Mild trigger warning: Contains mentions and minor depictions of physical abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

Diana

My head hurt.

I couldn't remember the last time I had a headache this bad. It was splitting my skull in half, torturing me to the point of madness. Besides the migraine, I was incredibly nauseous. And hot. And then cold. And then hot again. And I trembled furiously.

I felt wet, as if someone had poured water all over me. The room was spinning around, even though I hadn't opened my eyes. I was also quite thirsty, but I was too weak to get up.

Why was I so sick?

I tried lifting my head, only for light to come through my closed eyes. My headache increased, causing me to groan lightly and plop my face back into my pillows.

What happened? I tried to remember, but I felt like my memories were a blur... did I get sick overnight or something? The last thing I remembered... I didn't know what it was. I was utterly confused.

"You okay?" a girl's voice said. I already knew who it was.

"Am I okay?" I said, surprised I could talk. Then again, this was all in my head. "What do you think?"

"It was a rhetorical question, 'dummy'."

"Don't talk to me like that." I finally opened my eyes. My 13-year old self sat in my office chair, swiveling. "What are you doing here?" I said.

"Don't ask me. You're the one thinking about me," she retorted.

I sat up. "What happened last night?"

"Beats me. You're thinking a lot about him, though."

"Who?"

"Him."

I continued staring at her until someone opened my door. Instead of one of my foster brothers, or Susan and Davis, it was...

"Marco?"

"Hey, babe." His towering form approached my younger self, who immediately recoiled, hurt and betrayed. "You owe me a kiss, you know."

"Leave me alone."

"You're still mad?" He chuckled, leaning towards her. "Come on, it was just a couple pictures. Nothing that bad."

"You know what you did," she said. "You said you loved me. You didn't have to do that."

"I do love you."

"Then why'd you do it? Why'd you share those things?!"

"Because he's a jerk!" I shouted. "He never loved you!"

"I love you," he insisted. "I just got a bit mad, okay? Things happen when you're angry." He leaned on my office chair's arms, his face close to my 13-year old self's.

Now that I saw it for myself, I realized how sick it was. What was I thinking, falling in love with someone 7 years my senior? What was going through my mind three years ago?

"Come on, give me a little kiss," he said.

"NO!" Young me pushed him away, standing from the chair. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have done that!"

"I told you, I was angry."

"I was angry, too!"

His fingers twitched as he approached her dauntingly. I gasped, trying to get out of bed, but something held me down. They were like invisible chains. I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything. "Diana, get away from him!" I shouted.

"You're making me more angry now. I can do a lot worse," he said, his voice low.

"Diana!" My limbs felt like lead. "GET AWAY FROM HER, MARCO!"

His familiar eyes, which used to bring me so much comfort, now stabbed through me like knives. He grabbed my younger self's hair and dragged her with him as he approached me. His hand shot out and pressed me onto my bed by my throat. I clawed at him, trying to breathe.

He lowered his lips to my face, just an inch away from touching me. "You should've fought harder than that," he whispered. The lack of air was making me lightheaded. His face blurred, then darkened until everything was black. For a while, I was just floating in a black void, unable to move or speak... or think.

I suddenly heard a loud bang, like a gunshot, that made my head pound with pain. "GOOD MORNING!" The voice came like a huge roar, echoing in my brain.

I yelled out in pain and turned over, clutching my head. The light returned, making it worse.

"HEY, DIANA, YOU READY FOR A NEW DAY?!" Something shook me wildly and my stomach squeezed. I could only groan in reply, dizziness overtaking me. "WHAT'S WRONG? YOU LOOK A LITTLE SICK!"

"Shut up!" I yelled.

"WHAT, YOUR HEAD HURTS?!"

"I said, shut up!" I sort of recognized the voice now— it sounded like Kyle's.

"Kyle, come on... alone... lot of pain." I could hardly hear whoever else was talking, but I knew it was one of my other brothers.

"Well, it's not... that... decided... A FRAT PARTY!"

"Aah!" I put a pillow over my face. The other person spoke again, but I didn't hear a word. I felt something wet nuzzle my leg. There were more murmurs before the pillow was taken off my face. I covered my eyes again, unable to stand the light.

"Turn the light off!" I said.

"It's the sun," I heard someone say; it sounded like Tommy.

"Turn the sun off!"

"IT'S YOUR PUNISHMENT, YOUNG LADY!"

Fed up with his torture, I grabbed my pillows and threw them in succession towards the voice. "Kyle, get out! Out!"

"HAVE FUN!"

I sat up, finally opening my eyes, and threw one last pillow at him. "Shut the f- ow!" I closed them again and fell backwards in my bed. The pain... it was unbearable.

A gentle hand stroked through my hair, giving me a bit of comfort. I moaned, feeling the nausea increase. My stomach contracted and I doubled over the side of the bed, letting my guts spill out. There was a rush of weakness, then a bit of strength, which decreased as I vomited again. Someone rubbed my lower back in circles.

"Ugh..." I lied back down, trying to open my eyes. With my distorted, blurry vision, I could see a shadow that morphed into Susan's face.

"You have some explaining to do," she said, her expression firm and quite furious.

I looked to my left and saw Jack sitting on my bed, a sheepish look on his face. "What... happened?"

"How about you tell me?" Susan asked.

I shook my head. "I dunno..." I groaned and clutched my head again. "I can't remember."

"Then let Jack explain."

Jack sighed. "You stowed away with me to a party last night."

I looked at him with confusion. "From the beginning, Jack." Susan raised a brow at him.

He sighed again. "I went to a party last night at Sam's frat house. You stowed away in his car. We didn't notice. Then you got into the house, and you played a drinking contest for a few hours. I went to get you, but everyone wanted you to stay. They carried you around and called you 'Liquor Queen', then you danced on the table, and... you sang 'Barbie Girl'. And then you kicked a guy who grabbed your... behind, and he broke his arm when you threw him on a table, our brothers came to get you, you didn't recognize any of us, you kept on calling for... 'Marco', then you threw up and passed out."

I only stared at him, not believing anything he just said. I looked at Susan. "What is he talking about?" I winced at another headache that attacked me, but then felt a flash... a flash of memory.

I remembered changing, then being covered by my coat, then lying to a girl at a table... then I was drinking, then a guy fell while I was yelling... and then it went black. It was all a mess of memories, a total blur.

I groaned again, this time with dread as I pressed my hands on my forehead. "I am such an idiot."

"You're both grounded until Christmas," Susan said. "Your other brothers are only grounded until Saturday because they tried to help you." She pulled the covers over me and took a wet towel from a bowl on my side table, placing it on my head. "Now, you just rest and get through this hangover. This'll be punishment enough. No extra chores, okay? Jack's doing them all."

I only managed a nod. Lonnie jumped on the bed, lying on my lap to comfort me. I petted him, reassuring him I would be fine.

Why did I go back to all that?

Thoughts? Laughs?