You Always Go And Rescue Me

Ch. 17

I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. I felt like someone had run me over with a truck. I had the chills, my stomach was kickin, and the light was way brighter than usual. I winced as I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure how I got to the bed I was in, I didn’t remember much, but as I looked around I suddenly realized where I was. I was in my own bed.

I certainly didn’t know how that happened. When I looked over the side of my bed, I saw a little garbage can, a bottle of water and bread. I suddenly smelled something coming from the kitchen, so pulled my body out of my bed and stumbled as I followed my nose down the trail where the food was coming from. When I turned from my little hallway and looked in the kitchen Zach was standing over the stove. When he turned around a smile spread across his face.

“Hey sweetie. How are you feeling? I’m making you a porkroll, egg and cheese sandwich. You have to get some greasey, heavy food into your stomach.”

As soon as he said those words, I gagged and ran into the bathroom to throw up. I threw up, which now that I thought about it, realized I had done a lot the night before, and sat next to the toilet. Zach was next to me in an instant rubbing my neck and I leaned my face into his chest.

“What happened last night?” I moaned into him.

“I don’t know what started your night, but I know what finished it. You went to the sports bar with Courtney-“ Oh my God! Courtney.

“Oh dear God, where is she? Did she get home okay?”

“Yes babe, Travis took her to her place and stayed with her…she was just as gone as you were.” When he said that I started to remember taking shots and downing drinks with Courtney.

“Wait, how did you know where we were? You didn’t come with us…we watched the game.”

“Oh…that’s the fun part,” Zach laughed. “You apparently had your phone off because you were avoiding talking to me. So when I called you repeatedly, I panicked because I couldn’t find you. Travis called Courtney and she actually answered…she probably doesn’t remember answering, but she did. Anyway, the two of you were trashed, and Trav finally got Courtney to semi-coherently tell him where you two were, so we went there to make sure you got home alright. After we knew where you guys were-and I knew you were drunk- there was no way I wasn’t coming to take care of you.”

Still confused and a little out of it I needed a little more information. “I was avoiding you? Who said that?”

“Oh, you did. All the way home you called me a liar and told me you didn’t want someone who lied to you touching you.”

I groaned in embarrassment.

“And you stayed with me anyway?”

“Yep. I carried you all the way home. You had to stop the throw up a few times, but I didn’t leave you. Then when we got back to your place you immediately wanted to have sex,” he said amused.

“Did we?” I asked hesitantly.

He looked at me smirking for a couple seconds before answering, “No baby. I like it when you’re conscience and actually know what’s going on. I would never take advantage of you like that.” He then kissed me on the forehead.

“Sorry about making you do all that.” I was mortified. I never had been that drunk before.

“Ya know,” he smiled, “I didn’t actually mind it. In some weird way it was cute- hilarious- but cute.”

“You weren’t mad?”

“Well, I was kind of pissed off that you got so un-functionally drunk without me there but after I heard your drunk words, I realized it was partially my fault.”

I looked at him confused.

“I know you know what I’m talking about. You were pissed at me because I lied to you the other night,” he said quietly.

When he said those words I realized exactly what had happened. He was right. I was so livid, hurt and sick over him lying to me that I took a couple of drinks with Courtney. Those “few” drinks spiraled out of control and we got to the point where we couldn’t even see. We had to have passed out before the guys got there, but I honestly didn’t remember. I started to have very vague flashbacks of singing and cheering extremely loud. I realized I must’ve looked like a jackass and buried my face in my hands in embarrassment.

I then remembered that I was still all those things at him and looked at him. “Why did you lie to me?”

“I didn’t want to get into an argument,” he said timidly.

“About what? You never lie to me….unless you do. I don’t know.”

“No I don’t lie to you. I just didn’t know what else to do the other night, I was in a bind and I just needed to not explain myself, so I told you we weren’t home…I know it was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

“What were you doing that was so important that you had to lie to me?”

He swallowed and fumbled over his words. “I was just really tired and…I just got dinner with the guys…” He was truly a terrible liar.

“You were tired and ate with the guys? When do you ever do that? I’ve barely seen you for the passed couple of weeks and we had a date planned…you friggin see the guys everyday lately.”

“I know…I was stupid.” He looked into my eyes and I knew he was still lying to me. His story wasn’t adding up and I knew him better than that.

“Okay…,” I gave a fake smile and tried to pretend I was okay. I’d get down the the bottom of it at some point, and I felt too sick to argue at the moment. “I understand,” I lied.

“I’m glad I don’t have a game tonight. I have to go do some things before tonight-“

“What’s tonight?” I asked confused.

“We have that team party we have to be at. Remember?”

Oh crap. I had completely forgot. We had to be at this team banquet charity thing tonight and I promised him I would go a while back.

“Oh yeah, I remember. Okay, well what time do we have to be ready?”

“Since it’s in Jersey I was just going to tell you to meet me there.” He wasn’t looking me in the eyes and the entire thing just seemed so shady.

“We aren’t going together?”

