The party was in full swing at Ruben's place; red cups filled to the brim in the hands of the footballers, empty cups scattered around the black marble floor of the kitchen, jugs filled with cocktails, liquor and mixers, the air filled with the smell of expensive aftershaves and the sound of blasting music.
"Odds on to take 5 shots in a row," Reece announced to Mason.
"Alright, 1-5," Mason shrugged, already feeling the warmth of the alcohol inside him.
"3,2,1 - 5,"
"5" Mason called at the same time. "Shit," he laughed, Ruben lining up the shots. Everyone chuckled at the faces pulled by the boy as he downed them one by one.
"Fair play," Reece patted his shoulder as Mason hunched over the island.
"God I need to go and sit down," Mason stumbled through the kitchen and into the living room, flopping on the sofa nearest to the coffee table.
****************
Back in Argentina, the days were long, and bleak. In reality, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the air was warm, but in Luna's reality, it was very different. It had been a matter of days without Enzo, and juggling her part time waitressing job and her care for her dad, she was exhausted.
Today, was the hardest day yet. The whole apartment reeked of vodka and smoke, constant grumbling from her dads bedroom as she attempted to scrub every inch of the house to a living standard again. In truth, Luna was somewhat on egg shells around her father. He wasn't a nice man; but he was still her dad at the end of the day.
"Oi," she heard a quiet groan. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and ignoring it.
"OI," He shouted causing her to flinch.
"Coming, dad," She threw the cloth on the floor, quickly making her way to the bedroom her father lay in.
"My bottles empty," He almost growled, throwing the glass onto the floor and letting it shatter.
"I think you've had enough now, dad," Luna sighed, however almost instantly regretted speaking those words out loud.
"You what? You fucking what, you bitch? You don't tell me what to do," He spat, attempting to sit up in bed whilst he pointed his shaking fingers in her direction. She knew she'd regret it, but she'd had enough.
"To an extent, I do, dad. I gave up the chance to start a new life where I could be happy, so I could stay with you. You could Atleast appreciate that, even if you don't appreciate me," Luna sighed, sadly. The room remained silent, her eyes on the floor as she felt his burning gaze locked on her.
"Get out," Her dad sternly told her.
"I'm not leaving you, you can't fend for yourself. If you were to drink yourself to death, it would be my fault," Luna shook her head.
"Get the fuck out of my house, now," he ignored her.
"You're not listening, dad, I can't leave-"
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE AND MY LIFE, AND MY SIGHT. If I ever see your fucking face again, I will kill you." The words jabbed straight through Luna's chest, watching as he lifted yet another glass bottle and chuck it in her direction. She shook her head as the shatter circled around her feet.
"Fine," She calmly responded, leaving the room and slamming the door behind her. Quickly, she strutted through the living room, reached for her phone, and headed out the front door empty handed.
The apartments complex corridor closed in around the girl as she fell to the floor, her back against the closed front door. She held her legs to her chest as she let her emotions out. She was homeless, she was alone.
Enzo, she needed Enzo.
******************
"Enz, Enz mate you're phones ringing," Mason called from the sofa where he lay, watching the phone ring on the coffee table. No response, although that was to be expected - everyone else was still in the kitchen surrounded by the bassy music.
"Hello?" Mason answered the phone himself a few seconds later.
"En, oh my god help me," The girl at the other end of the line pleaded through cries.
"Woah woah, this isn't Enzo, Im his friend, who is this? Are you ok? Do you need help?" Mason immediately sat up, the concern overtaking the feeling of tipsiness he felt.
"Oh, urm, its his sister. Can I speak to Enzo please?" The girl sniffed, her voice shaky.
"Yeah, yeah sure. Ill go and get him now for you, alright?" Mason sympathetically spoke, hoisting himself up from the sofa and heading into the kitchen.
"Enzo, your sister, she needs help," Mason anxiously told him, handing him the phone. Enzo's face immediately fell, his gaze falling to panic as he thanked Mason and took the phone from him.
"What happened?" Trevoh asked Mason, who deeply sighed.
"Not a clue, man, but she didn't sound good. She was crying and shaking and sounded like she couldn't even breathe properly," Mason scratched the back of his neck. No one knew Luna, but they all felt an air of concern at this point. The men remained silent for minutes, until Enzo returned to the room.
"So, my sisters going to moving in with me, tomorrow."
