Published: April 27, 2020

Track 10: Hangover Cure

Raven awoke to the sound of a gravelly snore. Daylight streamed in from the window, washing the room in a yellow glow. She brought her hands up to her eyes to rub away the drowsiness. Her limbs ached, her head pounded with a vicious migraine and the inside of her mouth felt dry and cottony. Ah, the tell-tale signs of a hangover. Pushing herself upright, Raven realized that she was clothed in her Halloween costume. Her feet were bare of the ridiculous boots that Cassie had picked out, but she still wore everything else. The blouse was damp with sweat against her skin and the corset had been loosened. It seemed as though the skirt had ridden up in her sleep, but thankfully, someone had the decency to cover her with the red cape like a blanket.

The bleary-eyed woman looked around and saw that she was not in her bed. She wasn't even in her own home. She eventually recognized her surroundings as Richard and Kory's apartment, meaning that the flat surface on which she laid was their living room couch. She further deduced that they had brought her back here after the party. Another snore interrupted her thoughts and she turned in its direction. Garfield's body was sprawled against the carpeted floor. He laid face down and his limbs were tangled in a mess of sheets. His neck bent at an awkward angle and a trickle of drool leaked from the side of his mouth onto the pillow beneath his head.

As Raven watched his sleeping form, memories from the night before rushed to the forefront of her mind. After a wild night of drinking, some people black out and have zero recollection of their inebriation. Others remember bits and pieces in a hazy blur. Raven was able to recall every single thing that happened in explicit detail. Flashes of her wanton behaviour sent her into a state of panic. She remembered everything she did, everything she said, and worst of all, everything she touched.

Raven grabbed the cushion that rested under her head, clamped it over her face, and screamed into it. The muffled sound was enough to break Garfield out of his slumber. Peeking from behind the pillow, she saw him run his fingers through his already tousled hair as his mouth opened into a wide yawn. Raven wailed even louder on the inside when the first thing that popped into her mind was how sexy his bed head looked.

"You're awake," he said, sleepiness tingeing his voice.

"Why am I here?"

"Kory found the keys to your place in your purse, but nobody knows which unit you live in. We didn't want to leave you passed out in the lobby, so she made the call to bring you here."

"Why are you here?"

"Vic and Sarah ditched me. They took his car back to her apartment, so I was stranded. Kory took pity on me and let me hitch a ride."

"And why didn't you go home?"

"Both you and Dick were dead to the world. Kory's strong, but not that strong. We had to carry you upstairs one at a time."

Raven paused her line of questioning, embarrassed at all of the trouble that they had gone through to care for her. She was reminded once more of her brazen actions towards Garfield. She knew she had to bring up what happened on the dance floor eventually, but she hadn't yet worked up the courage to do so. "Look, I don't remember much from last night, but-"

"I know it wasn't really you," Garfield said with a weary smile. The way he looked at her made it obvious that he could see right through her false lapse in memory. "But we're adults, Raven. We can't just act like none of that ever happened."

"I-uh-well-I..." she mumbled. She wasn't expecting him to call her out so directly.

"I'm not gonna lie, I enjoyed dancing with you. Did we cross a line? Maybe. But other than a little grinding, nothing happened."

Raven's face flushed with more embarrassment and she lowered her gaze. "I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

Garfield shook his head in reassurance, the same tired smile resting on his lips. "Don't worry, I get it. You were under the influence and you weren't yourself."

Raven was somewhat relieved by his naive conclusion that her drunkenness was responsible for the personality switch. Personally, she always believed that alcohol was more like truth serum, capable of unleashing the most suppressed feelings. But she wasn't about to admit that. However, she was grateful at how maturely the musician was handling the situation. He continued, "And like I said before, I would never take advantage of you. I hope you remember enough to know that I did everything I could to make sure you were okay."

