Mikey woke up the next day with a blinding headache, the result of her drinking. "I'm soo never going to do that ever again!" she groaned as she sat up in her bed. Wait, her bed? Mikey opened her eyes wider and looked around in confusion. She swore the last thing she remembered last night was laughing with Bam about something before passing out on the floor with him. She winced as a very loud knock on her door hit her hard. "Ugh, come in," she said, rubbing the temples of her head to try to relieve her pain.
Zigzag walked inside her room with a Tylenol bottle in his hands. He moved her curtain aside and smiled down at her. "How do you feel?" he asked, taking a seat next to her and handing her the pills.
Mikey shielded her eyes from the bright light coming through her window and gladly took the pain reliever. "Like shit," she replied, taking two pills and swallowing them dry.
Zigzag chuckled. "Yeah well, drinking never made you feel any better." He stood up and peered down at her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Mikey covered her mouth and shook her head vigorously.
Zigzag jumped out of the way as she scrambled off her bed and ran towards the bathroom. He winced slightly hearing the familiar sounds of retching and splashes happening in the bathroom. Morning sickness, he thought, never a good way to start the day. Zigzag walked to the bathroom and knelt down beside her in front of the open toilet. He took her hair and held it out of the way, patting her back as she heaved.
Mikey flushed the sick down the toilet and pulled herself up, wiping her chin with the back of her hand. She looked paler now, her dark hair contrasting greatly with her face. She sniffed and turned to Zigzag with a small smile on her face. "Thanks," she told him as they walked out of the bathroom.
"No need to," Zigzag said. "Just repaying you for the times you took care of me when I got drunk." He took her by the chin and wiped the excess spit.
Mikey wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. "What time is it?" she asked as she let go of him. The pills, or what was left of them, were starting to kick in and her head had lessened its pounding.
Zigzag consulted his watch and told her it was nearly noon. "I think you should start getting ready and packing your stuff," he told her as he started walking out of her room. "Ricky, Michael, and I decided that since you and Ozz need time to recover, we'll leave at three."
Mikey waved at him, signaling she had understood, and closed her door. Mikey walked over to her bathroom, started up the shower, rid herself of the clothes from last night, and stepped inside the warm water.
Rise Against, at three in the afternoon like Zigzag had said, bid the Margeras goodbye, telling them that they'll see them next week. April gave Mikey a big hug and thanked her for staying.
"No problem April," Mikey told her. "Just call me up whenever you need someone to teach Bam another lesson." She felt an arm sling over her shoulders and followed it to its owner who was none other than Bam. Waving goodbye to April, she turned to the skateboarder. "I'll see you next week," she told him.
Bam smiled and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'll miss you though," he said sincerely.
"I'll miss you too," Mikey replied, stepping out of his arms. She walked over to the taxi cab at the front of the driveway and waved over to Bam before following Michael inside.
They drove over to West Chester airlines and boarded their flight, happy that they were going home again, but not more than both Ricky and Michael. Ricky was excited to see Keelie again. She had just graduated San Jose State College of Arts which she had gotten a degree in fashion design. This would be the first summer for Keelie as college graduate and Ricky badly wanted to see his girlfriend again. And the same went for Michael. He had called up Jordan two days before telling her that he and the rest of the band would come home at the end of the week.
It was late at night when they finally drove into Milpitas. The sun had set and Mikey could just see the stars high above with the crescent moon. They first dropped off Ricky at his home, then Ozz and Zigzag at Ozz's place. Last stop was Mikey's home. She and Michael slid out of the car and as Michael paid the driver, Mikey unloaded their things. Jetlag was starting to takes its toll on her and she really wanted her old comfy bed now. Michael walked over to her and took his own luggage. As the taxi drove out of the drive way, they walked inside the house. Mikey bid Michael a goodnight, who had his own room in the room next to the garage, before lugging her stuff upstairs to her own room. She didn't give a second thought or a second glance to the room across from her own as she kicked her door open and threw her bag next to her desk. Fatigue had set in her own muscles, including her brain. Mikey plopped onto the bed and closed her eyes, letting sleep take over.