“Guys, I'm gonna go get my hoodie,” Cailey says. I'm cold just looking at her; she's only wearing a t-shirt and shorts. I stole Dean's hoodie from his bunk earlier, and even then he was too drunk to really notice or care.
“Alright, hurry back, bitch,” I reply, grinning at her, and she starts working her way through the crowd.
I look at the cider in my hand and debate whether I should take this opportunity to go get another one, but the alcohol is all the way on the other side of the fire and I really can't be bothered to shove my way over there. But then again, I'm not nearly drunk enough yet, I wouldn't even say I'm tipsy.
“Nick,” I say, elbowing him to get his attention, “I'm gonna go get another drink, you want anything?”
“Could I get another beer?”
“Yeah sure, be right back.” I start moving through the crowd, downing the last of my cider. There are so many people here. Band upon band upon band. It's a sea of musicians yet not one of them can sing in tune while drunk.
I'm almost by the camp fire, I can see it flickering and swaying, when someone calls out, “Who wants to do a train?”
Before I can really comprehend what I'm doing, my hand is flying up into the air like I'm answering a question at school and I'm yelling, “Me!”
People turn to look at me. A cheer goes up through the crowd. And I finally see who shouted about doing a train in the first place:
David Schmitt. It just had to be him.
His face breaks into a grin. He's not wearing his sunglasses any more and his hair is dishevelled. His top is clearly a t-shirt he's cut the sleeves off himself because the edges are jagged and baggy, his tattoo sleeves bathed in the orange light of the fire. I can tell he's already on his way to being well and truly hammered. “You sure you can handle this?”
“I could drink you under the table,” I retort.
He laughs and so does everyone else. “Come on then,” he calls, waving me over. “Just don't fall on me again.” He winks at me, as many shot glasses as he can manage wedged between his fingers and clutched to his chest.
“Well I can't guarantee I won't,” I reply, “I have a feeling this might just send me over the egde.”
“Bring that table over!” someone shouts, and people start clearing the drinks off the 'refreshments table', carrying it over to us. That's when I see Cailey and Kellin on the other side of the fire, standing side by side and smiling at me.
“Shots for the boys!” Kellin yells as he and Vic Fuentes put the table in front of us.
“For the boy and girl!” Vic corrects him, and I suddenly think what the fuck have I got myself into? I'm about to do a train of shots with David and it's probably going to conclude in me having my stomach pumped, which isn't exactly the most attractive thing.
David arranges the shot glasses into two lines, ten glasses each. I'm aware of all these eyes watching me. David looks up. His eyes are bright, a little glassy, and he smiles at me in anticipation. “I'll let you choose the drink.”
I glance behind me at Cailey. “Get the apple sourz!”
She shakes her head at me, but she's laughing and already turning round to find the bottle amidst the others on the floor. She hands it to me. “Don't blow chunks everywhere,” she says before taking her place beside Kellin.
David pours the drink into the glasses and we take our positions, hands hovering over our first glass. My stomach gives a nervous little flutter. I'm probably going to die but oh well, this will make for a pretty good obituary.
“Okay, I'll count you in,” Tony Perry says. He stands on the opposite side of the table, a beer in one hand and the other held up for everyone to see, three fingers ready for the countdown. “3, 2, 1, drink!”
People start cheering and we start downing. The first glass, second, third, fourth, fifth. David is just ahead of me, and I can feel the alcohol hitting the back of my throat. I'm going to be paying for this in the morning. Sixth, seventh. Some dribbles down my chin but I don't wipe it away; I don't have time. Eighth. Ninth. David finishes, slams his last glass down and throws his arms into the air in triumph. Tenth, I'm done.
David throws his head back in laughter while I try and discretely wipe the drink from my chin. “I thought you almost had me there for a second,” he says to me, and he moves in for a hug, enveloping me in his arms.
The hug takes me by surprise and I only manage to speak when he pulls away. “I let you win.”
“Of course you did,” David answers, and when he winks at me again I feel a warmth in my stomach and I know it's not the alcohol.
YOU ARE READING
Do It Now, Remember It Later
Teen FictionCailey and Milly are sisters in their band As We Fall and have secured themselves a slot on the new Warped Tour Europe. But it's not long before new relationships are formed and soon the girls find themselves entangled in a web of love, loss and dan...
