Chapter 18

The next morning Zoë, was awoken to a very loud banging on her door.  She sat straight up in the bed.  Pain quickly flooding her head, as the banging continued.  She grabbed her head to try to make the pain and the sudden spinning stop.

“Oh my gawd!” she, mumbled still clutching her head as the banging continued, only now someone was yelling through the door.

“ZOE!  Get up!  We gotta catch our plane!” came JC’s voice.

“I’M UP!  QUIT BANGING ON THE DAMN DOOR!” she, yelled back and the banging stopped.

She fell back into the bed.  She let out a sigh of relief.  Her head was still pounding, but it felt a little better without the loud banging on the door.

Zoë, laid there for a few moments.  She couldn’t bring her body to move.  “God how much did I drink last night?” she, asked herself.

Finally, after laying in the bed for a few more minutes, she drug herself out of bed and into the bathroom to take a quick shower and brush her teeth.  Once, done with that she threw on a pair of sweatpants and a big shirt, and then threw the rest of her stuff into her bag.

As she was zipping up her bag a knock came at her door.  “You ready?” JC, called through the door.

“I’m coming!” she, yelled back.

Grabbing her bag off the bed, she drug it towards the door.  When she opened the door she expected JC to be standing on the other side waiting for her, but he wasn’t.  He was already half way down the hallway with Chris.

As she was walking out of her room, Joey came out of his.  “Hey there Z!  You feeling alright this morning?” Joey, said sarcastically chuckling at the memories of Zoë the night before totally drunk.

“Shut up, Joe.” she, told him before continuing on down the hallway.

“Well, I can tell you’re going to be a load of sunshine today.  Have a nice hangover!” he, hollered after her and Zoë flipped him off as she kept walking down the hallway.  Joey, just laughed.  “I’m going to have fun torturing her.” he, thought.

And that he did.  The whole ride to the airport.  The whole time they were waiting on their flight.  And on the plane.  Joey, nagged her, and annoyed her.  He was having a lot of fun, needless to say.  And the other guys seemed to get a kick out of it too.  Chris, even joined the bandwagon to torture her.

Unfortunately, for Zoë, she didn’t have the energy to get to upset with them.  Or to fight back.  Her head was still pounding.  Even after taking four aspirins.  Her stomach was churning.  And she just wanted to sleep.  But Joey and Chris wouldn’t let her.

When the flight attendants started passing out their breakfast Zoë knew she was going to be sick.  Just the smell of food was enough to triple the churning in her stomach.  And the closer they got to her with food, the more sick she felt.

She jumped up out of her seat, fighting to get past Joey, who’d taken up seat next to her.  As a part of his plane to continually torture her.  He tried to stop her, but when he caught the look on her face, and her hand over her mouth he quickly let her go.

She rushed to the back of the plane right past Justin, JC, and Lance who were sitting diagonal from her in the middle rows.  They all looked up at her quickly.  It was obvious she was about to be sick.

“Joey, I think you need to leave her alone now!  The girl is sick!  Quit teasing her!” Lance, scolded him.

“Alright…alright!” he, surrendered.  “But ya’ll were laughing at the stuff too!” he, said getting up from the seat and moving over next to Chris in the next row over.

“Well, I think you’ve tortured her enough for one morning.” Lance, told him.

Joey, turned around and looked at JC sitting in the row behind him and Chris.  “Why aren’t you yelling at me?  Usually, you’re quick to defend, Zoë.  Why’s Lance doing your job today?”

JC, looked at Joey rather annoyed by his question.  “She made her bed, and now she has got to lye in it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Joey, asked.

“It means.  She’s the one that chose to get drunk.  And she’s the one that’s got to deal with the hangover.” he, answered

“What’s your problem?” Lance, asked looking at JC a bit annoyed by his lack of concern that his supposed best friend was sick.

“I don’t have a problem!  I’m just saying she got herself drunk, so now she’s gotta deal with it.” JC, glared at Lance.

“Usually, you’re all overly concerned about her.  And right now you’re acting like you could care less.  What’s wrong with you, C?  You’re not still pissed because she was hanging out with Emenim and them last night are you?” Lance, asked.

