Grayson's P.O.V.
I woke up first considering I was incredibly less drunk than Ryder was last night. Nevertheless, I still had a pounding headache. I opened my eyes to see the tattooed girl clinging onto my waist. Her arms were wrapped tightly around me as her head rested on my chest. She still wore her clothes from last night, obviously too drunk to change. I don't know how she managed to sleep in jeans, but hey I guess when you're drunk you can knock out wearing anything.
I tried to get up but she stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered open. She looked at me with confusion and noticed that she was cuddled into me.
I smirked slightly raising my eyebrows causing her to groan and throw her head back down onto my chest.
"Sleepy time" she mumbled, "It's too early".
In a matter of minutes, Ryder was fast asleep once again. I chuckled lightly, this time carefully and gently unwinding the tired girl from my body. I got up and peeked into Nick's room to see if either of them were up. They were in a position opposite of Ryder and me, as Nick was laying almost completely on top of Veronica. She was slightly awake as she rubbed his hair. What a fucking softie.
She looked up at me as she heard me open the door and smiled. I smiled back before closing the door quietly and going downstairs. I instantly started making coffee and popped two advils in my mouth. The stairs creaked as I looked over to see Veronica rub her eyes tiredly.
"Good morning drunkie" I smirked. She sat down at the counter and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.
"I am so hungover" she complained looking like she could fall asleep again at any moment.
"I never knew you drank, let alone that much" I laughed pouring her a cup of coffee first then pouring my own. She smiled graciously as I slide the mug her way.
"I drink every now and then with my parents but I've never had the stuff Nick gave us. I don't even remember half the night"
"What do you remember?" I asked, curious if she was too drunk to remember Nick's little confession of love.
"We played a game, I got mad at Nick, Ryder danced on the table, and then... blank" she laughed, "Did I miss anything important?"
"Nothing much. We did not end up watching a movie though" we both laughed.
"You and Ryder were pretty handsy last night, huh?" it was her turn to smirk as I felt the slightest blush come over my face. I quickly rolled my eyes.
"She is a very affectionate drunk" I defended.
"Mhm" she hummed sipping her coffee. I sighed but smiled lightly.
"Nick's never let a girl sleep in his bed before ya know" I decided to leak at least a little bit of Nick's hidden information. I could tell what Nick did last night really bothered her. She obviously didn't know he confessed his feelings to her as she was too far drunk when that part of the night occurred.
"Really?" she tried to hide a smile.
"Yeah" I smiled knowing it made her feel at least a little bit better. I had this weird connection with Veronica. I kind of looked at her as the sister I've never had. Besides, I guess I made it pretty clear that I don't really go for the good, sweet girl type.
"I can't believe Halloween is only a few weeks away" Veronica mentioned breaking me out of my thoughts, "It feels like just yesterday we we're in the hot weather going to the beach"
"I completely forgot about that" I laughed, "holiday season is coming quick. What are you planning on doing?"
She shrugged lightly, her eyes looking like they could close at any second, "Probably just spend it with my parents"
I smiled but put my head down to hide it. Ryder was right the other day we were at Nick's. Veronica isn't like any of us; no abuse father, or dying mom, or constantly out of the state parents. I'm happy she actually had a chance, even though the rest of us did not.
"Grayson?" I snapped my head back up to meet her eyes, "I asked what your plans are for the holidays?"
I honestly didn't know. Obviously I wanted to spend it with my mom, but who knows if she'll even make it that long. I'm fucking scared and I know one of these days it's bound to happen.
"I'll figure it out as it comes" I shrugged. Although I trusted Veronica, she didn't need to know the details of my life .
"Well, you are always welcome to spend it with me and my family" she smiled. What a fucking sweetheart. If only she knew how fucked I really am. She would go sprinting for the fucking hills.
Before I had a chance to respond, Nick was the next to descend down the stairs. I felt slight disappointment in my stomach when I saw it wasn't Ryder.
"What's up man?" he dapped me up then looked at Veronica, "Hey babe"
I gave him a head nod while Veronica just smiled lightly obviously still a bit bothered by last night. Nick seemed to notice when he sighed and came around the counter to open the fridge and pull out a carton of eggs.
"You guys hungry?" Nick cooked a lot since his parents weren't around to do anything for him.
"Fuck yeah" I could feel my stomach growl.
"Sure" Veronica responded quietly. I wanted to give them some space to talk and I wanted to check in on Ryder anyway.
"I'm going to see if Ryder wants to eat any breakfast" I motioned my thumb towards the steps as Veronica looked at me with slight pleading eyes. I felt bad leaving them alone considering Veronica only remembers the asshole part of Nick last night, but that's something they need to figure out on their own; not with me around.
I made my way upstairs and into the guest room to find Ryder still peacefully sleeping. I smiled to myself as I crossed my arms and leaned against the door frame. I was a lot less drunk than she was last night but I was still so affectionate towards her. I know I don't hate her. I'm scared to say I like her. Just like the whole bipolar shit, admitting it makes it real. And when things get real, they usually go to shit in my life.
