Chapter 25 | Hangovers and brown gloop

Isabella:

"Good morning my darlings," My grandmother chirps, walking into my room the next morning with a pip in her step. She steps over Grace who is sleeping soundly on the floor to get to the window and tugs the curtains open.

"Why are you shouting," I groan, covering my eyes with my hands. "And it's too bright!"

"Oops sorry mija," my abuela replies sheepishly, tugging the curtains back closed. "Forgot you all were hungover."

"Hungover?" I briskly sit up on the bed, my eyes flying open. Big mistake. It's like someone has run over my brain with a tractor. "We're, ouch, not, ouch...hungover."

"We are hungover," Mia groans from beside me, moving restlessly. She brings a hand to her head. "It's like someone is smashing my brain with a hammer."

"Shhh," I whisper-yell, poking her with my foot. "We're not supposed to tell her that!"

My abuela sends me a knowing look and I wince my eyes shut. "Please don't tell our mom's," I plead. "I'm still in pain from the last time I got beaten up by Ma's sandal."

My grandmother merely laughs and waves her hand dismissively. "Oh don't worry cariño, when I was your age I got up to much more wilder things that getting drunk at a party on a Friday night."

"So we've heard," Mia croaks, slowly sitting up. "Abuela when are you going to tell us the actual stories?"

"Soon, my loves," she smiles before clasping her hands together. "But for now I have the perfect remedy to get rid of that disgusting hangover. Come downstairs in 20 minutes!"

And with that my abuela, strolls out of the room.

"God I'm never drinking again," I whine after she leaves. "Maybe I shouldn't have drunk so much...it was only my second time drinking too."

"Really?" Mia asks, burying her face in the pillow. "When was your first?"

"I don't know...I think when I just turned fourteen? I can't really remember but my classmates managed to persuade me to join in on one of their field seshes after school." I grimace thinking about the memory. "Let's just say Asda brand alcohol and drunk fourteen year old boys are not a good mix...I never went back ever again."

Mia snorts. "Fun."

I swing my legs to the edge of the bed and sit still for a second, trying to get my head to stop spinning. As I'm doing so, Grace stirs in her sleep.

She's still wearing her costume from yesterday, as am I and Mia, we had simply been too exhausted and drunk to change when Lucas has dropped us off after the party.

It had literally been a struggle, trying to wake up Mia and Grace and trying to haul them out of the car and into my room but we somehow had managed - even though Lucas had been the one doing all the work.

"Where am I?" Grace croaks, rubbing her eyes. "And why does it feel like someone is eating my brain."

"Aidan probably did yesterday," I snort. "From the the way you two had been hardcore making out, I wouldn't be surprised."

"What do you mean?" She groans, pushing her golden locks away from her face. Her brain takes a couple of seconds to catch up with her and when it does she sits up abruptly. "Ouch!" She yells, grabbing her skull with both her hands. Once the shooting pain has stopped she turns to look at me with wide eyes.

"Ohmygod," she gasps. Grace begins to frantically shake her hands in front of her face. "I kissed Aidan!" She exclaims. "I fucking kissed Aidan."

"Yeah you did," I smirk, out stretching my palm so she could high five it. She smacks my hand away.

"This is not a good thing Bella!"

"Uh yeah it is!" I reply in a duh tone. I poke Mia's shoulder. "Innit it's a good thing that they kissed."

Mia writhes from underneath the covers. "Wha?" She asks, lifting her head ever so slightly from the pillow. Her hair is a mess and her makeup is smeared everywhere. "Oh right, yeah it's a good thing Gracie." She shoots our friend a thumbs up before dropping her head back onto the pillow and covering her face with the duvet.

Grace, not taking the hint, begins to frantically stand up and start pacing up and down my room.

"Ohnonononono!" She wails. "This can't have happened! What am I going to do!"

"I'll tell you what you're going to do," I tell her and Grace whips her head in my direction, her face pulled into a look of distraught. "You're going to walk up to him at school on Monday," I begin and she nods her head desperately, urging me to continue. "And tell him you love him before kissing his mercilessly!"

"Isabella Doodoohead Quintero!"

"That's not my middle name-"

"It is now because of the way you're acting! This. Is. Not. A. Joking. Matter!" Grace scolds, placing her hands on her hip. "It's practically a life or death situation and you're giving me stupid ideas!"

"Hey!" I frown, placing a hand over my heart in mock hurt. "My idea was not stupid! I personally think it was very smart!"

"I agree!" Mia perks up from beside me, propping herself up on her arm. "I think you should follow through with Isabella's idea and then-" she pauses to smirk wickedly. "Have his babies!"

Grace merely stares at Mia, blinking slowly before sucking in a deep breath. Mia and I look at each other worriedly.

I widen my eyes and throw Mia a look that says 'uh oh what did you do?! She's going to combust any moment now!'

Mia sends me one back. 'I'm scared."

I nod my head slowly, pulling my lips into a thin line. 'Me too.' She grasps my hand and squeezes it comfortingly just as Grace explodes.

"I CANNOT WITH YOU GUYS! I NEED ACTUAL HELP AND YOU TWO IMBECILES THINK THIS IS A LAUGHING MATTER? HUH?!?!? WHEN YOU ATTEND MY FUNERAL NEXT WEEK AFTER I YEET MYSELF OUT OF MY WINDOW...YOU WON'T BE LAUGHING THEN!! SO STOP BEING SILLY AND HELP ME FOR GODSAKE YOU FUCKING PUTAS!"

