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Chapter 13: Just Inhale

The next few weeks of classes flew by. I kept up with everyone back home through our group message on Snapchat. Most of the conversations were just references to inside jokes between the boys or funny pictures Miles had found on the internet. I had promised Charli that I wouldn't go home until Fall break at the end of September. It's just four weekends, you can do this, I told myself. I repeated that mantra to myself every time I caught myself missing my friends. I kept my promise and stayed with Charli at school for the entire month until break.

By the time the week before Fall break started, we both needed a break from each other. She couldn't handle my hyper spurts and I was getting bored only watching movies and ordering pizza on the weekends. I found myself needing some sort of excitement. Again. I got a message from my mom on Tuesday:

Mom: We are going to the mountains this weekend. Leaving Friday be back Sunday night. No parties. Be good.

Indie: Okayy. Have fun!

I thought for a moment as I re-read her text message. Why would she tell me not to throw a party? College kid + empty house = party. It's a pretty simple equation, actually. I shook my head and giggled to myself. My phone buzzed again.

Katherine had made a new group on Snapchat called "Sneaky Snakes". There were only four of us in the group; Me, Katherine, Jordan, and Greyson.

Katherine: So, my birthday is this weekend...

Jordan: Yeah, it is!!!!

Katherine: We want to do something fun... but only if you guys are down.

Greyson: uhhhh that sounds scary.

Indie: What do you wanna do?

Katherine: Jordy, tell them.

Jordan: Well. Katherine wants to drink. She wants to try some things and see what she likes and what she doesn't like.

Greyson: OH! Thank God.

Katherine: Greyson, you're gross.

Katherine: the only problem is that we don't have anywhere to do it. No one can know though so don't say anything.

I sat my phone down and crossed my hands in front of me in mock prayer. I closed my eyes and tried to conceal my excitement. It was too perfect. Katherine's birthday, fall break, no parents, all of my friends wanting to drink. All of it.

Indie: wellllllll... actually...

Indie: My parents leave Friday morning to go to the mountains for the weekend. They won't be back until Sunday night...

Jordan: WHAT?! You're kidding?! That's seriously perfect. Can we do it at your place, Ind?

Indie: Of course!

We planned the night throughout the rest of the week. I would get home around three that afternoon and have the house cleaned before anyone got there at seven. We would order pizza and Greyson would pick it up on his way to my house. Jordan was supposed to pick up the alcohol before he got Katherine at her house. I was too afraid to go to any of the liquor stores or buy beer from a grocery store in our town because of my dad's job at the church so I was relieved when Jordan had volunteered for the job.

On Friday morning when my alarm went off for class, I hit snooze like always. I'm not one of those people who can wake up on the first alarm. It went off again and I hit snooze again. I finally opened my eyes a few minutes later wondering why my alarm wasn't going off again. I glanced at my phone to see how much time I had left before it went off. The clock said 8:15 am. The second time I snoozed the alarm, it had turned the alarm completely off instead of just snoozing it. "Ughhh," I groaned and unplugged my phone from its charger. I started a message to Charli.