Preath: Head In The Game [Complete]

19: Hangover Yoga and Strong 'Mussels'

Yes, the comfort of my room.

Wait... is this my hotel room?

...I'm in Christen and Crystal's room.

It's easy when one wakes up in a new place to not realize right away that you're not in your normal room. Forget the fact that all of the hotel rooms look the same; I felt like I was in the right place. Soccer ball a metre away, and Christen even less. I lifted my head to look at her; instant pounding. Mild soreness in my head, my knees, my hips.

"Hi," I said.

Her grip on my hand tightened as she brought my arm over herself. Just like that, I had no way to stretch my hungover muscles.

"So," I said, "is this what I have to do to keep you from getting up and leaving me? Get you to drink?"

"Mm. Up in a minute."

"No, I don't want to get up in a minute."

"Gotta," she said sleepily. "Hafta get up...'fore Crys gets back."

"I'm already facing Chris' back."

Suddenly, she was awake. "Your puns are so lame," she said. Nevertheless, she turned around and faced me.

"It's only eight, you know," I said.

"I know."

She watched me. "What?"

"I know what we can do today."

Then she practically barrel-rolled out of bed with me in tow. I felt like a marionette, like she might pull my arms separate from my body and keep them. "Ow!"

"Get up. We're yoga-ing."

"How about no-ga-ing?"

"You're hungover," she said. "This is the best thing for you."

I followed her to the washroom. In the mirror, I looked like Chewbacca standing next to Nala.

Nala unscrewed her not-so-new rejuvenating day-time coconut oil face cream and dropped some on my nose with a lightswitch-like motion.

"Why do you make waking up so... jarring?" I said.

"Better than an alarm clock, right?"

I pouted and rubbed the glob in. "It's cold."

She spread the stuff across her face fearlessly like sunscreen.

"Do you wear sunscreen on top of that," I said. "or not at all?"

She chuckled. "Not as much as I should."

"I thought you would've got a ton after that Coppertone commercial you did."

"Ah well. I've never had a sunburn in my life."

"Right," I said. "Because your skin is too perfect for that."

When I first saw Chris on the bus her first day, she seemed like such a sweetheart. I soon learned I had to compete with her sarcastic side... just not to the point that I offended her.

"Of all times," she said, "now is the time we have to be in the best form."

"It's one hangover," I said.

"And now we have to combat it." She stretched her face into an 'o', applying her blush.

"Why do you talk to me like you're my mom?" I asked.

"Because I care," she said, then kissed my cheek. I jolted up.

"Yes, that's good," I said while she went to grab her purse. "Wake me up like that next time."