Together Apart | ✓

|Chapter XLV|

Our backs tell stories no books have the spine to carry

Chapter 45: I promise to fight for us

I should've stayed home. It would've been much better than sticking out here in the cold once again. Why did I always find myself in these situations? Always avoiding people.

I could've been at home, in bed, sipping on my hot chocolate and finishing season two of Riverdale. Instead, I found myself chilling outside while people were getting wasted. My boyfriend being included.

It was New Year's Eve and Trevor had decided to throw another one of his epic parties. Everyone was attending and Jordan couldn't miss out on it. Despite the fact we made a deal that he would cool it down on the drinking. But it was his birthday, he was celebrating.

That was the only reason I came. I needed to make sure he was alright and arrived home safely. Especially now with all that's been happening. He needed a distraction on top of him celebrating eighteen years of life.

Jordan didn't like to make his birthday a big deal but he had friends who didn't take no for an answer. I had the whole morning with him while his friends took him out the rest of the day.

I called to check up on him when it was nearing eleven. I knew I wasn't going to let any of his friends drive him home. They all sounded too drunk to even form proper sentences.

I kept contemplating between staying out here or going inside. One of the reasons I was avoiding going back to the party was because I spotted Vee. Knowing she was here, Reece would also be lingering around.

I couldn't face them yet not knowing what to say. I still needed to come up with a way to apologise to them as well as avoiding telling them the truth. If I told them they would never understand, no one would.

Maybe when the new year started, I would get the guts to speak to them. Or they'd make things easier for me and forget what happened this year. That's what I was planning on doing.

I was planning on forgetting about the rough patch Jordan and I went through. I was going to forget about the whole school website scandal. And I was going to forget the trauma I went through of almost getting sexually assaulted. But I don't think I would be able to forget about finding Cali's private affairs.

I didn't feel guilty leaving her on New Year's Eve as Thea was there. It was nice that she had a friend to look out for her.

I stood up and went in to find Jordan. I needed the bathroom. I learnt a lot of things during the past year. One of them being not to go anywhere without someone I knew around.

It wasn't long before I spotted him playing beer pong. I watched him get a ping pong ball into one of the red cups opposite him. The crowd around went wild as a guy on the other side drank the substance in the cup.

Jordan's smile widened once he noticed me. He shuffled away from his friend but not before grabbing a red cup. He sipped the alcohol in it coming to my direction.

"Hey, beautiful." He hung his arm over my shoulder giving me a sloppy kiss. I cringed but smiled nevertheless. "Whatcha ya doin' here?"

"I'm your dedicated driver. I wanted you to arrive home safe."

He smirked at me. "Aren't ya just a cutie pie?" He tapped my nose with his cup.

"Hey, I need the bathroom. Could you guard the door for me?" He took a swing of his drink then threw the cup to the ground.

"Let's go." He pushed through the crowd of people until we got to the upstairs bathroom.

The music was blocked when I was in the bathroom and it was much refreshing in here than out here. The air was just filled of alcohol and smoke which made me want to throw up.