Something New & Unexpected

by Sarah Matthews

  Backing against the door, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes and sighed, then started to cry. Can this day get any worse? First, I have to deal with the hangover from hell, which is gonna be a bitch in and of itself. Granted, I brought it on myself, but still. Now this? Why God? I’m barely gonna be able to handle one, not both! I can’t!

  Wiping away a tear running down my cheek, I sighed then brought my head back up and opened my eyes. Taking another deep breath, I decided not to think about it and moved away from the door. Climbing back in bed, I pulled the covers up and snuggled into them, before pulling them over my head.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” I faintly heard Lillian say, just before falling asleep.

  Waking up again, I still had an extreme headache, but I didn’t have to hold my hands on either side of my head, and I just laid there. Bracing myself, I kept the blankets tightly over my head and turned over. Despite the major thumping, I didn’t feel too bad. Unlike the last time, the shift didn’t cause me to feel nauseous.

  After letting some of the pounding subside, I slowly pulled the blankets down and was surprised when the light didn’t cause me to pull the blankets back over my head. Granted, I had a blind over my window, and I still had to squint because of my head, but I thought I would have to because of the sun. Needless to say, I was glad it must not be very sunny out.

  Noticing it was quarter after ten, and hearing my stomach begin to growl, I decided to get up. I slowly took the blankets off this time and took a deep breath before sitting up. Like the turning, my head pounded harder, so I just sat there for a minute, but I wasn’t dizzy and nauseated. Once in my chair, I headed into the bathroom.

  Pulling up to the sink to wash my hands, I realized just how bad I looked. To say I looked like shit would be an understatement. I looked like I died. I thought I looked like death Tuesday morning, but that was nothing compared to now. Not only was I extremely pale, but I had large dark circles under and on top of my eyelids. My lips, which were luscious and colorful last night, were thin, colorless, and extremely dry. The only positive aspect of my face, if there was one, was that my eyes weren’t bloodshot and there were no red streaks from tears. There was one positive of my appearance, and that was my hair. Despite being loose and a bit flighty, from movement, the majority of the curls were still intact, and that made me smile.

  After putting my hair back up a little better, I splashed my face with some water, brushed my teeth, and used mouthwash. I grabbed my concealer out of my makeup bag, which was thankfully still in the bathroom, and put just enough on to cover my dark circles. After putting it back, I looked at myself one more time and headed to get something to eat.

  Before entering the dining room, I was stopped in my tracks. Sitting at the end of the closest table, to my left, was Steve with Lillian to his right. Hearing my chair, they looked at me. Without saying a word, I went up to the window and placed my order, once the shock wore off.

  “Good morning, Quentin,” I greeted him.

  “Good morning,” he responded, warmly, putting his disposable cook’s hat on his lightly salted, dark hair. He grabbed my coffee cup from the shelf and poured me a cup of coffee. “What can I get for you this morning?” he asked, setting my cup down in front of me, and putting a straw in it.

  “Just a fried egg, medium, and two pieces of toast, please.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yep, that’s it.”

  “Okay.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” he replied, walking away.

  I went over to the refrigerator to get my creamer. After adding it to my coffee, I put it back in the refrigerator then grabbed two packets of Splenda off the salad bar before picking up my coffee and heading to the table. Without saying a word, I pulled up on the other side of Lillian, away from Steve. I put the packets of Splenda on the table before carefully and slowly putting my coffee on the table. Despite my carefulness, some of it spilled on the table as I set it down.

  “Well, shit,” I slightly growled, and I saw Steve’s eyes widen, but only a little, out of the corner of my eye.

  Seeing no napkins at the end of the table, I sighed, backed up, and grabbed some from the table behind us. After cleaning up my mess, I finished making my coffee. Taking a sip, I noticed the bottle of ibuprofen beside me and I looked at Lillian and her lips were quirked up slightly. Quietly, I took two from the bottle, put them beside me, and handed it back to her. I went back to drinking my coffee, all the while continuing to watch Steve out of the corner of my eye.

  Ever since I came into the dining room he had sat quietly, watching me. The only time his expression, or anything else, for that matter, changed was when my coffee spilled, and I swore. Even then, his only reaction was his eyes. Unsure of what was going on with him, and generally curious, but still not wanting to talk to him, I decided to do a little experiment. Thinking his reaction to me swearing was because he was surprised and didn’t expect me to, I wanted to see his reaction when I interacted with my friends. I also wanted to find out if he was waiting for me to make the first move. With my plan laid out, I just sat and drank my coffee and waited for the others.

  Five minutes later, I looked up and saw Tia walking in, and I was once again envious of her lighter tawny complexion, especially on days like today.

  “Hey, Ti.” I grinned.

  “Hey.” She returned the grin, putting her bag on the end of the table behind us, before standing behind Lillian and me. “Hey, Lil.”

  “Hey,” Lillian replied. “How are you?”

  “Okay, tired. You?”

  “A little tired, but okay.”

  “And how about you?” she asked, turning back to me.

  “Okay, besides a splitting headache,” I answered, after taking another sip of coffee.

  “Yeah, I heard about your eventful night,” she said, sitting down on the other side of me.

