Chapter 29
"Oh God, my head is freakin' pounding and my tongue feels like the entire team used it as a doormat to wipe their Vans on," Stacy replied sullenly to Alex's question through the bathroom door. He leaned his cheek on the cool porcelain of the bathtub's edge, the most convenient headrest from his perch on the floor in front of the toilet.
"Can I come in?" Alex asked, as much wanting to see how Stacy was doing as just wanting to do the right thing by him.
"Actually, I'm gonna come out and go back to bed, if you can get Jay outta it," Stacy replied, hoisting himself slowly off the bathroom floor.
"Of course honey, don't worry about Jay, I think he's done all he could here," Alex said slowly opening the bathroom door to a very morning-after Stacy. "Come on, let's tuck you in."
"There any toothbrushes in this place, Ali-B? I think that might help me feel more human" Stacy considered, looking like he had got something off his chest, or maybe in this case, his stomach, gave in and sat back down.
"Let me take a look around, hon, there's gotta be one around here," Alex replied, peering cautiously into the bathroom.
She felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she caught sight of Stacy stretched out on the floor. Dammit, this probably wasn't the first time Stacy ever had a hang over, or that they were ever terminal conditions, but Jay's words had wounded her and, annoyingly, given voice to her own doubts about her relationship with Stacy. Was she really not good for him? He did have to spend a lot of time driving her around to work and such. But he genuinely didn't seem to mind. Worse, was Jay right in implying that maybe she wasn't good enough for him? Stacy had seemed pretty shook up about Robert and the whole movie thing, what with his friends teasing him and all. Maybe Stacy really deserved someone as kind and committed as he was; someone who didn't have a past that could be projected on your local movie screen. Alex knew deep in her soul she had spent too much emotional energy protecting herself from all the crap that had gone down in her life lately, and hated the thought that maybe she should have been spending more of that on Stacy.
"I'm sorry I spoiled this nice time you arranged for us, Alex, just let me get a little more sleep and I won't be the drunk boyfriend sprawled on the bathroom floor," Stacy apologized looking less green, but much more contrite.
"Oh Stacy, you never have to apologize to me for spoiling anything!" Alex exclaimed, sliding to the floor next to him, batting tears out of her lashes. "I'm the one who should be apologizing for causing you such a big embarrassment with your friends. You wouldn't have gotten drunk last night if it hadn't been for me and my baggage."
Stacy looked at Alex sitting next to him and winced a little, partly because high-pitched female voices sobbing out some sort of apology were not the best thing for a hang over, and partially because he had not a clue what she was talking about, and right now, trying to figure things out was sure to make his head hurt more. "I'm pretty sure I ended up drunk as a byproduct of having a really good time, at least that's what I'd like to believe this morning. I mean, as I remember it, we smoked all the other skaters at the competition, had a great night taunting the locals, and absolutely ruled the club after. Oh and yeah, my girl is wanted by one of the biggest rock stars on earth, how 'bout that, for being a pirate? Humm? What part of this is making you look so down? Hell, you're head probably isn't even doing its' own drum solo," Stacy replied sliding his arm around her.
"You mean you're not embarrassed by my…um, appearance in the movie? That wasn't what drove you to drink…literally?" Alex asked, confused and concerned by Jay's taunts.
"No of course not, I was just celebrating after the competition, mostly. I mean, seeing you in that movie was kind of a shock, but you know, whatever, you did your thing up to now, I did mine, right? You don't grill me about my past, so I'm not gonna get bent outta shape about yours, you see what I mean?" Stacy answered.
"So you're not turned off by me and my past? Alex asked, looking up into Stacy's face.
"Turned off- no, in fact I'm turned on by your past, happy to be part of your present and looking forward to our future, how does that sound? So, can we go back to bed now? 'Cause if I keep talking I'm gonna continue my drunken fool profile."