Vacant Hearts [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

Chapter 10 | What Will We Do When We're Sober?

SONG FOR THE CHAPTER: Sober by Lorde

      My bedroom door flew open and I jumped, my knee hitting the bowl of popcorn sitting on my bed. Thankfully, it didn't spill across my quilt cover. That would have been a literal nightmare to clean up. Huffing in annoyance, I glanced away from the TV to find Lia with a sheepish expression on her face.

      "Sorry, didn't realise how weird that would be. I should've settled for a subtler entrance," she said, tugging on one of her dark curls which were pulled up into a high ponytail.

      "Knocking on my door like a normal person would've sufficed," I suggested, rolling my eyes.

      Lia closed the door and crossed the room over to my bed, her black heels clicking against my floorboards. I paused Brooklyn Nine-Nine and peered up at her, raising an eyebrow.

      "Can I help you?" I asked.

      "We're going out," she said simply. "Come on, get up."

      I dropped my eyes to her outfit. She was wearing black, high-waisted skinny jeans with a white, long-sleeved crop top. It looked like she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

      I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why?"

      "'Cause it's Saturday night and you're clearly not doing anything overly important."

      "Uh, excuse me, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is very important," I replied, shooting her a dirty look.

      Lia's face lit up and she glanced at my TV. "Oh, that's what you're watching? I agree with you there, but we're still going out."

      "What if I don't want to?"

      "I don't care," she said bluntly. "Get up and get dressed."

      "If I don't, you're going to keep pestering me, aren't you?" I said with a sigh.

      My best friend grinned. "Absolutely."

      Twenty minutes later, I was dressed and following Lia out the door. Mom did not look happy when I told her I was going out, but it wasn't like she could stop me. It wasn't until we got in the Uber that I finally asked her where we were going.

      "We're going to Tyler's for a small party thing. He said I could invite you as long as you promised not to pour his vodka down the sink," Lia told me.

      I rolled my eyes. "He's still mad about that?"

      "Apparently so. You know how he likes to hold grudges. Remember when I accidentally spilt coffee on his t-shirt and he literally brought it up every day for a month straight?"

      I chuckled. "Classic Tyler. Never knows how to let anything go."

      Lia made a noise of agreement, a small smile on her lips.

      "You look really nice, by the way," Lia said after a few moments of silence. "Is that shirt new?"

      The shirt she was gesturing to was a black, sheer long-sleeved shirt, which I was wearing over a lace bralette. I was also wearing my trusty pair of ripped denim jeans that my mum had threatened to throw in the trash countless times.

      "Nah, I've worn it a few times before," I answered. "These shoes are new, though."

      It didn't take us long to get to Tyler's house. He only lived ten or so minutes from mine. This was the first time I had ever actually been to his house, though. He rarely hosted parties. It was a smart move on his part since parties were usually just huge messes to clean up afterwards. That was the main reason I never had them at my house or apartment.