The Great Pretender

5: Baby, I'm Drunk

Author's Note: I feel another warning is in order. As the title of this chapter might suggest, there is a fair bit of drinking in this chapter. Also, there is the small issue of drugs.

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Stopping outside the French room, Ian frowned when he didn't see her- something was very wrong. He wished he hadn't mentioned Harper's words, moreover, he wished he hadn't said anything at all. She hadn't been in Biology that morning, and now the third seat from the front against the far wall of her French class was empty. He wouldn't have been so worried, but he could have sworn that he saw her that morning, skulking out of Ari's car like a zombie. Of course he had only glimpsed her and when he looked again she was long gone.

Deciding he'd only imagined seeing her, he leaned against the wall and waited for the class she shared with Seven to let out. Several minutes later, students filed out into the hallways and Ian flattened himself out of the way. Seven paused when he caught sight of Ian, finding it odd to see him in the languages wing of the building.

"Man, you're obsessed."

Ian flushed at Seven's smirk, "I'm worried- there's a difference."

Laughing as he walked ahead of Ian, shoving past other students on the way to the cafeteria, Seven sighed, "I don't know why you bother, E, she's such a bitch to you."

Ian didn't respond, instead, he scrambled across the cafeteria to get the first spot in the lunch line.  "Yes!" he leered into the face of the junior student he beat. Seven raised an eyebrow, calm and not even the slightest bit embarrassed to be seen with Ian; it was Ian's turn to buy lunch. Once Ian was laden with food, they left the cafeteria almost unnoticed as they slunk around the corner of the school to their hideout behind the bleachers. It was Seven who got there first, Ian struggling far behind with balancing all the food.

Ian was confused by the look of- was that concern- he saw on Seven's face. He paled when he looked around the corner; the far end of the veranda was scattered with beer cans, and in the midst of them, a pair of tattered white sneakers. The same tattered white sneakers that were permanently attached to Cherish's feet, which were by default permanently attached to her legs which were sticking out from behind a pillar. Dumping all the food into Seven's arms, he approached her with caution, noticing the bottle she held in her hand.

"Cherish?"

The grin on her face was a surprise, though not one he appreciated, "Ian! I saved some for you!"  Noticing Seven, she lurched forward to grab a can, which she threw at him, "There's some for you too!"

"Uh, thanks." Seven sat quietly beside her, setting the can down. How had she managed to bring this much alcohol into the school with her? She smiled again, friendly, a pleasant change from her usual scowls as she bought the bottle of whiskey up to her lips and tipped her head back.

"Bottom's up!" She giggled as the golden liquid dribbled down her chin and into the scoop of the top visible under her usually buttoned shirt.

It wasn't Ian, but Seven who wrenched the bottle from her fingers, capping it and shoving it aside, "That's enough."

"You're no fun!" her usual frown returned as she tried to grab it back from him. Giving up shortly, she turned to get her bag but found that Ian already had it, his expression pure astonishment as he peered into it. There was nothing but bottles and cans in there! She tried to get up and stalk off, but succeeded only in taking two wobbly steps and tipping over. Scowling at them as she leaned against the pillar that had stopped her fall, she slid down till she was sitting again.