Chapter Three

"The Morning After"

Ruthie awoke with a throbbing headache and a passed out Martin beside her. Rubbing her head she slipped out of the bed and grabbed her clothes off the floor. She couldn't face Martin not now. What would he say? What if he regretted it? They had both been drunk. Walking out into the hall she glanced at her bedraggled reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and her dress was wrinkled.

"Oh my god, I had sex!" Ruthie said, "With Martin Brewer."

Martin groaned waking up. He knew he'd had the dream again, but god it had been better than every time before. It had seemed so real. Opening his eyes he realized he wasn't in his apartment. He jumped out of the unknown bed to find himself naked as a jay bird.

"Shit!" he said grabbing his jeans when he spotted them. It took him all of about two minutes to realize he was at the same place the party had been. He must have passed out. The last thing he remembered was having a few glasses of punch. Putting on his shirt he went to find Mac.

Martin found Mac asleep in hid car. He pounded on the window causing Mac to jump up, his face was indented from the steering wheel and his hair was sticking straight up.

"You scared me!" Mac said taking a deep breath and unlocking the door.

"I think the punch was spiked." Martin said getting in, "I woke up in a guest room."

"At least you had a bed." Mac said starting up the car, but not before noticing the smell of Ruthie's perfume on Martin. He kept his mouth shut for once in his life he minded his own business.

"You slept with him? Didn't you?" Freddie tisked shaking his raven black gel spiked head in dismay.

"Um…" Ruthie began looking down. "Yeah I did?"

"Details!" Freddie screamed leaning in just as Olivia sashayed into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Ruthie slept with him!" Freddie told her.

"Who?" Olivia asked her eyes going big, "Not Dick Face Todd!"

"No Martin!" Freddie said.

"Martin?!" Olivia said shocked, "Now that's unexpected."

"I know." Freddie said, "She never would have slept with Todd. She would have backed out before anything happen. I told you she would end up with Martin, but I thought she would have consulted me first."

"You know how she is." Olivia said pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here!" Ruthie screamed slamming down her glass of orange juice and breaking it into a million pieces.

"Somebody's first time wasn't good." Freddie said. Sighing Ruthie began to pick up the pieces of glass off the glass, "No it was wonderful!"

"Then why so hostile?" Freddie asked.

"How am I ever going to look him in the eyes again if he regretted it." she said, "We were both drunk and I left the bed before we could talk."

"He won't regret it!" Olivia said, "And leave that for the maid."

After Freddie and Olivia got every detail out of Ruthie they could, she went home. Not wanting to run into her parents she used the front door, but with no luck. Her mother stopped her before she made it up the stairs to her attic bedroom.

"Hey Ruthie." Annie said, "I didn't think you would home early. I thought you'd be home late and I'd have to come and drag you from Freddie's house."

"I have to study." Ruthie said the first thing coming to mind.

"Study?" Annie asked in suspicion, "School hasn't even started."

"I know." Ruthie said, "I just want to do well it is my senior year."

"Ok." Annie said knowing something wasn't right but letting it go for now.

Ruthie flung herself onto her bed. It had been wonderful and amazing experience. Everything she'd dreamed of and so much more. A tear fell at the thought of never feeling that way with him again. She touched her lips that were still swollen from his kiss. She loved Martin and she always would.

Martin loved Ruthie and he always had. Martin realized as he sat beside Mac driving away from her that he had to get rid of this obsession. He had to stop these dreams as wonderful as they were they had to end. He needed to go on with his life. She was never going to be with him in that way and she had a boyfriend, Martin thought biting back jealousy.