Uprooted (COMPLETED)

12| Drunken Kisses

Sierra's POV

*the next day at school

I looked down into my backpack, a gently wrapped ham sandwich sat on top on my books. Stormie... My cheeks perked up softly. I pushed past my notebooks and instantly smelled the molded bits of food in a the plastic bag I had stowed away. Is there any use for them now?

I'd never really committed to foster home before so this was such a strange feeling. It kinda felt like... hope...stability.

PB prodded me out of thought."Hello? Sierra? I said you wanna do something tonight then? To celebrate you staying?" Jason asked again munching on a french fry.

"How about we go out for drinks?" I suggested nonchalantly, pushing the bag further down my backpack and picking up the sandwich. I'll keep them just in case.

"Like at a bar? We're both clearly under 21." Chewed potato almost fell out of his gaped mouth.

"Nothing a pair of heels and a fake can't fix," my voice mumbled under the first bite of the delicious sandwich.

"How the hell did you get a fake ID?" He whispered loudly and leaned in closer as if it was top secret.

"I got it a few towns back, one of my old foster brothers had a machine." I shrugged gulping down my last bite. "Come on PB, don't be a wuss."

"Don't call me PB and I'm not a wuss," he whined. I raised my eyebrows at him, "Fine. I'll pick you up at 8."

"Make it 9. You have a car? Remind me why you don't have any friends again?"

"Because I'd much rather torture myself with your agonizing company of course." He smiled, licking the salt off the tips of his fingers.

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I climbed into Ross's car after school which had become a routine. I hardly get routine. "So Jason and I are going out tonight to have a drink to celebrate. You feel like coming?" I watched the trees pass us in splashes of green.

The car swerved slightly and Ross's voice barked like a scolding parent,"What a crappy way to celebrate. Do you want to be shipped away? Didn't you hear what your social worker said? You can't get in trouble."

I sighed and tried my best not to roll my eyes,"Look, it's just one night, nobody will even notice we left."

"You can't risk it. You're not going" His minuscule comment stirred a hurricane of tension and anger. We were hungry savages fighting for dominance.

"You can't tell me what I can and can't do." I glared at him who refused to catch my daggers. "Don't you see we don't have time to grow up?"

He paused and for a second I believed he was going to change his mind. "You're not going."

"Fine," I yelled, turning my heated face back towards the window and sucked in the rest of the car ride's silence.

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Ross's POV

It had been hours since Sierra and I had spoken, if you could even call that speaking. We had locked ourselves in our rooms the rest of the night, but it had to be done. She couldn't leave, it was too soon, and I wouldn't have her wasting her home here with me because she wanted to get tipsy with Jason. Doesn't he know what's at stake here? I had to talk to her, at least come to an understanding.

I knocked quietly on Sierra's door, "Hey, can we talk?" No answer. I knocked again, "I know you're mad at me, but just let me explain. Sierra, please." I sighed and turned the knob, "Come on the silent treatment, real mat--" She was gone. Her blankets flopped the floor just as she liked it, her journal flipping past a few pages in the breeze. That's when I noticed the window propped open letting the stars shine a subtle glow into the room. Shit.

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Sierra's POV:

"Told you we'd get in," I smirked slightly and nudged him in the ribs, "Now go get us something to drink and ask them to keep it coming, remember PB act natural." He nodded nervously as we parted ways and I sat at an empty wooden table. My fingers played with the soft touch of the napkins in its dispenser and I inhaled the protruding smell of cigarette smoke. My foot tapped to the old jazz music among the clatter of mixing drinks and conversations. In the corner I watched a man snoring on the bar, dribbles of drool spilling faster than his empty glass.

"Can you believe I did it? Suckahs," Jason grinned triumphantly handing me my drink, "The guy said we got Gin and Tonics, so I just played it off like I knew what it was. I should be an actor, I can see it now, my name in flashing lights."

"Oh shut up," I laughed and took a large gulp of the clear acidic liquid, the ice clinking against the glass sweetly. It burned as I sucked at the sliced lemon attached. Jason watched me in amazement and tried to mimic my motions in a failed attempt.

"Ah!" He groaned at the stinging in his throat, "Clearly you've done that before." I only giggled in response with the a simple command : keep them coming.

About an hour later, we both stunk of alcohol and were laughing at anything that moved. One man who I assumed to work there asked us to leave because we were being too disruptive to the other customers. What a drag. I struggled to keep my balance and I'm sure everyone in the room could tell too. My head was spinning, my legs wouldn't listen, and my hands did whatever they pleased. I could feel myself moving, but why couldn't I stop it? PB tried to lead me out the door, but he too couldn't tell his right from his left. We swayed out of the bar and the night air seemed to sober me just a little, "PD, no PB," I messed up and continued slurring, "Walk home, I'll walk to my place too. Then, then I'll see you tomorrow."

He chucked at nothing, then wrapped my flopping arms around his neck for support, "But I gotta do this right, right? Left. Right. Gotta be a gentleman. Gotta walk you home gotta hiss--kiss you goodnight." Our locked eyes struggled to keep open and he leaned in.

Suddenly, my overthinking mind had sobered me up. Did he say kiss me? I blinked as he was coming in hot. Hot, hot. Boy was he hot. Okay, maybe I was still a little drunk. His messy dark brown hair covered his closed eyes, our foreheads touched and our breath fumed together in disfuddled harmony. If I kiss him right now, I can be with him. Then I won't have to move and Ross and I... I was too busy being Ross's to fall for somebody new and I was trying to find him in Jason, but there's no one else like him. Every kiss after Ross would be criminal. "Goodnight PB," I smiled pushing him off playfully with the little strength I had in my bones. Apparently he understood or was too drunk to argue as he fumbled down the street and called back 'Night!' about ten times.

I slumped against the wall to rest my weary legs.

Author's Note: I know this chapter was a bit lacking in Ross and Sierra, but when I wrote this chapter it was about 2,500 words so I cut it into two. Chapter 13 will be all about the them and I think you'll really like it.