Raven did remember his surprised reaction when she threw herself on him. She remembered how he had refrained from fondling or kissing her while they danced. She remembered how tenderly he had picked her up when she could no longer stand. She remembered everything and that was the problem. Garfield reached towards her tentatively, resting his fingers on the edge of the sofa. Raven might have noticed the affection in his eyes, but she was too distracted by the sight of dried blood that was caked onto his knuckles. She instinctively picked up his hand and brought it to her face so she could inspect it more closely. "Garfield... what happened?"

He pulled away and tried to hide the injury behind his back. "I'd rather not say."

"Wrong answer, try again."

"I got into another fight."

"Another fight? You mean after the one with Conner?" questioned Raven. Garfield averted his eyes nervously. She simply stared back at him and raised her brows with impatience. "Well?"

"Remember that guy in the toga?" he asked. She nodded with distaste. Now that was a memory she was hoping to forget. Garfield took a deep breath, then whispered lowly, "He put something in your drink. That's why I took away the glass."

A cold chill traveled down her spine and her skin broke out in goosebumps. Her stomach churned with nausea and it wasn't because of the hangover. She felt totally violated. She might have started crying if not for the anger that rose inside of her. "So you protected me. Again. Even though I specifically asked you not to."

Garfield chuckled but it wasn't his usual light-hearted laugh. It was derisive and full of spite. "He had no remorse, Raven. That bastard didn't give two shits about hurting you. If you're mad at me for getting violent, fine. I'm not proud of what I did, but there is no way in hell that he was going to get away with it."

Raven gave him a hard look before raising her eyes to the ceiling with a sigh. She stood up abruptly and walked towards the washroom, leaving a confused Garfield in her wake. She rummaged through the cupboards until she found a dusty first aid kit. Then, she took a washcloth and ran it under the sink to saturate it with cold water. Equipped with her healing supplies, Raven returned to the living room and sat down on the couch.

Garfield was still on the floor, although he now sat fully upright in a cross-legged position. Wordlessly, she grabbed his right hand and held it up so that it hovered just above her knee. She began to clean the wounds with a gentle touch of the washcloth. The dried blood was wiped away to reveal torn skin and ugly bruising. She followed this with the application of a disinfectant. Next, she took out a roll of gauze and carefully wrapped his knuckles, securing the bandage with a piece of medical tape.

While she repeated the same process on his left hand, Raven pretended as though she was completely focused on her task. The truth was that she didn't dare look into his eyes. She felt so guilty about her behaviour and she hoped that he would understand her remorse through her actions. They sat in silence as she re-packed the supplies into the kit. Moments passed before she whispered, "Thank you, Garfield."

Although Raven still couldn't return his gaze, she felt a grateful warmth radiate from him. "I should be thanking you for the patch-up," he said. "And you know, I wish you would call me 'Gar'. All of my friends do."

"Friends, hmmm? You keep saying that."

"Because it's true. All I've ever wanted this whole time was to be your friend. You're not just a manager to me, I care about you."

Raven chewed on his declaration for half a second, not sure of how to accept it. She avoided it altogether by asking, "What about Kory? She calls you 'Garfield' all the time."

"Apparently, there's something about nicknames being reserved for small children and pets in Tamaran. That's why Dick will always be 'Richard' to her. You don't have any cultural excuses, so just call me 'Gar', okay?"

"I'll consider it." She finally met his eyes with her own and they exchanged a look of understanding. Garfield knew that he had gone too far and Raven acknowledged that her anger was misplaced. "Please don't ever do something like that again. Fighting is never worth it."

"So you're a pacifist, are you?" he said with a small smile.

The moment was broken when the clock struck noon and the door to Kory and Richard's bedroom flung open. The statuesque redhead emerged fresh-faced and in high spirits. Raven suddenly felt self-conscious at the sight of Kory's radiant entrance. There were no bags under her eyes, no signs of tiredness or bloating. How did she look so good just after waking up? Raven wondered if the woman had ever gone through an awkward phase in puberty or if she had always appeared this flawless.