  “How did you hear about it? I thought you had to study for chemistry?”

  “I did. Pe told me.”

  “Pedro was there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I didn’t see him,” I said, laughing a little. “Then again, I didn’t notice a lot of people.”

  “Yeah, he said you were pretty drunk.”

  “That’s the understatement of the century,” Lillian snorted.

  Tia and I just laughed.

  “Is it true you kicked Shane’s ass in shots?”

  “That boy’s got nothin’ on me,” I told her, with a cocky, and triumphant, smile.

  “Please tell me you’ve got pictures.” Tia laughed.

  “I don’t, I forgot my camera, but Lil does,” I replied, turning to Lillian, “right?”

  “Yep, I do,” Lillian confirmed.

  “Oh, good. Is it okay if I come up after I’m done with Beth?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  “Great, thanks.”

  “Speaking of that,” I said, turning back to Tia, “I just need you to ‘spot’ today.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, I just want to get a shower and lay around all day. We can do the other next week.”

  “Oh, okay. I completely understand.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” she said, a bit excitedly.

  “What?” I asked, giggling a little at her excitement.

  “Pe also told me that you told some guy to ‘fuck off’.”

  I noticed Steve stiffen, slightly, out of the corner of my eye.

  Lillian cleared her throat, and Tia looked at her and shifted her eyes in Steve’s direction, at Lillian’s eye cue. Seeing Steve for the first time, she looked back at me and I just grinned.

  “Oh,” she mouthed, and the corners of my lips twitched. “Sorry,” she added.

  I just shrugged my shoulders.

  “Hey, can you help me?” I asked, after a few seconds of awkward silence, looking in the direction of the chair b
ehind me.

  “Sure,” she replied, then got up, knowing what I was talking about.

  I backed up, turned, and faced outward, and she scooted the other chair in front of me. She leaned down and moved my footrests as I unfastened my seatbelt. Leaning in toward me, she wrapped her arms around my back and I wrapped my arms around her neck, and she picked me up and sat me in the other chair. While she put my footrests back in and backed my chair against the wall, I readjusted myself. I bent my left leg and laid it openly against the seat then bent my right leg and put my foot on the seat and pulled it back until it touched the outside of my left.

  “Comfortable?” Tia asked, putting her hands on the back of the chair.

  “Yep,” I answered.

  She scooted me back up to the table until the arms of the chair, and my leg, tapped it.

  Just as I got back to the table, I was surprised to see Jemma walking in.

  “Hey, y’all.” She smiled, putting her bag next to Tia’s.

  “Hey, Jem,” Lillian, Tia, and I responded.

  “Okay, who is he and what did he do to you?” she asked, laughing, half serious, when she looked right at me.

  I just bit my lip and grabbed my coffee when everyone else stiffened a little.

  Jemma looked in Lillian’s direction, noticed Steve, and stiffened a little before turning back to look at me. My lips quirked up. Without a word, she walked over to the table behind us and grabbed a chair. Tia pulled me closer to her as she sat back down, to make more room.

  “Lillian,” Quentin called, putting her tray on the counter.

  Jemma sat down but then started to get back up.

  “I’ll get it,” Tia said, getting up.

  “Oh, okay. Thanks,” Jemma said, as she scooted up to the table.

  “So, who are you covering for? Because I know you would still be in bed,” I asked.

  “Beth,” Quentin called again, right as she was about to answer.

  “Terese,” she told me, backing away from the table and getting my food.

  “Oh.” I snickered, before finishing off my coffee.

  “You want another cup?” she asked, putting my tray on the table.

  “Um, sure.”

  “Creamer and two Splenda, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Your creamer still in the fridge?”

  “Yep.”

  “Okay.”

  “Oh, hey,” I asked, before she got too far, “could you also bring me a glass of Sprite, no ice, please?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, turning back to my food.

  “Here you go.” Jemma put both cups on the table.

  “Thanks,” I said, taking a bite of my egg.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied, and sat back down.

  “Ugh.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t eat this,” I answered, putting my fork down. “I thought I could, but I can’t.”

  “Oh.” She snickered lightly.

  “Hey.” I playfully slapped her arm.

  “What? You’re the one who decided to get piss-ass drunk last night, not me,” she teased.

  I looked at her and she just laughed harder, as she put the strand of her dyed, Auburn red hair that wasn't in her messy bun behind her ear.

  “Scoot your tray over and I’ll fix your toast.”

  “Here,” I said, in mock irritation, and smiled.

  “What did he do anyway?” she whispered, grabbing the tray, and looking sideways at Steve.

  “I’ll tell you later,” I whispered back, looking at him out of the corner of my eye.

  As Jemma took the crust off and folded it in half, I picked up the ibuprofen and took them with the Sprite. By the time I was finished, so was she and she slid the tray back over to me.

  “So, when did Terese ask about this morning since you didn’t work last night?” I asked, taking a bite of toast.

