20 February 2020

Score: We're Not Kids Anymore - Cat Burns

Lydia

"Why do we do this to our bodies?" I whine, my face glued to the white table cloth. Gloria managed to somehow wake me up and drag me out of the room for breakfast. She's filled a plate with croissants and pastries and has ordered three espressos for me, which are lined on the table in front of me.

I have the feeling that I have been caught under a snow groomer. I have never felt like this, in my life. I feel like I've got the flu, and have had a sunstroke at the same time. My head is spinning and my throat hurts from retching.

I am a pathetic mess.

"I'm never, ever, drinking again!"

"If I'd known you'd take it this bad, I would have stopped you." Gloria says, the image of innocence.

"Yeah, right!" I lift my head up from the table. Stars erupt before my eyes. I shoot my hand up to cover my eyes. "Ow..." I howl. "The last thing I remember is you, laughing, as you held my hair back. Just admit that you were amused by my state."

"Lyds, you would have been amused by your state, if you could have seen yourself." Gloria bursts out laughing.

"Go on. Laugh."

"Sorry." Gloria tries to stifle her laughter. "So, you actually blacked out?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after you were finished pouring your soul out into the toilet, I took your soiled shirt off, covered you with a towel and left you in the bath tub. Patrick and I went to look for Advil or Aspirin and Mark stayed to keep an eye on you."

That's weird! I swear I got to bed right after I stopped throwing up and that Patrick was there!

"How did I end up in my bed, wearing Mark's hoodie, then?"

"I don't know." Gloria shrugs. "When we came back, you were already asleep in bed, and Mark was nowhere to be seen."

"Wait, where did he sleep, then?" Alex and Nate had not let anyone in the boys' part of The Cabin the entire night, which meant that Patrick and Mark were forced to sleep in our living area. Gloria and I passed by a snoring Patrick, who had clearly fallen slept on the sofa on our way to breakfast. But where is Mark?

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Gloria nods her head at someone or something behind my back. Before I can turn around to see what it is, two hands land on my shoulders and squeeze. I wince and duck my head down.

"Ouch!"

"How're the walking dead this morning?" I hear Mark's voice from behind my back.

"Funny." I scoff. "Hilarious."

He squeezes my shoulders again.

"I feel horrific. And I blame you." I yank my head back and my eyes lock with his golden-brown ones.

Dark circles are surrounding his eyes. He looks pale and tired. There's an amused spark in his eyes, though, which makes me start laughing.

"I'm glad you haven't lost your sense of humor and you can laugh at your own expense." He says, letting go of my shoulders. I suddenly feel cold, like, his touch was keeping me warm. I blame it on the alcohol sweats. "I hold no responsibility whatsoever for your state." He ads. "I didn't pour it down your throat."

"But you brought it." I protest, breaking a croissant in half with my fingers.

"And you are the only one, who got smashed." He sits down in the chair opposite me and leans back, folding his arms over his chest. "I hope you didn't vomit on my hoodie."

I can feel myself blush intensely.

"How did I end up wearing your hoodie in bed, anyway?"

Mark shakes his head. His expression changes. Clouds suddenly gather above his brow.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" He asks.

"Well, I remember some things." I pout.

"Yeah? But you don't remember how you got into bed?"

"No." I look down at my hands.

Mark seems to relax a bit, or it is only in my head. Weird.

"You said you were cold. I gave you my hoodie. I carried you to bed. It's no big deal."

My ears feel unnaturally hot. Oh, my God! He saw me naked?! I swallow past the embarrassment in my throat.

"But...I was naked..."

"I told you, it's no big deal. Trust me, nothing that I haven't seen before." Mark says. His brows are so pulled in, it looks painful. "Plus, we're best mates, which means that I am immune to your charms, even if you had any."

"Asshole!" I flip him over. "Wait, did Patrick see me naked?" Oh, Lord, please, kill me now...

"No, he didn't." He snaps, straightening his back. Gloria yanks her head, clearly startled by his harsh tone. "Don't worry." He adds, more softly.

His eyes haven't left my face even for a second, since he arrived at the table. I feel kind of uncomfortable from the intensity of his stare. He's acting really weird.