"A glorious day to you, my friends," said Kory with a beaming smile. She gave them both a bone-crushing hug before moving towards the kitchen. "You must be famished, let us break our fast!"

She ushered her two house guests towards the small, round table that served as a dining nook, then gathered an array of ingredients from the refrigerator. Raven noticed that it was an eclectic mix. Kory had taken out a carton of eggs, a jar of what appeared to be blueberry jam and an aerosol can of string cheese. She set to cooking right away by cracking half a dozen eggs into a medium-sized bowl. She whipped the mixture with force, stopping once to unscrew the jar and add a large dollop of purple jam into the eggs. While the bassist busied herself with cooking the omelettes, Raven sat in her place awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say. Thankfully, Kory broke the silence. "How are you feeling, dear Raven?"

"Alright, I guess. I have a headache, but that's my fault for drinking too much."

"Have no worries! I am cooking you a traditional Tamaranean dish that is known to cure hangovers."

Raven heard a little squeak come from Garfield whose face held an alarmed expression. "Uh, Kory, you mind if I just grab a piece of toast? You know I don't eat eggs."

"Do as you please," she replied with a wave of her spatula, "that means Raven will get an extra portion."

A few minutes later, Kory presented Raven with a steaming plate of what she presumed to be the hangover cure. The colour combination of yellow eggs and purple jam had neutralized to an unappealing shade of grey. The gelatinous mass was smothered in bright orange fake cheese. The smell was enough to make Raven's stomach do somersaults, but she refused to let it show on her face. Kory had very generously taken her in and she didn't want to offend her host. She stabbed a stray clump with her fork and put it in her mouth.

"Well? What are your thoughts?" asked Kory.

"It's very interesting. I have never eaten anything like it before," the manager replied. It had taken all of Raven's willpower not to gag immediately. The texture of the rubbery eggs bounced unpleasantly on her tongue. Every once in a while, she would get a burst of bitter berry flavour followed by the aftertaste of overly salty cheese. Raven forced herself to swallow before asking, "Are you sure that blueberry jam isn't expired?"

"Oh, you are mistaken! That is zorkaberry jam, a fruit that is native to Tamaran. I purchase a jar online every month. Do you like it?"

"The flavour is... unique. May I have a glass of water?" Raven struggled through the rest of the meal by taking quick bites followed up with gulps of water to wash away the taste from her tongue. She only noticed Garfield's amused expression as she downed the second glass. He bit into his toast with a wide grin, almost as though he was laughing at her silently. When Kory briefly left the room to wake Richard, Raven hissed at him, "Why didn't you warn me?"

"I considered it," he answered, the smug smile never leaving his face.

"I thought we were friends, Garfield."

"Like I said before, my friends address me as 'Gar'".

Before Raven could reply, Kory re-entered the room accompanied by a very sleepy Richard. "Morning, everyone," he said in a dull tone. His movements were zombie-like as he turned on a coffee machine that rested on the counter next to the stove. "Anybody else want some?"

"Would you happen to have any tea?" asked Raven. Her impromptu sleepover meant that she had missed out on the yoga portion of her morning routine. Already, this made her feel unbalanced and out of sorts. At the very least, she hoped that she could take comfort in a cup of tea.

"If you mean bagged tea leaves, then no, sorry. All we have is iced tea and hot chocolate mix."

"Ooh, I'll take a hot chocolate!" said Garfield excitedly. He jumped out of his seat and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. After Richard's coffee finished brewing, Garfield set it underneath the machine for hot water. The guitarist dropped three large spoonfuls of chocolate powder into the vessel and stirred it vigorously before drinking with heaving gulps. When he brought the mug down from his face to take a breath, a moustache of brown liquid covered his top lip. Raven scoffed involuntarily and wrinkled her nose. He returned her expression of disgust with a wide, toothy smile. "Don't yuck other people's yums, Raven."

"I've seen children drink neater than you. Are you sure you wouldn't prefer a sippy cup?"