“Zoë’s, a big girl she can hang out with whoever she wants.” JC, answered looking down to the magazine he’d been reading before the whole conversation started.

“He’s mad!” Chris, chuckled.

JC, smacked Chris in the back of his head with the magazine.  “I am not!”

“OW!“ Chris, said jumping up from his seat and turned around holding the back of his head.  “Then what the hell was that for?  You’re jealous!  You’re pissed off because she wouldn’t leave with you last night.  And now you’re pouting about it like a little baby!” he, spat.

“Whatever you say, Chris.” JC, said shaking his head.

“Well, it’s the truth.  You even made Mike wait up on her.  And then come tell you when she got in.” Chris, declared.

“Is that what Mike, was doing in the hallway with all them last night?” Joey, questioned.

“So!  I just wanted to make sure she got in ok.  Doesn’t that go along with the whole concerned friend thing?” JC, said back to Chris, and then looked at Joey.  “What do you mean, them?”

Chris, didn’t give Joey the chance to respond to JC‘s question.  “You were more worried about the fact that she was with them!  You know you were.  So just admit it.  Hell, I’m not happy she was hanging with them either.  But like you said she can hang with who she wants.  And as long as they treated her with respect then what’s the problem?  But you haven’t even said hardly two words to her all day long.  It’s like your trying to play mad at her and give her the silent treatment.”

“Chris, you don’t know what you’re talking about!” JC, grumbled and turned his attention back to Joey.  “So?  What do you mean THEM?”

“You guys didn’t hear them in the hallway last night?  Zoë, Emenim, and two other guys.  The one’s he’s always with.  I have no clue what their names are.  They were all drunk.  Laughing and joking around in the hallway.  Making all kinds of noise.  I opened my door and they were all standing in front of Zoë’s room talking.  I asked Zoë, if she was drunk and they just laughed at me.”

“How long were they there for?  Did they go in her room?  Mike, didn’t tell me all of that!  MIKE!” JC, said growing angry.

“Leave Mike alone!  They didn’t go in her room.  Mike, came down and ushered them away and into the elevator when he seen I was awake and in my doorway.  And then Zoë said goodnight and went to bed, and then so did I.  It’s not a big deal.”

“But Mike didn’t tell me they came up to our floor with her last night!” JC, said looking around for Mike but couldn’t see him anywhere.

“Probably because he knew you would have some kind of fit!” Chris, chuckled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?  I wouldn’t of had a fit.” JC, smarted back.

“Well, what do you call what you’re doing now.  You’re getting all upset because Mike didn’t tell you all that.  I’d say you’re having a fit.” Chris, smirked.

“OK, you two shut up, here comes Zoë!” Joey, said turning back around in his seat.

Zoë, made her way back down the isle.  As she was walking past Lance he reached his arm out to grab hers.  “Zo, you ok?” he, asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.  Thanks.” she, said and moved on over to her seat and sat down.  She was relieved to see Joey had moved, and would hopefully now leave her alone.

Lance, got up from his seat and walked over and sat down next to her.  “You sure you’re ok?  You want me to see if the flight attendant has anything you can take for your stomach or something?” he, asked.

“I’ll be fine, Lance.  But thank you for being so sweet.  At least someone’s being nice to me today.”

“Joey’s, just trying to be funny and doesn’t know how!  He’s not doing it to be like mean, mean to you.  You know that right?” he, smiled at her.

“Yeah, I know he’s just got a lame ass sense of humor!  Although, ya’ll seem to share it because you were all laughing at him.  How is him torturing me funny?  Could you explain that to me?”

“Sorry, it’s just funny because usually you’d be kicking his ass, but like today you’re just so out of it.  We’re not used to seeing you that way.”

“Oh so this isn’t pay back for me hanging out with Emenim and them last night?” she, asked raising and eyebrow.

“Why would you think that?” Lance, questioned.

“Well, maybe because hardly anyone other than Joey and Chris has really said anything to me today.  And they’ve just been irritating the hell out of me.  It wasn’t like they were really talking to me.  JC, hasn’t said anything since he banged on my door this morning.  Justin, only said good morning to me.  And you didn’t really say anything until now either.  Nobody is talking to me.  So I assumed you were all mad at me because I was hanging out with Emenim last night, or something.”

