Kasey stumbled into the dark dorm room around 10:30---the only light source came from a lamp near the barstool that Kasey was too drunk to notice Olivia sitting on.
His vision was a wobbly blur.
It was a Friday night---of course, he'd gone out and gotten drunk. He'd probably drunken a few drinks, even with that low tolerance of his. He did it for the buzz, and Olivia knew-she even understood why: he didn't like thinking about things; didn't like the focus, the reality of his problems. He thought it was better to get drunk than to cry all night-which is what he'd do whenever he wasn't drinking.
But tonight was a bit much.
Olivia only noticed when she looked up from her sketchbook to see a drunk Kasey muttering to himself, leaning against a dresser to catch his balance...
Or a tipsy Kasey; she couldn't tell.
And, honestly, it didn't matter; he was still intoxicated either way, in the wrong mindset. And, now, when Olivia thought about it, this was actually sad. Disappointing to see a 'friend' goes like this.
But this never happened: he'd always come home safe, not drunk. And he came home alone.
Why hadn't a friend dropped him off?
She was sure he was with one of his friends before..
"Those were bad friends." Then, Olivia would tell him to leave them when he sobered up.
And they WERE bad friends. No 'friend' just leaves a drunk alone.
"No, they're not," he'd say dismissively because they both knew he couldn't stand confrontation.
His eyes were tired and red---maybe from the buzz, but it seemed like he'd been crying too.
Something had happened tonight---and it obviously wasn't too great. But Olivia's first priority was to confirm that he was safe. And to grab him some water. He was probably dehydrated.
And, so, Olivia got up, placed her sketchbook down on the wooden table, and put a hand on his shoulder. For support, of course...
Maybe to check if he was still alive. She was worried, and he hadn't moved for about five minutes.
Aside from his heavy breathing, she couldn't tell if he was alive.
He'd always been a quiet drunk, seeming dead inside---and she only knew that from the videos Eric showed her.
Unfortunately, this was her first time dealing with a drunk person. She'd have to Google what to ask.
How to take care of the now-drunk person in the room. How to keep this drunk safe---make sure he didn't have alcohol poisoning.
When she got close, he reeked of it. Olivia couldn't stand the smell of alcohol, but she had to be there for him. After all, he kind of needed her. To stay sane. To keep going. To stop drinking, too.
They'd work together through this problem. Even if he didn't know it; or wanted it. She shook the thoughts off---No time to get all sappy, Olivia.
"You good, Kase? Let me get you to the bathroom."
That was what she was supposed to do, right? Let him throw up and get it all out of his system?
God, she'd never taken care of a drunk person. This was too stressful..
Where was Eric when you needed him?
He was good at this stuff. She wasn't. He could take care of people.
A murmur came out of Kasey's mouth; it sounded like jumbled-up words, a messy sentence. He wouldn't budge when Olivia had tried to push him off the dresser---toward the bathroom.
"C'mon, Kase.." she said in a strained voice, trying to push his weight off the dresser.
"Mm-mm... No, Maria.." Kasey huffed out, his voice deep with tiredness. "..Don't-Don't leave me.."
*What? My name's not-*
"I won't leave you.. ever... Okay, Kasey?" Olivia tried to reassure him with a half-smile.
Immediate regret flooded her. She felt cheesy for saying those words---for the sentence that came out of her mouth.
It made her wince.
And he wasn't even talking about her---he was talking about some girl named Maria.
Olivia didn't know a 'Maria.' She's heard about an 'Amber' and a 'Caroline', but no Maria. This was the first time. Kasey really needed to stop messing around with so many women.
"C'mon, Kasey.."
His eyes met hers for a moment before he nodded slowly. "Vivi?"
He moved off the dresser, and Olivia immediately felt his weight lean onto her shoulder. His cheek was near her neck. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. She could feel that breath on her neck.
At least he was finally complying.
Even though she struggled to keep him up, she'd still help him stagger into the bathroom.
"Stop calling me Vivi. I hate it."
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YOU ARE READING
too many problems to function :3
Random'"How are you?" Kasey said into his phone. He spun a spoon around in his tomato soup; since she always cooked, he'd planned to make dinner before Olivia got home. "What are you doing?" "Working," Olivia answered. She used her shoulder to hold up her...