Richard chuckled at Raven's comment before asking her, "Do you need to be home for a certain time? I can give you a ride if you'd like."

"No, it's just a lazy Sunday. And thanks for the offer, but I can take a cab. Kory, do you have my phone?" Kory obliged and went to retrieve Raven's purse. Raven turned on the device with the intention of calling a taxi service, but a barrage of notifications stopped her in her tracks. She breathed a loud gasp, drawing the three others' attention to her screen.

Gar watched in interest as Raven's eyes bulged out of their sockets. She looked absolutely gobsmacked and nobody knew why. Kory dashed to her side, asking, "Is everything alright?!"

"I-I can't believe it. This is totally unprecedented!" Raven turned her phone towards them so that they could see the shocking news. There, on the iTunes Top 100 Songs chart, was "How Long is Forever?" sitting at the top spot. Richard only gasped while Kory started shrieking and jumping, no doubt creating a ruckus for their neighbours a floor below.

"NO WAY!" Gar cried.

"I don't understand. How did this happen so quickly?" Raven muttered to herself in disbelief.

Gar, Dick and Kory all pulled out their phones so they could help Raven answer her question. They typed "Titans" into Google and scrolled madly through the search results. Kory discovered that their Instagram account had doubled in followers since she last checked the day before. Dick reported that their music video was breaching 10 million views on YouTube. As they combed through the Internet, a hashtag kept making an appearance.

"Guys, check this out," said Gar. #awkwardfamilychallenge was trending on Twitter. Hundreds of Tweets were re-posts from TikTok. It seemed as though users around the world were participating in the viral trend. Just like in their music video, people had taken to recreating the "Awkward Family Photo" meme. Families of all shapes and sizes wore matching outfits and posed themselves in bizarre positions with the chorus of "How Long Is Forever" playing in the background of every 15-second video. Gar turned his attention from his screen to Raven's shell-shocked face.

"I will never under-estimate the power of tweens again," Raven whispered under her breath. When she finally regained her senses, her voice lost its dazed tone and turned authoritative. "Kory, did you post any photos from last night?"

"No, was I supposed to?"

"Yes, but I'm glad you didn't. Richard, you need to contact Victor immediately and tell him to come over as soon as possible. Can we hold a meeting here?"

"Sure? Do you want me to say anything about-"

"Stay on task, Richard. Call him now." Raven's harried gaze transferred to Gar. "Did anyone witness your altercations at the club?"

"Uh, I'm not sure. I don't think so?"

"I need you to be sure, Garfield! Concentrate!"

"Well Cassie obviously saw what happened to Conner. And two security guards showed up for the tail-end of my fight with the other guy. They didn't say anything though."

"Bloody hell," Raven growled. "We're Day 1 post-launch and I already have to do crisis control..." Her reaction left Gar a little stunned. All he could do was watch as she frantically pulled out her phone again to make a call. "Mr. Barragan, good afternoon. I'm fine, thank you. No. Yes, yes. Actually, I'm calling about something else..." Raven's voice faded as she stomped out of the kitchen. Gar had a feeling that he was in deep shit. She returned moments later with a tight scowl on her face. "As soon as Victor gets here, we're having an emergency meeting. For the moment, please refrain from using your phones. I don't want any communication to come in or out, do you understand?"

Kory and Dick only nodded cautiously, but Gar felt the need to excuse himself. "Raven, I'm so sorry. I-"

"Enough," she said, raising her hand in a stop sign. "I need to think. Do me a favour and shut up, will you?"

The three band members sat anxiously in the living room while they watched Raven pace back and forth. Soon after, the silence was interrupted with the chime of a doorbell. When Dick went to open the door, Victor immediately felt the tense vibe in the room. He tried to break the ice by jokingly saying, "Whoa, did somebody die or something?"

The glare from Raven told him that his attempt at humour was wholly unappreciated. "Sit."