  “Last night actually.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, I just got done helping Preston and was leaving when she was coming in to get you ready, and she asked and I told her that I would.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  Over the next half-hour, I continued to eat, and more and more people came in, and Steve just sat quietly, watching and waiting. As they came in and pulled up to the table, it was almost like they were unsure of what to do. They saw me and wanted to make a ‘smart-ass’ remark because, one, that was just how they were, but, two, they wanted to make me laugh and feel better, but they also saw Steve and were unsure what he would do or say. With their uncertainty, we mostly sat quietly and they occasionally looked at me and then Steve and then back at me, and we smirked.

  I was on my last bite of my second piece of toast, when I saw Teddy walking in and I smiled. He returned it, but stopped walking when he saw Steve. He just stood there, all 6’0”, 200 pounds of pure muscle, in a white muscle shirt, that only made his still golden skin more enticing, and track pants, with no expression, no nothing, and I just sat there and watched him. It was almost frightening because his body and face were so expressionless and I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, then he got a devious smile. Seeing it, I was relieved and couldn’t help but bite my lip, knowing he was up to something and I was anxious to know what it was. I was just glad I wasn’t the one he was going after.

  “Man, Beth, you look like shit,” he said, walking up to order food, as if nothing was wrong or different.

  Everyone literally stopped what they were doing.

  I looked at Steve out of the corner of my eye. Seeing him stiffen dramatically and start to move, only to be stopped by Lillian’s hand on his arm, I grinned, deviously, to myself before responding. “I love you, too, smart-ass,” I replied, over my shoulder with a smirk, before taking another drink of coffee.

  Teddy just laughed.

  After ordering, he came up behind me and squatted down to whisper in my ear. “You know I love ya,” he whispered, against my ear.

  “I know,” I said, and started to put my arm around his neck to rub it, but immediately pulled it down. “Eww, you’re all sweaty.”

  “I know, I just got back from the gym.”

  “Well, get away. You stink.” I laughed.

  “Ah, come on. You know you like it,” he teased, leaning closer to try and touch me, and I leaned closer to Tia.

  “Eww, get away.” I giggled, almost on top of Tia and trying to push him away.

  “Fine then, be that way,” he said, pretending to be offended, and getting up.

  Quentin said, “Teddy, your order’s ready.”

  I just laughed and so did everyone else, except Steve. “How was the workout anyway?”

  “Pretty good,” he answered, sitting down across from me, and between Preston and Shane.

  “I would’ve gone with you, but...” I said, trailing off.

  “But you were a little too hung over,” Shane finished.

  I looked at him. “Yeah, something like that,” I replied, with a hint of sarcasm, but jokingly.

  He just smiled, a little cockily.

  “And I don’t know why you’re smiling, you look like shit yourself,” I added, smugly.

  Everyone laughed and he just stared at me.

  “So,” Teddy said, and I turned back to him and grabbed my coffee, “how are you feeling?”

  “Pretty good, considering.”

  “Considering?” Steve asked, but I ignored him.

  “Really?” Teddy asked, also ignoring him.

  “Yeah, I only have a throbbing headache.”

  “That is good, considering.”

  “Considering?” Steve asked again.

  Teddy and I continued to ignore him.

  “I thought you would be nauseous.”

  “I was earlier this morning, but after I got some more sleep it went away.”

  Seeing that I only had one bite of my egg, Teddy poin
ted to it and looked at me. When I shook my head, he pointed to himself. I nodded and he smiled in thanks.

  “So you couldn’t eat this?” he asked, putting a piece in his mouth.

  “I thought I could because I was feeling better, but as soon as I took a bite I felt nauseous again.”

  “Well, I’m not surprised, considering,” he replied, a devious glint in his eyes.

  I looked out of the corner of my eye.

  As soon as Teddy said ‘considering’, Steve tensed. I turned back to Teddy, my eyes crinkling at the corners. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lillian trying to hide a smile because she knew what we were up to.

  “Considering what?” Steve asked, a little irritated.

  I put my head down to keep from laughing. When I looked back up, I noticed everyone else, besides us three, looking confused and at each other, wondering whether or not to say something.

  “Considering she drank me under the table, and that’s saying something because I can drink anyone under the table any day of the week,” Shane told him, after a few seconds, and Teddy immediately elbowed him and kicked his wheelchair. “What?” he asked, defensively, looking at him, making his ash blond hair shake slightly, rubbing his chest.

  Teddy just glared at him.

  As Teddy dealt with Shane, I noticed Steve fall back in his chair a little, dumbfounded.

  “What’s got you in a foul mood,” Preston asked, moving his shaggy, black hair away from his face.

  Teddy glared at him.

  “Oh, nothing,” Lillian said, trying to defuse the situation that was on the verge of happening, “Teddy’s just a little pissed that he had to be the third ‘DPW’ last night and couldn’t drink.”

  Preston mouthed, “Oh” and was about to ask, “Why,” when Steve sat back up and saved him.

  “What’s a ‘DPW’?” he asked.

  “A ‘Designated Pusher or Walker’,” everyone, except Lillian, Teddy, and me, answered.

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Yeah, we put it in place because some of us would get so drunk that we would either fall with our walkers or couldn’t drive our chairs,” Shane explained, laughing a little.

  “Oh, I see.” Steve laughed. “How many are there usually?”

  “Usually only one able-bodied and one disabled.”