Page 34 of Dark Torment

OLIVIA

I can’t have been lyingin bed for more than a few minutes. I feel like there’s way too much noise in the house, but I’m drunker than I’ve ever been, so what the fuck do I know? I’m probably hearing things.

I groan and close my eyes, rolling my face into the pillow as another quiet thump comes from downstairs.

Yeah, definitely not getting up. I barely made it to bed in one piece. If Shelby’s drunk butt wants to bang around, more power to her, but I refuse to move.

“Shelby! Shut up!” I holler at her as another bang happens closer to the bedroom, followed by whispers that I can’t make out.

Oh, God. Did she bring a guy here?

Nope. No thank you. Not even going to think about that.

Reaching blindly to feel around on my nightstand, I grab my headphones before opening my eyes and forcing that impossibly small little bugger into the bottom of my phone and plopping them in my ears.

I don’t care what music is playing, I just know I’m too wasted to tell her to take it somewhere else, and yet too sober to listen to her orgasms. Gross.

I open the first playlist on Spotify and turn up the volume until I’m confident I can’t hear anything else going on before closing my eyes and shutting the world out.

“So comfy. I love you, pillow,” I murmur before drifting off to the sounds of a lulling country song.

* * *

Gross.

My head feels like something crawled in there and is trying to beat its way out with a hammer.

Way too much wine. I don’t even remember how many bottles we went through. I try to think back, but I have no idea.

Five? Six, maybe.

“Ugh,” I groan, covering my eyes and refusing to open them.

I’m not ready to try facing the world yet.

I listen for sounds, wondering if Shelbs is even awake yet, but I’m met with silence. Yeah, I doubt she’s even stirring yet. I’m pretty sure she had even more to drink than I did.

“What the hell did you do to yourself, Liv?” I croak out to myself, wincing at the pounding in my head.

I turn onto my side, digging my face into the pillow. Something doesn’t feel right, though.

Great, even my pillow is revolting against me.

Trying to drift back to sleep, I pull the covers over my head as I try to block out the sound of little feet clipping along the floor.

“Go away, demon headache from hell.”

Woof!A bark has me jolting up in bed with a scream.

“What the?!” My hands fly to my chest as I blink the sleep from my eyes. “I didn’t bring work home with me.”

Woof. Woof.I know that bark. Though it doesn’t sound nearly as quiet as it had last time.

Opening my eyes again, I squint as I take in my surroundings before my eyes land on Sadie.

“Hey, Sadie!” I squeal, momentarily ignoring the thing hammering against my skull. “What are you doing in my dreams, girl? Where are we?”

Sadie jumps onto the bed, her tail wagging as she pants and walks over to me.

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