Victor obeyed without question and shot worried glances at his friends. Their manager paced for another minute before heaving a deep sigh. She didn't bother sitting down before commencing her speech. "Things are moving much quicker than I thought. Victor, you're probably not aware of this, but the lead single blew up overnight. It's #1 on the iTunes Top 100, and we're trending online.

His jaw dropped before he exclaimed, "Again, did somebody die?! Why the long faces? Shouldn't we be celebrating right now?"

"Because we didn't prepare for this! You weren't supposed to get this much exposure this fast, it-it's too early! I never got a chance to put a procedure in place for PR, let alone even think about how we're going to manage all of this media attention!"

As Raven became more and more agitated, her voice raised in both pitch and volume. Gar had never seen her so hysterical before and it was starting to scare him. He could practically see the veins in her forehead pop. She was supposed to be their steadfast rock and yet here she was, falling apart.

"Raven, you need to calm down," said Dick.

The manager looked like she was about to explode. If she were an anime character, the physical manifestation of her emotions would be swirling around her in a torrent of wind. Right when Gar thought she was about to lose it, she breathed deeply through her nostrils and closed her eyes. She seemed to be muttering something under her breath; it sounded like a spell from Harry Potter. When she re-opened her eyes, the crazed expression disappeared. She took another deep breath and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to alarm you."

"We are okay, but are you?" Kory delicately asked. Raven nodded calmly in reply.

"Listen, things... Things are about to get crazy. I had hoped to better prepare you, but it looks like we've been backed into a corner. How much do you know about PR?"

Raven spent the next hour giving the Titans a crash course on Public Relations. She explained how the media, at its core, was all about making money. The press had no real interest in getting to know the celebrities whom they interviewed, no matter how genuine or personable they appeared. At the end of the day, everything came down to maximizing profits, attracting views and generating clicks. If they presented a wholesome, uplifting story, great. If they found anything remotely controversial or shocking, even better. Right now, the Titans needed to tread carefully, especially after Garfield's aggressive display from the night before.

"I spoke to Mr. Barragan and thankfully, he is willing to cooperate with us," said Raven. "No formal report was made and he agreed not to sell the security footage to media outlets. There were also no paparazzi present. If anyone had gotten footage of the fights, it would have been all over the Internet by now. So I think it's safe to say that we're in the clear for that."

Victor, Kory and Richard were in shock. They were just learning about what happened between Garfield and the stranger who had tried to assault Raven. Garfield looked incredibly ashamed and had his head buried in his hands. "Guys, I am so, so sorry. I really screwed up this time," he said.

"No, you did the right thing, buddy. It's gonna be okay," Victor replied in solidarity.

"Just like with the plagiarism debacle, the only way is to move forward," Raven carried on. "These next 24 hours are going to be critical. Now that the Titans are Internet famous, we need to make some serious decisions."

"What do you mean, serious decisions?" Richard asked.

"For starters, how do you plan on dealing with all of this when you go to work tomorrow? It's highly unusual for rock stars to hold day jobs, and I'm sure your co-workers and bosses will have questions."

"Are you suggesting we quit our jobs?" asked Victor with a hint of dread.

"Let's put it this way," replied Raven, "have you actually ever considered the consequences of fame? You are no longer 'regular' people who do music on the side. You are a certified rock band with a viral song. In my inbox right now, I have seventeen inquiries from various media companies, all asking for interviews."

"They wish to interview us?!" squealed Kory.

"Yes, but here's the thing; we have reached a turning point. Right now, everything hinges on how we choose to respond and represent the band. Are you just some meme? Some one-hit-wonder that will be out of people's minds in the next two weeks? Or are you the Titans, an up-and-coming ensemble of talented musicians who are here to stay?" Raven's final question made everyone go quiet. She had hoped that her little pep talk would call them to action, but all she received back were conflicted signals.

"I... I hadn't thought about that," Richard responded with hesitation.