“No…I have some things I have to do, and I need to get ready and stuff, so I didn’t think you’d mind-“

“Alright, that’s fine. When do you want me to meet you there?” I was so pissed at him.

“Can you be there around nine my love?”

“Nine?” That seemed a little late to me.

“Yeah, it doesn’t start til eight, but we don’t have to be there til nine for our appearances and all.”

“Okay, yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be there.”

“He nuzzled his face into my hair so that he could whisper in my ear, “I can’t wait to dance with you and have you next to me all night. I’m going to be with the most beautiful girl in the world…well, and room.”

I rolled my eyes. I knew he was still lying to me but it just didn’t make sense. Our relationship never had any falters when it came to honesty, after everything we’d said to each other, and the lengths we’d gone in our relationship, I never would have expected cheating….I was stumped. It was possible that I was overreacting, but no one appreciates being lied to-no matter what the reason is.

He picked me up off the bathroom floor and helped me make myself somewhat presentable. We went into the kitchen where he had made breakfast for me so that I felt better. See, that was the confusing part. He was lying to me and doing something behind my back, yet he was worried last night and took care of me. It was so complicated. I decided to let it go and try to enjoy the morning with him since he apparently had so much running around to do before the charity thing.

When he left in the afternoon I went to lay down and take a little cat nap. I still didn’t feel one hundred percent better, and sleep was definitely a helpful factor. I called Courtney to see how she was first though. We both decided that we never wanted to be that drunk again because she was just as miserably sick as I was. However, I had to admit I was shocked because Travis stayed with her to make sure she was alright, which definitely touched her heart.

I had to get dressed up real nice to meet Zach tonight. When I woke up I realized I still had to go shopping and then get ready and be in Jersey. Courtney came with me.

“So…did Zach say anything?”

“Yeah, he’s still lying though, so I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it right now. It’s too bad you and Trav didn’t meet sooner though or you would be going to this thing tonight. By the way, you two didn’t have sex or anything last night did you?”

“No! I was completely passed out! He wouldn’t do that!”

“Okay, just making sure,” I smirked.

“Zach took care of me all night. He stayed by me, carried me home and made me breakfast.”

“Yeah, Travis said Zach was frantic because he didn’t know where you were. He said that it was very unlike you to not have your phone on and he was freaking out that something happened to you.”

“Why the hell would he be saying all that when he…” I trailed off and I sighed. I was too exhausted trying to figure this out.

Courtney just looked at me. “That boy loves you Sar. I know you might find that hard to believe right this very second, but he does.”

I looked at her and shrugged. “I know. I just don’t understand all this. I feel like talking about it has me going in circles.”

We had a late lunch and continued shopping. We got so carried away that I didn’t realized I had to leave. I ran home and got ready to meet Zach at the banquet. I put on my sexy, yet classy, dress along with my new heels and did my make up. I ran out the door and was well aware that I would be a few minutes late. On top that, it had started to rain and I was wondering what other misfortunes I would run into trying to get there.

When I arrived I walked in and started looking for Zach. I was late and I knew he was waiting for me. I stood at the entrance to the room, which was at the top of two steps so I had somewhat of a height advantage, which helped me have better vision to be able to find him in the crowded room.

I was able to find Travis first and after a few seconds I suddenly saw Zach…but instead of me by his side, he was with another girl and they had their mouths pressed together. She was dressed provocatively and looked familiar, but at the sight of what I was seeing, I immediately froze and closed my eyes trying to block out everything I had just witnessed, willing it not to be real. I could feel the tears and the anger and the déjà vu all coming back. When I opened my eyes and looked up they weren’t kissing any longer, but Zach had seen me. He saw my face, he knew I saw everything and he looked like he wanted to throw up. He tried to push through the large group of people and get across the room to me but I turned and quickly ran out of the building and as far away as I could.

There were so many people between to two of us that it made it virtually impossible for him to get to me. I was able to escape without him catching up and I ran to the train station through the rain. I had to wait about five minutes for the train to come and I prayed that he wouldn’t get to me beforehand. When I boarded the train and it started to pull away I saw him running recklessly down the street after me, soaked. I felt like my world had come crashing down on me, I couldn’t breath and I was shaking uncontrollably. This couldn’t be real, it had to be a dream…a nightmare.

I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t know what to think. Everything I had feared was coming true. I suddenly realized I had seen that girl before. I didn’t know her name but I knew she was a puck bunny. She had tried to get with Zach in the past but he never even looked at her so I never let myself get bothered over it. I didn’t know how the hell she got in or how long they’d been so friendly, but at that moment I wanted to rip both their heads off. My heart was shattered into a million little pieces, and all those pieces were sitting in the pit of my stomach.

As the train pulled into the city I realized I couldn’t go home. Zach would be here shortly trying to explain himself and my apartment would be the first place he would go. I couldn’t go to Courtney’s either because that would be the obvious second choice for him to know where to find me. I needed to go somewhere that I wouldn’t have to worry about him finding me for a little while, and without a second thought I walked to the one person’s apartment that Zach wouldn’t think to look.