Suddenly, Gloria straightens in her chair and waves her hand in the air.

"Aye, love birds!" She yells. I turn in the direction she's waving at and see Alex and Nate, walking in the restaurant, holding hands. They look radiant and their faces are stretched in huge smiles. Gloria bursts in laughter.

"Good morning." Alex says, pulling the chair next to mine and plopping onto it. "Wow, what happened to you?" She asks, looking at me.

"Doesn't matter." Gloria swats her hand dismissively in the air. "The question is, what happened to you?"

Alex blushes, but her smile doesn't fade. "I'll talk to you later." she whispers mischievously, so that only Gloria and I can hear.

"Did it hurt?" Gloria presses.

"I said later, Gloria!" Alex hushes her.

Nate materializes at the table, carrying two plates, piled with what seems like the full buffet.

"Thanks, babe, I'm starving!" Alex sighs, taking a plate from Nate.

"I bet you are..." I mutter, earning a smile from Gloria.

"Not cool, mate, not cool!" Mark says, leaning across the table and wagging a finger in Nate's face. "I didn't have a place to sleep last night."

"Oh, right, where did you sleep?" I jump in. Mark slides a glance my way, but doesn't respond. He looks back at Nate.

"OK, I get that you wanted some privacy for your big night. I can't imagine how I would have...performed, if a bunch of cockblocking idiots were standing right outside the door, while I was losing it, but, at least, you could have let us in into the living area."

"We're sorry, guys." Alex says, looking at her croissant.

"Sorry about what, love?" Nate's mum squeezes Alex's shoulder. Alex freezes. Her eyes go wide and she looks like she's going to throw up. Headmaster Farrell appears behind Nate's chair.

This is getting better by the second!

"We've just finished breakfast." He says. "How was the night ride, son?"

Nate chokes on his coffee. He looks like his eyes are going to pop out of their orbits, his complexion resembling the white table cloth.

"It was great!" Mark jumps in, grinning at Headmaster Farrell. "A little bumpy, though. Bouncy."

Gloria squeals and I can swear she's about to lose her shit.

"Right." Nate's mum says. "OK, we're going to head for the spa. Have fun, kids!"

They disappear among the crowd, which floods through the massive double foors into the restaurant for breakfast. Gloria finally explodes. Tears of laughter are running down her face.

"What was that?" Alex asks. Her eyes haven't still returned to their normal size.

"I had to tell them you went with Lydia, Mark and Patrick for a night ride, because none of you showed up at dinner last night." Gloria says.

Patrick.

"Where's Patrick?" I look around.

"Why don't you go look for him?" Mark asks with icy voice. He then strengthens and leaves the table.

"What's with him?" Alex asks.

"I don't know..." I frown. "He's been acting weird all morning. Maybe he's pissed off that he didn't get to sleep in his bed."

"What's the plan for today?" Nate stuffs a whole pastry in his mouth.

"I'm going to the spa." Gloria says.

"I'd like to hit the slopes." I say. Who am I kidding? I am in no state to snowboard.

"Oh, babe, you're definitely going to get yourself killed, if you go out there in the state that you're in." Gloria pats my shoulder.

"What did you do last night?" Alex asks.

"It's a long story." Gloria grins. "I'll tell you all about it later."

************************

Back in our room, I tiptoe past a still very much asleep Patrick towards the bathroom. I pause to look at him, as he is sleeping. Not in a creepy way, no. I just want to admire him from afar for a bit. That's no crime.

His features, as if taken from a boy band catalogue, look so soft and calm, as he's sleeping. His full lips are slightly parted and I wonder what it would feel to kiss them.

Weird. I have a floating feeling that I already know the answer. That's impossible, though. I've never kissed Patrick. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Patrick shuffles in his sleep and I resume my walk to the bathroom. I don't want to get caught, staring.

I take the longest, hottest shower in the history of showers and then go back to the bedroom. Still in my towel, I lay my snowboarding gear on the bed. Maybe it's the hot water, but I feel suddenly light headed. Maybe Gloria's right. Maybe I shouldn't be going out in the mountain in such a state. Maybe I should lie down, have a little nap. An hour's nap won't hurt.

