The Other Side - Chapter 18

"The Other Side - Chapter 17" 

Jacob awoke slowly, simultaneous trying to understand his series of absurd dreams, and wondering why he seemed to feel so heavy. He struggled to flicker open his eyelids and immediately growned. His head was pounding. He felt a sudden rush in his stomach that sent him racing to the bathroom.

Bent over the toilet seat, Jacob tried to jog his memory of last night. He didn't remember anything of the night before and that left him wondering why he was tossing cookies.

Jacob wiped the sweat from his forehead with the end of his tee shirt and froze, getting a good whiff of a certain odor from his shirt. And then, faint memories of last night popped up in his mind as Jacob realized what he was experiencing... a hangover.

After briefly washing up, Jacob threw on a new outfit and a New York Giants ball cap. He was still a bit dizzy, not quite awake yet. His head throbbed and his stomach hadn't lost the uneasiness. Even his sickness couldn't stop the wave of fury that overcame him. He didn't care if he ralphed on the way - he had to see Melissa and he had to see her now. One step out the door and he ran right into Chris.

"Whoa, buddy. Where are you headin' so fast? I was just about to take your breakfast order."

Jacob grabbed Chris by the sleeve and dragged him along. "Please, please don't mention breakfast again. Just help me get to Lissa's, hey?"

"Jake - you look like complete roadkill. What -" Chris paused. "Oh, I think I understand. Lissa up to her old tricks again?"

"You'd think I'd learn." Jacob said through gritted teeth. "Come on."

Chris held back a smirk, but followed Jacob closely. There were a couple of missteps which required Chris to lay a stabilizing hold on Jacob's shoulders, but other than that Jacob was able to navigate his way to Melissa's trailor without much trouble. His face deepened into a frown as he realized he had no idea how he get back to his own trailor last night - or even how he managed to get enough alcohol in his system to produce this severe of a hangover.

If I didn't know better, I'd think that Lissa drugged me. Jacob thought as he approached her trailor. His frown deeped, though, as he realized he wasn't completely certain thats he hadn't.

Jacob furiously pound on the door, immediately regretting it. His face turned white and he leaned against the building. Each knock reverberated equally loud inside his skull.

It didn't take long for Melissa to pull the door open. She was already dressed in her cat suit for the shoot today. Jacob tried not to think about getting through the rest of the the day, feeling as awful as he did.

"Jeez, Jake! You look terrible." Melissa said. She stepped away from the door and busied herself with the egg white omelette she was cooking on the small stove.

Jacob angrily stepped into the trailor. After a moment's hesitation, Chris followed.

"Don't play with me, Lissa. Why the hell did you do it?" Jacob asked, flopping down on the couch with a slight groan. He felt extremely disconnected, like his mind and his body weren't working together.

"Do what, Jakey-poo?" Melissa asked cheerfully, flashing him a smile. Chris simply stood in the corner watching them.

"Don't play with me, Liss!" Jacob shouted, suddenly losing it. Both Chris and Melissa jumped and stared at Jacob in surprise. "Why did you bring me back here and make me drunk? Don't tell me it was innocent. You talked me into it, I know you did." Jacob asked, but softer now, as though each word pained him to articulate. He had his eyes closed against the harsh lights above.

"It was the only way I was going to get you to talk." Melissa finally said, cutting any of the games she was playing short. She pulled her eggs off the burner and sat down next to Jake. "You weren't talking to me about her."

"That's because I didn't want to talk to you." Jacob growled, but suddenly his eyes snapped open. "Wait... her?"

Instantly, Melissa knew that she had made a mistake, saying too much. She frantically tried to think of something for cover up, but with one look into Jacob's bloodshot eyes, she knew that she was busted.

"Yeah, you told me about Becky, Jake," She said quietly.

Instantly, a cold dread seemed to go over Jacob's body. "I did?" He asked and Melissa nodded. "How much?"

"All of it."

Jacob leaned forward and put his head into his hands. He felt like he was going to be sick. He felt like his mind had been invaded, his private thoughts. What could he have told Melissa? In his drunken state, who knows how he felt. He had been trying to keep Becky out of this life as much as possible - and now, here is was in front of everything.

When nothing was said for a few moments, Melissa timidly added on. "I'm sorry, Jake..."

"Sorry? That doesn't cut it, Lissa. You knew what you were doing when you kept pouring those drinks. I told you that I didn't want to be there in the first place. But it's not just that either. You've betrayed me, Lissa." His head shot up and he looked at Melissa with fire in his eyes. "And you wonder why I broke up with you in the first place."

Jacob then got up and stiffly walked from the room, leaving Melissa with his words.

"The Other Side - Chapter 19" 

Kiryan, Madame