Intertwined and Unexpected

Chapter 18: Chloe

"I know you would've liked to have gone to that party, but, we had fun tonight. You've gotta admit that," Dad glances over at me in the passenger seat quickly before looking back at the road.

"Yeah," I reluctantly agree, "it was alright. But that doesn't mean I can't be mad at you." 

"I'll take what I can get. Promise to spend more time with me and I won't have to pull you away from special nights. Okay? I miss seeing you, sweetheart." I feel a bit bad for putting up a fuss about the party for a second.

"I miss you too, Dad," I say and give him a quick smile. "But can you drop me off at the party? I want to see if I can catch the last of it, and apologize to Liam for not showing up." Dad sighs. 

"Fine. I trust you'll make the right choices at this party. Where is it?" I give him the directions, and soon enough, we're there.

"Hey, kiddo," Dad says as I hop out. "Don't tell your mother I dropped you here, alright?" 

"Alright," I nod. "sounds good. Thanks, Dad."

"If you need a ride home, call me!" he says, as he backs out. I approach the door, and know instantly, by the noise, I haven't missed the party. I quickly check my watch before stepping in through the door. It's only 10:30. 

I can tell why my dad wouldn't want my mom to know about this. 

The room smells of beer, and I remind myself not to accept a drink: I'm not here to get drunk. I'm here for Liam. I spot him after a minute or two of walking around, in the living room, playing Foosball. I walk over, watching him play, laugh, and yell at the other boys playing.

"Bullshit! That should've gone in!" he exclaims, but laughs it off and continues on. I wait till his match is over, and he backs away from the table. "I'm gonna go get a drink." 

"Hey," I intercept him before he gets to the kitchen.

"Hey," when he sees me, his smile grows wider. "I missed you, babe. Where have you been?" 

His arms wrap around my waist, and pull me in close. Now that I'm this close, I can smell the alcohol on his breath.

"You're drunk," I state, surprised I only just realized it.

"That I am," he replies, and laughs too loudly, "why aren't you?" 

"I just got here," I pull his arms off me. "Where's Amberlynn?" 

"Oh. Oh, no," Liam's face dropped. "I think," he paused for a bit too long, "she's gone. Left. Adios, amigo. Hasta la vista." 

"What? It's only, like, 10:30? Why'd she leave?" 

"Uhhh, well, i was talking to, er, Charlie. Charlie Macadem? Do you know him? He's, like, my best friend. You should meet him," Liam sways slightly as he rambles.

"Liam, c'mon, let's sit down and you can tell me what happened." I lead him over to the nearest couch and pull him down so he's sitting next to me. "Okay, go on. What happened?"

"Charlie and I were all talking and I guess near us Henry and Amberlynn were all making out and all that stuff." He stopped again. "Listen, I really want another drink. Like, reeeeeeallly." 

"You don't need another drink," I tell him. "Continue. This sounds important."

"Finnee," he groans, "so, um. It's all cool, but then Amberlynn came through the door. Like, she arrived." 

"But... you said she was making out with Henry?" I remind him, trying to make sense of his story.

"You're really cute when you're confused," Liam smiles, and leans in, kissing me. For a second. I forget about Amberlynn and kiss him back, but not for long. I pull away.