Yeah, that' exactly what I need. I scoot on the bed next to my clothes and pull the covers over my body, still only in my towel. I can feel myself drifting away almost immediately.

*************************

I open my eyes and have to blink a couple of times, before I realize where I am. To my horror, the room is semi-dark. I jolt upright and look around, panicking. How long have I slept? Where is everybody? Have I wasted the entire day, sleeping?

On the up side, I feel much better now. I feel like a brand new person, actually. Also, I am famished.

I pick up my phone from the bed, where I put it before I fell asleep. Oh, my God, it's 4:30 in the afternoon. I have slept for six hours.

I walk out of the dark bedroom and into the empty living area. Everybody must still be on and about their business.

I decide to head for the spa. I will clearly not have the chance to hit the slopes today, so, I might as well sweat the alcohol residue out of my system.

I walk back to my room, pot on a bikini, drape the bathrobe I found in the wardrobe above, slide my keycard into the bathrobe's pocket, and leave the room.

I pad to the lift, my flip-flops squeaking in the dead hallway.

When the elevator doors open at the spa area, my nose instantly gets hit with the heavy, moist smell of essential oils, warm wood and mineral water. The spa is massive and is decorated in old Roman style. Statues of Roman gods are lining the hallway. Maps of the natural mineral springs in the region are hanging from the walls in gold-painted frames. The spa is in complete contrast to the alpine-style decoration of the rest of the hotel.

There's a twenty-five meter heated inside pool, which transits into an outdoor one via a small arch in the wall opposite the entrance. A clear plastic curtain is covering the arch and people are swimming through it, moving in and out. I spot Gloria and Alex in the far corner of the pool and walk to them.

"How are you feeling, babe?" Alex asks me, when she sees me.

"A lot better, actually." I respond, tossing my bathrobe on a near-by longe chair. I test the water with my toes, then sit on the edge of the pool and put my calves in the water. The warmth instantly dissolves the tension there.

"Oh, my God!" I moan.

"I know." Gloria winks.

"What have you been up to, while I was reanimating."

"Well, Alex has been telling me about what she and Nate were doing last night." Gloria floats around, mischievously.

"Seriously? Why didn't you wait for me?"

"Don't worry, there's plenty of spicy details, we haven't gone through it all yet."

"Aye, ladies!" Mark's voice echoes through the pool area from behind my back. I turn around to see him walking towards us, a towel draped over his left shoulder. He's changed into surfer shorts, which are hanging low on his waist.

It is both amusing and annoying to watch how every girl by the pool looks up at him, attracted by his voice, and their jaws drop.

OK, I admit, Mark can be considered good-looking. He has a toned, lean torso and strong-looking, sculpted legs now, very much unlike the lanky teenager he had been, when I last saw him topless, at fourteen. He had that specific look that teenage boys get, like a stretched jelly worm, back then.

But the boy, walking by the pool now, has no resemblance of a jelly worm. He's more like the statues of Roman gods, overlooking the pool.

Not knowing why, my mouth suddenly waters.

"Any big plans for tonight?" He nods at Alex, whose cheeks blush.

"No. We'll let you sleep in your beds tonight."

"Eww. I'm calling house-keeping right away. I don't want to lie in bodily fluids."

"You" Gloria pokes his foot with her finger from the pool, "are disgusting."

"Always." Mark winks. "I am going in the steam room. I'll see you all at dinner." And he walks into the area, where the saunas are, followed by the longing gazes of a few other girls.

"God, can they be more pathetic?" I roll my eyes.

"He is a very good-looking lad." Alex says.

"Maybe." Gloria shrugs. "You just haven't known him literally all your life and you are unbiased by his black hole of a soul."

I let out a small laugh. Gloria and Alex start talking about something else.

I steal a glance in the direction where Mark disappeared, with this weird, bittersweet feeling in my chest. It's like I've just realized he's grown up. We've grown up. We're not kids, playing Harry Potter anymore. It's kind of sad, but sweet at the same time.

Maybe it's just nostalgia and the heated pool, but I suddenly feel a pleasant warmth spread in my body, like a drop of water on a fresh water-colour painting.