"Dude, what are you saying?" Garfield exclaimed. "This is the big break we always dreamed of! We're gonna be famous!"

The team leader answered, "It's not that simple, Gar. We're not kids anymore. I have a career, I have goals."

"And I'm about to get married. Not to mention the promotion that's up for grabs at work," sighed Victor.

"Seriously?! What was the point of recording the damn album if we're not ready to go all the way?" Garfield whipped his head back and forth between his two friends with a look of disbelief and disappointment. The whole time, Kory remained silent.

"Garfield is right," Raven interjected, "and it's my prerogative as both your record label and management to force you to promote the album the way I want. After all, I have yet to make a profit on any of this." She gestured to the group before focusing her gaze on Richard. "You once said that you were all in, that this 'project' had your full attention. It's time to decide. Are you ready to make sacrifices and completely commit yourself to this new life? Or is this just a passing phase?"

Garfield answered first, "I'm in. All the way."

"Me too," added Kory, resting her hand on Garfield's shoulder.

Victor looked like he was undergoing the worst internal conflict of his entire life. His brows furrowed together and his eyes flickered rapidly, almost as though he was trying to process data like a computer. Unexpectedly, Richard was next in throwing his hat in the ring.

"I'm ready as well. I said I would be a better leader and I won't let you guys down." Both Garfield and Kory beamed at him while Victor remained in his state of unease. Richard drew the guitarist and bassist into a huddle and the three of them put their hands in the middle of the circle. "Come on, Vic. Titans together?" the frontman posed with a hopeful tone.

Victor took a deep inhale and let it out slowly. He had a steely look in his eyes and his posture straightened. He took Raven's hand and added it to the pile, placing his own at the very top. "Titans together."

Miles away in sunny Los Angeles, Tara Markov was called into head office. Most people would be extremely nervous to have a private meeting with the big boss, but she held a stoic, borderline bored expression.

"My dear, you're late."

She was five minutes early. Tara was tempted to return his incorrect remark with contempt, but she said nothing. Slade Wilson hated to be contradicted.

"Have you seen the charts this morning?"

"No, I haven't."

Mr. Wilson gestured for her to approach his desk. She did so reluctantly and took a seat in the chair facing him. He turned his computer screen in her direction so that she could see what he had been analyzing all day. Her single "Metamorphosis" had been bumped down to #2 on the Top 100 Songs chart. It had been in first place for the past few weeks, but she couldn't care less. What did make her react was the name of the artist that had taken her spot. "Titans," she whispered under her breath.

"Your old friends, correct?"

She nodded wordlessly, although she knew that he didn't need her confirmation. Her manager knew everything. He clicked another tab on his browser to show the Top 100 Albums in the United States. Terra-fied was still at the forefront, but Titans Together was only a few places behind.

"This simply won't do, Tara. No, it won't do at all."

"I-I had no idea they had signed to anyone, Mr. Wilson. I-."

"We're past that now. The question is, my dear, what are we going to do about it?"

Terra looked up at his pointed question. The sinister smile on his face filled her with dread as she came to the realization that he would have no qualms about using her. "You can't treat me like this," she said, voice trembling.

"You chose this life, Tara. It's too late to change your mind now; far too late. You have no control in the matter, remember?" Slade reached into his desk drawer and took out a thick sheaf of papers. He dropped the contract onto the surface of the desk. The papers shifted slightly and Tara was able to see her signature inscribed on the bottom page. "Now, you will do exactly as I say..."

A/N: Slade and Terra make their first official appearance! I took snippets of their conversation from the episode "Aftershock - Part 2". You'll see the aftermath of their little conversation in the next chapter. And how will the Titans deal with fame? The plot is starting to move along again...

Till next time, Lily Timbers

Replies to Guest Reviews

Guest (Chapters 7-8-9): It's great to hear from you again! I appreciate all of your feedback :-) I'm especially glad you enjoyed the Launch Party chapter. It was my favourite to write so far. Hope you are well!