Chapter 55: My helicopter license Oh, the headache. The regret. The desire to forget. I rolled over to my side and reached out for my phone with eyes closed. Momentarily blinded by the screen light, I typed to Jake my new song lyrics: Oh the headache, the regret, the desire to forget. I then lay on my back and groaned. I regret so much about last night. I've made a complete fool of myself and I don't even remember what happened after Luke and I left the club. He didn't look happy. Heartbreak through expectations. That's probably another song line. I thought about the judging looks from the others last night. I bet they wondered why I had been invited on this trip in the first place. The regret took a darker turn when I thought about my mother. Did I turn to drinking yesterday to forget? Isn't that what she does? I spend so much of my life disappointed in her and now I was on track to follow.... I pressed my head into the pillow and stifled my scream. Ow, my head. My phone buzzed. It was a text from Jake: Rough night? How does he know? The guitar playing psychic... But then I remembered I had just texted him. I replied: The roughest I added the pumpkin emoji for extra effect. After a minute, Jake replied: Lyrics aren't bad btw That's the closest to endorsement I've ever gotten from him. Maybe he'll give me credit as co-songwriter. Between my lyrics on bananas, berries and hangovers, I think we've got a hit. I lay in bed with my misery for another thirty minutes. The curtains were drawn shut but I could see the daylight peeking through. Luke tucked me into bed last night, I vaguely remembered that. I heard sounds downstairs. The house must be awake by now, but how could I face them? I checked my phone again in case I missed any messages from Luke. Zero. ** ~Downstairs~ The distorted sounds I heard upstairs rearranged into coherent words as I neared the living room. Chad was watching an action movie and his surround sound system amplified the effects. I saw his brown hair over the top of the couch, as he lay across it, watching the screen. Oma was at an oval glass table, eating a chive and mushroom omelet. She was in a blue kaftan with bracelets on her wrist. I looked around to see if anyone else was nearby and spotted Bianca sunbathing in the pool area outside. "Do you want painkillers?" Oma asked me. I must be looking bad if that's the first thing someone says to me in the morning. "I'm ok, thanks. Food might be a good start," I said, though I wasn't convinced of it myself. My stomach was still moving like jiggling jello. But for the sake of having something to do, I walked to the kitchen. The living room and kitchen were part of the same room, though a marble kitchen island created a natural separation in between. A cascading floral arrangement was positioned at the edge of the marble island, which I stopped to admire. I then used both hands to open the giant fridge and was blinded by the light inside. This hangover isn't going easy on me. I pulled out my sunglasses and put them on. Then I braved the fridge once more and stared at the overwhelming amount of fresh produce. They were all chopped, washed or diced neatly into clear containers in the fridge. I can't believe I thought Luke's fridge was fully stocked. Luke's fridge was to Chad's fridge what my fridge was to Luke's.... Ow, my head again. "Good afternoon," a stately voice greeted me from behind. I turned around and found myself staring at Mr Roland Chadwick the II himself. The myth himself. He's been an illusive and dignified figure so far. Now he was here: tall, in a suit and his moustache was perfectly coiffed. He wore a tie that matched the pocket square in his jacket lapel. And there I was, in my fluffy PJs with hair that bore strong resemblance to a bird's nest. Not to mention that I was wearing sunglasses to stare into the fridge. "We haven't properly met yet," Mr Roland Chadwick the II said, "I'm Roland Chadwick." He left the roman numeral out of his name. Maybe he's being humble? He added, "And you are?" "Hi," I squeaked, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Millie Ripley. Thank you for having us all stay at your house. It's a beautiful place." Chad's father nodded and then pointed to the fridge. I stepped out of the way as he opened it and pulled out a green bottle of sparkling water. In the silence that followed, I awkwardly stood there while he cracked the bottle open and the fizz escaped with a hissing sound. I couldn't tell what was shinier. His watch or his shoes? The front door swung open and Luke and Austin walked in. They were in work-out clothes; Luke wore a gray t-shirt and Austin a black gym vest. Their muscles gleamed with a layer of sweat. "You've been at the gym, boys?" Chad Senior asked with approval. "Chad gave us his pass," Luke replied, looking hot and tired. He pressed his hand against the cape of his neck and it only drew attention to his biceps. His blue eyes landed on me and I noticed his eyebrow raise ever so slightly. I realized I was still wearing sunglasses and hastily took them off. Why is it so hard to read Luke's emotion? Sometimes it pours out of him and other times, I feel iced out. I've always admired how Luke looks like a statue of a Greek god, but now he is a statue. Emotionally unavailable. I guess, lesson to me is be careful what you wish for. How did we go from feeling so entwined to having a chasm between us? Our worlds had collided in a little cabin in the woods, but now we were in the real world. Luke projects an image of perfection and I don't live like that. I make mistakes and he hides his. I shun the spotlight and he grew up with it. Austin came over, patting me on the shoulder. "How you feeling, champ?" "Not great," I muttered truthfully. He opened the fridge to grab Greek yogurt, "The best way to avoid a hangover is to get drunk." Chad yelled out, "Millie, it's because you didn't take a nap yesterday!" "How come your naps don't give you energy to join us at the gym?" Austin called back, while he squirted honey over the yogurt. I wanted to hug Austin. He was the one person here making me feel comfortable. I looked over at Luke who was still talking to Chad Senior. Chad's dad wanted to know all about Luke's player status and recruiting schedule for basketball. I hear 'player' and think of something completely different... Luke glanced at me a couple times while he was talking. Was he annoyed with me? Oma grabbed my attention. She dropped aspirin into a glass of water and placed it on the island in front of me.