If you haven’t read January 28 yet, you can do so here.

If you stumbled onto this post by accident and haven’t read any of the other stories, head over to this post to find out more about this project.

Lalannah opened her eyes then regretted it immediately and slammed them shut. She rolled over, trying to force her head to stop pounding and the nausea to settle. A moment later, she struggled to her feet and stumbled toward the bathroom. She made it to the toilet just in time. 

“God, I haven’t had a night like that in years,” Ruby complained from the other side of the room. Lalannah opened her mouth to answer, instead another wave of nausea had her leaning over the toilet bowl. 

A couple of minutes later, Ruby appeared next to her, shoving Lalannah to the side as she vomited. 

Lalannah sat back against the drawers. “That was some party.”

Ruby finished vomiting and sat back against the wall before answering. “Yeah well, it’s been five days. I’m so sick of this boat.”

Lalannah nodded, which turned out to be a mistake that had her reaching for the toilet again. 

They stayed like that for a long while. Long enough that breakfast was almost over when they were finally able to stand up. 

“Come on, we should get something nice and greasy. It’ll help,” Ruby suggested.

Lalannah shook her head. “The idea of food makes me want to vomit. Again.”

“Same, but it will help. I promise.”

Lalannah knew Ruby was right, but she was also sure that eating anything would result in her vomiting it back up. 

“Here.” Ruby handed her a pair of sunglasses and donned a pair herself. “It’ll help with the brightness.”

The pair of them stumbled to the elevator and down to the restaurant, but they were in good company. It seemed every second person they passed had a similarly dishevelled and hungover appearance. 

Lalannah slid into a seat at the closest table. 

“I’ll go grab us something,” Ruby told her. Lalannah let her eyes drift shut, trying to block out the few people who were chatting and the deafening clink of cutlery on plates. Most of all, she tried to block out the smell of the foods. It had combined into some awful aroma of grease and fruit. She forced deep breaths forgetting why she was there by the time Ruby returned with two plates laden with the greasiest food she could find. 

“Just take a couple of bites. It’ll help.” Lalannah fought another wave of nausea as the bacon and sausage wafted into her nostrils. Ruby was setting a good example, already forcing her own bacon rasher to her mouth. Lalannah grabbed a piece of dry toast and nibbled on the corner.

“Good job,” Ruby said. “Now try some bacon.”

Lalannah glared at her but picked up a rasher and nibbled a corner. 

She didn’t immediately want to throw up so she nibbled a little more. By the time the first rasher had disappeared, she didn’t feel as crappy. Lalannah lost track of how much bacon she shoveled into her mouth before she felt properly human again. Ruby looked equally invigorated. 

“Thanks, this was the best idea,” she told Ruby.

“Of course. Best hangover cure. You wanna go grab a drink?” she asked.

Ruby laughed. “Definitely not. Something quiet. And less bright.”

Ruby smiled. “Yeah, they’re showing a movie in the theater today.”

“Perfect.” Lalannah hadn’t expected to find a friend on the cruise. Nor had she ever found herself bonding with someone so quickly, but something about Ruby drew her in and made her want to open up.

You can read January 30 here.

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