The Four of Us | On Hiatus

Chapter 6

S I X

I GROANED AS I sat up and stretched. Glancing around, I took in the familiar surroundings and realized I'd fallen asleep on Jay's couch. I hoped it hadn't gotten too late, otherwise the boys would be furious at me for not showing up.

      I pulled out my phone and checked the time. At seeing the clock say it was barely past ten, I sighed in relief. It wouldn't be long before I could make my way over to Tyler's around midnight. By then, nearly everyone there would either be passed out, or too drunk to recognize even their own mother.

      I climbed out of the bed and headed to the bathroom, grabbing a toothbrush and attempting to wash out the slimy feeling from the roof of my mouth. Afterwards, I stripped down and changed into a pair of black skinny jeans with combat boots. I dug further into the duffel bag of clothes for a gray, lacy tank top and threw on my leather jacket. When I finished that, I ran my fingers through my hair like a comb and started for Jay's living room.

      I decided to watch a movie to pass the time until I was supposed to leave, so I grabbed some snacks, pulled out one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies and flopped down on the couch. About halfway through the movie, my phone buzzed. I pulled the white iPhone from my pocket to see three messages from Tyler.

      Don't forget to come at 12

      I rolled my eyes at the text. Trust me, I was bored out of my mind; there's no way in hell anyone could keep me from that party. I typed out a reply. I know.

      I turned off the screen and returned my attention to the movie, only for the phone to ping continuously a few moments later. I groaned in annoyance, pausing the movie in the middle of a murder to answering the FaceTime call.

      "Yes?"

      Tyler looked down at me from a strange angle with a grin. Jay and Cyrus were on either side of him, both moving and struggling to be in the camera's view. They obviously weren't used to FaceTime, considering Tyler had his face closer to the screen than a grandparent on Skype, and the other two looked entirely confused.

      The urge to take a screenshot was strong, but I contained myself.

      "Everyone's pretty waisted," Tyler shouted over the music, glancing around what I was pretty sure was the living room, "so you can probably come now, if you want."

      I glanced at the other two for confirmation, and they both nodded in agreement. I shrugged. "Alright. Let me turn off this movie and I'll be on my way."

      Jay took the phone from Tyler instantly. "No, no, that's okay. We'll have Cyrus come pick you up in a minute. Be ready."

      I rolled my eyes and nodded. Just before Jay hung up, I was pretty sure I heard Cyrus whine, "Why do I always have to do it?"

      I shook my head with a fond smile and stood up, cleaning up the mess from my snacks and shutting off the movie. It would probably be around ten more minutes before they got here, so I ran back upstairs and started with my makeup. I never wore a lot, just enough to hide any dark circles, line my eyes, and use ChapStick to keep my lips smooth.

      As if on queue, I heard a click from the front door and jogged down the stairs just in time for Cyrus to open it. When he saw me, he put on a smile. "You ready?"

      I nodded, grinning. "How many people are out, and how many are just too drunk to remember anything?"

      He chuckled at my expected question. Every time I went to a party, we played Spin the Bottle: Truth or Dare version. You'd spin the bottle, and ask whoever it lands on Truth or Dare. Once they took their turn, that person would spin it, and the cycle would repeat. The more people awake and wasted, the more fun playing the game.