Confessions Of A Teenage Party Animal (Editing.)

12- cheap wine.

Camille's POV

From my vantage point at the counter, I watched as Lana stumbled unsteadily atop the dinner table, gulping down a bottle of cheap wine. He seemed completely unaware of his surroundings and lost in his own world. I couldn't help but feel annoyed and frustrated by his behavior. I raised my voice to get his attention, "Lana, get down from there before you hurt yourself!" But he continued to sway and stumble around, ignoring my words. His reckless behavior made my blood boil with anger. I had brought him to this party to help him unwind, not to get drunk and embarrass himself.

As I watched, he suddenly stumbled down from the table and made his way over to me. "What on earth are you doing?" I asked, trying to keep my composure. "You brought me to a party," he slurred. I could feel my fury rising within me. "To blow off steam, not to make a spectacle of yourself and end up with alcohol poisoning tomorrow morning." Lana rolled his eyes at me as if my concerns were unwarranted. "I swear pretty people never know when to shut up," he slurred playfully, his voice laced with alcohol.

Lana gently brushed back his hair, and in the dim lighting, it appeared darker than it actually was. His hair was a rich, deep brown shade, but the dimness of the room made it seem like a lighter shade of black, he seemed to notice my intensive staring because he flashed me a foxy smile. The bottle of cheap wine he was holding was half-finished, "Please tell me you did not drink it all yourself?" He snickered automatically answering my question without words.

"I'll be fine." He said, ruffling my hair affectionately, I sighed, "Aren't you afraid of alcohol poisoning?" I asked discreetly, trying to take the bottle away from his hand.

"I only get to be sixteen once." He offered like it was the most self-evident thing ever, "You'll die by the age of thirty." I chided, a small smile edging itself onto my face, "At least it's before you." My face had most likely been turned a shade of red that wasn't normal, Lana was drunk, intoxicated people say intoxicated things.

✮⋆

"If I die, I'm blaming you!" I shouted those words in a half-joking, half-serious manner as the moonlight illuminated Lana's smiling face. We were standing at the base of a dense forest, and I couldn't believe he had convinced me to go for a drive and then climb up the dangerous mountain.

I must be head-over-heels infatuated with him, I thought. Suddenly, Lana stopped and turned to me, his gaze piercing through the darkness. "I swear it's really pretty up there," he said, pointing towards the top of the hill. "I don't know which is prettier, you or the lake." I felt a rush of blood to my cheeks as I blushed, thanking God that it was nighttime and he couldn't see how flustered I was,

After what seemed like an eternity of climbing, we finally made it to the top. As I caught my breath, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the stunning sight in front of me. The lake was so clear that it almost looked like a mirror reflecting the moonlight. The water was so clean that it was hard to believe it was real. I was at a loss for words, but Lana simply smirked and said, "Told you." Despite his snide remark, I couldn't help but feel grateful for this magnificent view.

He leaned in towards me, his face mere inches away from mine. With a sly grin, he uttered, "Now, do I get a kiss or not?" I recoiled at his crude words and scolded him, "You have no decorum." Despite the darkness, I could sense his smile growing wider as he replied, "You give me too little credit." I felt a smile spread onto my face as well.

In a sudden moment of realization, a question popped into my mind, "Did you tell anyone where you are?" I inquired. However, as soon as the words left my mouth, a wave of panic swept over me as I realized that I had not told my own location to anyone either. "Oh shit," I muttered under my breath, feeling a sense of unease settling in. My parents would kill me and then feed me to Tin. I leapt up from my sitting position at the edge of the lake

"I don't see why this is such a big deal," he said as he trailed behind me down the steep hill. I spun around to face him, jabbing a finger in his direction. "You," I declared, "are meeting my parents today. And if you mess this up, we'll both be in trouble." He let out a deep sigh. "I never thought I'd be meeting the in-laws like this," he muttered under his breath. "This isn't funny," I said with a hint of desperation in my voice.

"Sorry."

We drove in silence.

As we approached my house, I unlocked the door as quietly as possible, hoping not to wake anyone up. With a soft click, the door opened and I entered the house. As I walked in, I whispered, "Camille Roan Bridgend." Suddenly, the lights turned on and I found my mother sitting in front of me. She looked at me and then glanced over at my friend Lana, who was standing beside me.

"Didn't think you were the type to sneak in boys at 1 AM," my mother said with a disapproving tone. She then looked at her watch, as if to emphasize the late hour. The room was filled with an awkward silence as we all stood there, unsure of what to say next. "Mom-" I tried to say something, but she interrupted me.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" she asked, her voice stern. "Lay off the boy, Isa." My dad's voice came from the kitchen, and I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that I had escaped.

"You're right," my mother said, turning to me. "Go change and come down here." She sent me a pointed look, and I knew that I was in for a long night. I gestured for Lana to follow me up the stairs to my room,

It's strange how life can take a sudden turn. One moment, you're enjoying a peaceful moment with someone you have feelings for, sitting in the beauty of a serene lake, and the next you find yourself fidgeting nervously while petting your dog and making small talk with your parents in the presence of that same person. That's exactly the situation I found myself in, and it felt quite awkward.

"I'm Lana Varga." Lana coughed and extended his hand out, "I'm Isa and this is Hugo." Mom gestured to her half-asleep husband, also known as my Dad, "Do I need to introduce myself too?" I joked, nobody laughed.

Tin slept on my lap quietly, sometimes I wish I was a dog. Especially a fluffy samoyed pup. My dog didn't even make any sound, my mom cleared her throat the way she always did when she was going to start speaking about something she deemed serious.