"Okay...babe calm down," I tell her gently, trying not to aggravate her even further. "We'll give you actual advice now, I promise!"

"Yeah," Mia nods her head vigorously. "Why don't we all shower and get dressed and then we can discuss this for real. Okay?"

After taking a couple of deep breaths and calming herself down, Grace nods her head solemnly. "Okay."

***

"Abuela...what is this?" Mia questions, as the three of us sit gobsmacked, staring at the brownish liquid my grandmother had placed in glasses in front of us.

"Ew look something is moving in mine," Grace gags, pushing the glass away and smacking a hand over her mouth.

"Oh don't be dramatic!" My grandmother scolds. "It doesn't taste that bad and plus it'll get rid of your hangover in a blink of an eye."

"I don't want. I don't want it." I shake my head, wanting to throw up at the sight of the poo gloop.

"If you don't drink it I'll tell your mom's that you drank alcohol at the party!"

The three of us down that drink before my abuela even finishes that sentence.

We feel the effects of the gloop shortly after. "You were right that was magic," Grace says, sitting up on one of the kitchen stools at the island.

"I told you," my grandma replies smugly.

"It tasted like wet newspaper that had been dipped in sewer water which a dog had eaten and then shat out," I point out.

"True," she agrees. "But it worked no?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Yeah I guess it did."

"Anyways fuck the juice it's time to solve my problem time," Grace groans, putting her head in her hands.

"I personally I agree with Mia and Bella's tactic," my abuela speaks up.

Grace shakes her head. "I can't-"

"Look just hear us out," Mia interrupts and I nod my head in agreement.

"You like Aidan am I correct?"

Grace nods her head. "I have since we were little kids." She lets out a dreamy sigh. "I mean when we were younger it was just a little crush and that kinda faded as we split up in high school and stuff but since we've all be hanging out again...the crush has come back but like stronger this time."

I slap a hand over my mouth. "Omg that's so cute."

Grace scratches the back of her neck awkwardly. "Also we've been hanging out quite a bit."

Mia furrow's her eyebrows. "Hanging out?"

"Yeah, like, we've obviously hang out as a big group sometimes with all of you guys and stuff but his brother and my sister also do soccer practice together so after we drop them up on Sunday's we...kinda hang out." She smiles at us sheepishly. "Also I've had dinner with his family like 3 times and I really get along with them. I've gotten pretty close with sister as well."

Both Mia and I let out a little squeal

"Oh my, you two are basically like a married couple," my abuela adds, gleefully.

"Abuela's right," Mia nods. "That literally concludes this discussion - Monday morning you're telling him how you feel."

Grace looks panicked and begins to shake her head. "No I can't, he probably doesn't even like me ba-OUCH!"

I hit her on the arm. "Are you kidding me? Are you stupid? Dumb? Idiotic? What the fuck of course he likes you!"

"Yeah exactly!" Mia exclaims. "You just told us that you hang out with him every weekend."

I nod my head vigorously, agreeing. "Yeah also don't you see the way he looks at you!"

"Mhm. And you literally said you have dinner with his family all the time!"

"Yup and you hardcore made out with him at the party yesterday and there's no way that wouldn't have happened if he didn't feel even the slightest attraction towards you!"

"And," Mia begins. "You're like extremely hot and funny and so sweet and kind...you're literally the whole damn package girl...what's there not to like?"

"Yeah," I agree before taking a deep breath.

"Alsothereiskindathatthingwherehehadbeeninlovewithyousincewewerekids."

"Exac-excuse me WHAT?"

The three of them whip their heads around so fast, I'm surprised their skulls don't snap right off their necks.

"What...what did you just say?" Grace asks slowly, processing what I had just blurted out.

Now I'm the one looking sheepish. I don't look the three of them in the eye. "He may have kinda told me that he was in love with Grace."

"Since WHEN?"

"...Since we were 7 years old."

There's a pause. A very long pause. And then:

"ISABELLA QUINTERO!"

I flinch at Mia's loud tone. "You forgot the doodoo head middle name."

"ISABELLA FUCKING DOODOO HEAD QUINTERO!" She continues to scream. "YOU KNEW THIS FOR LIKE WHAT? 60 YEARS AND YOU NEVER THOUGHT TO TELL US?"

"He made me pinky swear I wouldn't tell anyone!" I wince. "And I can't break a pinky promise! I only did right now because it's for a good cause...but the guilt is eating away at me!" I open my eyes to see Mia, with pure rage raging in her iris. Grace simply looks gobsmacked. Like all the wind has been knocked out of her body.

I send my grandma a pleading look and she flits her eyes between the two girls and then back to me. "This is on you mija," she tells me before briskly running out the kitchen. What a traitor.

"Look listen guys," I laugh nervously. "Now that Grace knows 100% that her feelings will be reciprocated by Aidan...we should go over a game plan."

They don't reply and I bite my thumb anxiously. A few agonising seconds go by but it feels like hours.

Then, Mia finally breaks the silence. She points to the door. "That's it...you're on timeout!"

━

AUTHORS NOTE:

Ooo look at me, two chapters in a day 😎. I am on a roll! (I should be doing homework lmfao 😔🤚) Anyways hope you enjoy this chapter! Aidan and Grace are my lil cuties <33

Lots of love - Mai x

P.s don't forget to vote!

Also 8 whole people have added this book to their reading lists!! I. Am. Screaming! Thank you so much everybody 🥺