6 PILL FOR A MIGRAINE

“So I had met Steve a month ago, he’s a tech-God, and I’m telling you, such a sweetheart…”

Sweetheart, your self obsession is commendable.

I face palm myself mentally and let out a deep sigh. Why can’t I forget everything? Forget him?

I had literally ran away from the room barely restraining my tears from flowing after I saw the guitar. Lily found me soon after and she got a bit suspicious looking at my disastrous state, all panting for breath and a tear stained face.

But I had somehow managed to escape the enquiry.

That guitar though, has still hasn’t left my mind. And images of Zach and me together, continue to flood through my head.

“I think it’s getting stuck somewhere. Help me put it in-” Zach said as I kneeled to remove the part of the guitar that was causing the trouble to zip up the case.

I am almost done when I hear his playful voice as he kneels down to my level, his face so close to my own.

“You won’t be able to, let me.” I see a faint amused smile on his face. I hold my breath and find myself mirroring his smile.

“I would have, if only you had been a bit more patient.”

Our fingers brush momentarily and I struggle to fight the erratic heart beat and focus on the task at hand. He is too close for me to think clearly and I’m unable to complete the packing.

Distracting doberman!

“See, that’s how you do it.” The signature arrogant and triumphant smirk was back and all I could do in response, was roll my eyes.

I went ahead to walk on towards the gallery as I hear footsteps behind me.

Before I turn to see who it is, I jump up in fear and surprise as a thick mesh of some long rope like substance had suddenly appeared out of thin air and rolled itself around my neck.

What the f!!! Snakes, are they? Shucks!

I shriek out and jump in response.

I look down to find cable wires entangled around my neck and then upwards to find amused chocolate brown eyes of Zach Hayden.

I smack his arm, as he laughs. He is a kid. Literally and absolutely, a kid.

“Carry something, come on. I can’t carry everything.” He says with a chuckle and I notice he is indeed carrying his guitar on his back, his backpack in one hand and the mic stand in the other.

“You could have simply told me.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” I shake my head with amusement and I hear his hearty laugh beside me as I take the mic stand from him to help. Kid.

“Alanna we need one more guitar. So just pack up Luke’s and then we start.”

“Yes, sir.”

I walk up to the guitar to find an already standing Zach trying to hold back his laughter.

“You do remember what I taught you earlier, right?”

“Of course, learnt it from the best.” I use my best mocking voice to say that.

I am zipping up the chain while Zach begins to wrap up the cable wires. He glances at me once and suddenly I feel his hands moving me to the side, with a jerk.

“Watch out. You’ll catch fire.”

My eyebrows knit up in confusion as I turn around to see the candle stand with the burning candle to which I had unknowingly gone too close to. And my flowing scarf could have caught fire.

Principal Jones always insisted on having the candlestand before the late preceding Principal lit at all times, as a sign of homage.

I look back at Zach to see him engrossed in his work and once he looks up to me, I utter a hushed thank you to which he simply nods.

He does everything, first scares me and then saves me from trouble, like the perfect man I know he is somewhere.

He does get angry, beyond the normal shout and yell angry. And I will never fully understand him, in a way I want to. But even if I can make him an ounce happier, for just a minute, I will.

I am left silently smiling to myself while smacking my conscience internally to be so sick in love with these small moments. The ones where Zach was so… Zach.

“DELLO! Where the hell are you? To earth. Did you even hear all I said? Girl, don’t you break girl code.” Lily waves her hands in front of me and I blink repeatedly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Never been better.” I turn my head sideways, inconspicously.

“Just wait till school starts. Oh, just what we needed as a mood refresher – that’s Sofia Richman. ‘Rich men’ being the one thing she’s always on the hunt for! How do they even manage such literal names.”

She says with utter distaste and a mocking laugh towards the end.

I follow her gaze to see a girl with blonde hair who seemed quite beautiful except for the over-the-top makeup and the dress that left little to imagination.

Long tendrils fell along the sides of her head, the rest of the hair up in a bun.

She almost passed for a Victoria Secret model peppered with a little too much of an attitude, completely fulfilling the it-girl look.

From the looks of it, she was barking at some poor waiter for spilling something on her heels.

Typical.

My mood brightens up immediately. And I want to sell my sarcasm on eBay, so I can easily buy my month’s supply of chocolate, chicken and champagne combined.

Brunch follows soon after and I’m relieved I’m met with this one event that doesn’t ruin my mood today. I take my seat just beside Georgia and Lily sits beside me.

“I’m so starving.” Lily speaks up next to me.

“Couldn’t agree more.” I raise my vision, only to get my mood get ruined for the third time today.