Lance, looked into Zoë’s eyes.  He could see a mixture of sadness and sickness.  He suddenly felt bad for his lack of a hello to her earlier in the day.  “I’m sorry.  I was still half asleep when we was all leaving the hotel and everything.  I wasn’t ignoring you on purpose.  I swear!”

“But that still doesn’t answer the question as to if ya’ll are mad at me or not.” she, stated.

“Zo, I’m not going to lie to you.  None of us are exactly thrilled at your choice of company last night.  It’s a well known fact that we’ve got beef with him, I guess you could say.  He hasn’t been exactly civil to us.  But you’re a grown woman and you can hang out with whoever you want.  Who are we to tell you who you can and cannot hang out with.  All we care about is that you were treated with respect.” Lance, told her.

“I was treated with the utmost respect.  He’s really not a bad guy, Lance.  He’s really funny, and he was very nice to me.  All we did was hang at the party and talk and joke around.  He even admitted to me that he liked some of yawls music and that he thought ya’ll were good dancers.  All that stuff you see on TV is an act.  He’s really not a bad person.”

“Well, that’s good to know.  But what possessed you to drink like that last night.  You never drink like that when you’re around us?”

“I was having fun.  The most fun I’ve had in a while.  Everyone was drinking and laughing.  So I was drinking and laughing too.  I got carried away.  There’s really no explanation for it.  All that matters is I had a good time.  Although, I’m severely paying for it today!”

“So they didn’t pressure you to drink with them?  Joey, said they walked you to your room last night.  Did they want to come in?” Lance, asked being a little curious about the whole situation.

It wasn’t like Emenim to be so nice to people, from everything he’d heard about the guy.  And if he was praising them, it made him suspicious.  Why would he do that?  He didn’t’ trust the guy, as far as he could throw him.  The guy never had a good thing to say about them.  Never.  Lance, was beginning to think it was all some game.  Maybe the guy was trying to sweet talk, Zoë so he could go back to her room with her or something crazy like that.

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, Lance?” she, asked growing annoyed at where she assumed the conversation was going.

“You didn’t answer my questions.” he, stated.

“Well, why are you asking me stuff like that?” Zoë, defended.

“I’m just trying to figure out why they were being so nice to you, is all.  I’ve heard a lot of stuff about the guy.  I don’t trust him.  And to be honest I don’t understand why you’d rather hang out with people you don’t know, over your friends.  The people you went to the party with.” Lance, was getting upset.  Why wouldn’t she just answer his questions.

“Maybe because the people I went to the party with abandoned me and left me all by myself!” she, snapped.

“We did not!”

“Yes, you did!  Well, not you so much as everyone else!  You at least talked to me at the party!  You, Joey, and Chris that is.  Everyone else ignored me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“After you went off to look for Meredith I couldn’t find anyone.  I searched the whole party looking for someone I knew.  Ya’ll just left me at that table all by myself.  I felt stupid!  JC, never said anything to me that night until ya’ll left.  He never even came looking for me.  I guess, he was too stuck up ol’ girls ass last night!”  Zoë, said angrily.

“Come on now, Zoë.  You could have just walked up to us and joined us.  You were with us.”

“I couldn’t find you guys!  I was on my way to join Justin, Brit, Trace, and JC when I ran into Emenim and spilt my drink all over myself.  They all seemed to be having a good time without me, so when he offered to buy me another drink I agreed and went with them.  At least they seemed to want my company.  Nobody, else did last night.  But you know what I don’t want to talk about this anymore.  Because my head hurts and I just want to sleep so if you could please excuse me, Lance.” she, said motioning that he leave her alone.

“Fine, I’ll let you sleep.  And don’t get all mad at me Zoë.  I’m only asking because I’m you’re friend.  And I don’t understand how you could think we wouldn’t want you around.  That’s crazy.  But you sleep!  We can talk about this more later when you’re feeling better.” he, said standing up.

“Whatever.” she, grumbled grabbing her pillow from the floor and putting it against the wall to lean her head on.

Lance, smiled at her and grabbed a blanket out of the overhead compartment and stretched it out over her. “Sleep well.” he, told her and then returned to his original seat.