doubt she’ll even care.”

That hit home. Mainly because I knew it was true.

I needed my brother.