Zach is sitting directly across me and just beside him is the typical rich men. No, Richman. Right. At least that’s what her name is, if I remember. All his earlier rage had vaporized and he has his cool, calm demeanor back on.

How does he even manage this? If you can even call it rage. Boys seem to come with remote controls for their moods. At least this one does.

Why doesn’t he hand out schedules with timings?

Minute 1: easy

Minute 2: more difficult.

Minute 3: manageable

Minute 4: impossible

Minute 4.3: ecstatic

Minute 5: dead

Inanimate chattering breaks out all around the table and the food is the one thing to distract me from the glances Zach is piercing through me. Die, ape.

I take a full plate of seasoned pasta with Bolognese sauce, chicken breast and some salad. I’m going to make Zach pay every penny to compensate for his existence, with my food. But then again, why would he pay? His father would.

Food remains food though right? And amazing to be true. One good thing achieved ever since I reached this place.

I fight an urge to look up. The one you get when a horror movie’s on, where you know you’ll get shit scared but you’re curious as a toddler, how glamorous the ghost looks. Male or female? How is its voice? What does it want? Does it have fangs? Is it hot?

I look up. I have to. And I do.

It was not the stare. Stare, I could have handled, but I can’t what I am met with.

Victoria Secret is all over Zach. Might I add literally and shamelessly. Her hand is roaming freely over his left thigh as she leans in to bite his earlobe.

Zach seems bored, but makes no active attempts to stop her anyway. Her other hand finds its way inside the collar of his shirt while she starts licking the earlobe. I hear a distinct moan and my eyebrows knit up in disgust and cringe. And who even does that?

Can’t they even remember they’re in public? MOREOVER AT THE FREAKING DINING TABLE!!!

With parents. It should have been hell embarrassing.

I wait for the pang of hurt but it never comes. Because, irrespective of all our past differences, sympathy and disgust is all I feel for Zach, right now.

Sympathy because it was Victoria Secret and disgust because it was… well, Victoria Secret.

I cough purposely and excessively loud to remind the overly desperate female in front of me, of the company she currently had.

She, of course, ignores it like one ignores the mosquito humming while listening to a Shawn Mendes song. But the male ear catches it. He jerks his head towards me and his eyes hold mine for a moment or two. Some devious thought seems to be brewing inside him as the corners of his lips turn upwards to form a small crooked smirk.

My eyes are narrowed, brows knitted together, mouth twisted. First of all, I don’t even who gets intimate like this.

My face has refused to change this expression while Zach turns back to Victoria Secret. Some sudden and fiery passion seems to have overtaken him as he starts moving his hand along her arms erotically while she almost kisses him.

That blistering babbling donkey - he knows I fudging hate this. I HAVE FOOD IN FRONT OF ME!

“Dello, you okay?” Lily asks me and all I can manage is a simple nod. Is no one else watching this? What about table manners.

The almost kissing by now has turned into a full blown make out session. Victoria Secret has gripped his shirt collars tightly and his hands are reaching all around her waist. I tear away my gaze as she licks his lips viciously and he, with his eyes closed, is seemingly enjoying this.

Excuse me, I have to vomit.

Even the sight of my much enjoyable food is making me nauseous now. A knot forms in my stomach as I close my eyes with disgust. I can’t even imagine how funny my face would be looking right now.

I try to focus my eyes back on my platter but the constant cringeworthy noises of the ultra passionate pair, are not helping. What’s wrong with you Alanna? Cringeworthy, really?

I’m trying to eat here, damn it! So don’t fudging lecture me on vocabulary, conscience!

This is it. I have decided to plainly and bluntly tell them to stop. I don’t care if they get awkward, which is highly unlikely, or if I come off rude.

I raise my head and almost speak up when my mouth is unable to form words. I must have gagged. Oh, Zeus.

The description of the scene, even though just in my head, is nauseous.

Victoria Secret is sucking Zach’s face out desperately, all around his lips. A trail of drool is dripping out of her mouth and onto the rest of her heavily painted face-

I stand up too abruptly, causing my glass of water to fall with a loud clank. The pair separates with shock and a unanimous gasp erupts all around the table, as all eyes turn towards me. I choke on the air I was inhaling and I try to muffle back the vomit behind a cough.

I bang open the washroom door and bustle in. I grip the sides of the well sanitized sink and wait for the vomit which doesn’t come. God, I feel so uneasy, possibly sick and my stomach just won’t co-operate enough to throw out the contents causing the probable trouble.

I need a soda.

“Normally, I would extract a good price from people given I delivered such an awesome show, but, seeing your condition, I think you’ve paid handsomely enough.”

And I need a pill for a migraine.

Author's note:

Table manners are important. Eat like humans.

Zach is a total jerk, though. Who agrees? (Playfully and not-so-playfully)

Like, vote, comment.