SHOW ME HOW TO LIVE
While sitting on the ground of an empty parking lot, half-drunk with her brother by her side, Lila has never felt more alive. The stars shine brighter, her mind is quieter.
"Give it to me straight, Calum." Lila faces him for a proper side by side comparison. "Is my left boob bigger than my right one?"
He chokes on the vodka running down his throat. "I am not looking at your boobs."
Luke had been smothering the girl. Calum could see it in her eyes that she was ready for more out of her mundane life. He decided to sneak her out, get her drunk, because that's when the best decisions are made.
He drove them to a liquor store, bought two handles of vodka, and told Lila to drink until she couldn't see straight.
"If you won't look at my boobs then what even is your purpose in life? Your existence has never been more inconvenient than it is right now."
Calum frowns, followed by a few hiccups as he swipes on his phone. "If you were a type of bread, what kind would you be?"
"Pumpernickel. It sounds like a cool type of bread, and I'm cool." She leans back on her hands and crosses her ankles. "What about you?"
"I took a Buzzfeed quiz and I'm a soft pretzel. Apparently I'm twisted and super salty. And I'm at my best when I'm fresh out of the oven.
Lila and Calum giggle until their stomachs hurt, taking swigs of vodka when their hands aren't shaking from laughter.
"Those are the important life questions. Who cares what I want to major in or what I want to do after school? I'm pumpernickel bread and that is all that matters."
Calum ponders her words. "I'm a soft pretzel. I feel like I know who I am now."
Each sip of alcohol brings Lila's mind further away from her body. She feels weightless, she feels happy. "Is water wet?"
"Is chocolate brown?" Calum retorts, typing a quick message to Olivia.
"Sometimes. Not always."
He stands, pocketing his phone. "There's your answer. One of the mysteries of the world has been solved."
"That was deep. You should give a Ted Talk." She mimics his action, tucking the bottle under her arm and following him to his jeep. "Wait. Where are we going?"
"We are going to meet up with some friends." He opens the passenger door for her before slipping into the driver's seat and starting the ignition.
His words go right over her head. "I'm almost four percent positive that you shouldn't be driving right now."
"If I don't drive we'll have to walk. Aaaaaaand I don't wanna." He whines out, reversing out of the lot before Lila can argue.
"What about Lu?" She pauses. "Luke. What about Luke?"
Calum notices her slip up but ignores it. "What about him? He's treating you like a prisoner. So you got kidnapped and almost died. The world doesn't stop!"
"Exactly dude. Thank you for seeing my side. Fist bump." Her slurred speech has Calum tapping the side of her bottle, ignoring her extended hand. "No fist bump. I can still sort of understand you, you're not drunk enough."
She takes another sip, it burns slightly less. "Can I have a hand hug?"
"No, I need both hands on the wheel. I'm doing some real vroom vroom shit right now."
The pair manages to make it to the club in one piece. Calum isn't entirely drunk yet, but Lila is fucking gone. She stops and waves at every stranger that passes by, not letting the stumble in her steps slow her down. She notices a flower bed by the entrance of the club and picks a pretty purple one, handing it to Calum. "Put it behind your ear and keep it forever." She tells him.
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𝘿𝙀𝘾𝙀𝙋𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 • 𝙇𝙍𝙃
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