For her sake, I'm going to keep my feelings to myself. Like I said, I would do anything to protect her.
I walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. I lightly ran my fingers through her hair, not wanting to wake her up suddenly. Eventually, she slowly opened her eyes.
"Good morning princess" I smirked at her tired form. She groaned and put her head back down against the pillow, "Nick is making breakfast if you want some. You should try to eat a bit, it'll make you feel a little better"
"No" she mumbled into the pillow, "Sleepyyyy"
"I left some water and advil on the nightstand next to you. Try and wake up in a bit and come eat some breakfast. After that if you want to go back to sleep you can" I realized I was still running my fingers through her hair.
"You're bossy" she pouted making me laugh.
"I just care about you" I smiled. This caused her to lift her head up from the pillow.
"Huh?" she wore a confused look, "Since when? Last time I checked you hated my guts. Which was...hm...2 days ago"
How is it that she just woke with a massive hangover and still finds away to be a sarcastic asshole to me. I rolled my eyes standing up to head back downstairs.
"Whatever, just come downstairs if you want. It doesn't matter"
I can't let this girl know that I care.
Ryder's P.O.V.
To say I have a headache, is an understatement. I felt like someone was taking a hammer and just continuously hitting my brain with it. But I knew Grayson was right, even if I didn't want to admit it, and that if I ate some food and drank some water I would probably feel a little better.
I sat up taking the advil Gray left and practically chugged the entire bottle of water.
What happened last night? Grayson and I were so close to kissing several times and I don't know why. If Nick's dumbass didn't interrupt us the first time, we probably would have. That's weird as fuck. Why would I want to kiss Grayson, even if I was intoxicated? And why did I have that stupid dream about him? And why was I voluntarily spending time with him?
I tried my best to remember the details of last night but it only made my head hurt more. We started taking shots. Nick took a picture of Grayson and I. We played truth or drink. Nick was being a fucking asshole. Veronica and I got even more drunk. I danced on the table. All throughout the night I cuddled and flirted with Grayson.
What happened after that? I think me and Grayson talked about something serious but I can't remember what. I also think I was spying on Nick and Veronica at one point but why? Maybe I'll remember once this fucking hangover goes away.
I realized I was still in jeans as I got up. How the fuck did I sleep in that? It's so uncomfortable. I smirked and walked over to Grayson's bag. Rummaging through I found a pair of sweatpants to change into. As I picked it up, a bottle of water that was wrapped in the sweatpants fell out. Confused, I picked it up and saw that it was slightly bubbly at the top, something that shouldn't happen if you shake a water bottle.
With shaky hands I unscrewed the cap and smelled it. My nose instantly filled with the stench of some type of alcohol, making me sick as any kind of alcohol sounds fucking disgusting right now. Why did Grayson have this? Was he turning to alcohol to cope with everything with his mom and dad? An unwanted set of chills took over my body. I can't have another person in my life abuse alcohol. I just can't.
I quickly threw on his sweatpants and dropped the bottle back in his bag. I don't know how to confront him on this, or when, or if I even should.
Making my way downstairs, I saw everyone else was awake and hanging out in the kitchen. I sat at the counter in a chair next to Ronnie and rested my head against her shoulder. Nick was making egg and cheese sandwiches although the smell of it made my slightly nauseous.
"Good morning sleeping beauty" Nick smirked from the stove with a spatula in his hand. I flipped him off, not in the mood for conversation with this dumbass right now. He just laughed and went back to cooking. Veronica was silently chewing on her sandwich, occasionally taking sips of her coffee. I looked over at Grayson who was already staring at me. He quickly looked away knowing he was caught.
I sighed putting my head down against the counter.
"You okay?" I heard Veronica's voice speak softly.
"I feel like death" I complained not bothering to lift my head up.
"You look like it too" I heard Grayson comment causing my head to shoot up as I sent him a hard glare.
"I'll punch you" I threatened not in the mood to deal with his shit.
I got up and walked over to the fridge pulling out a bottle of water.
"Did I say you can just get shit from my fridge?" Nick raised his eyebrows sassily while pointing the spatula at me.
"Does it look like I give a fuck?" I asked in a deadpanned voice as I knew my tone probably matched my face.
"She's scary when she's hungover" Nick whisper to Grayson who was standing right near me.
"She's always scary" he laughed. I rolled my eyes at the boys and walked over to the stove where Nick was cooking. I glanced over his shoulder as he cooked the eggs making sure he didn't burn them.
"You don't have to stare me down cutie. It may come as a surprise but I am pretty decent at cooking" He smirked down at me.
"Hurry up, I'm tireddd" I whined laying my head against his shoulder. How is it that none of them felt this fucking hungover? I feel like garbage.
"Wait a minute" Grayson spoke causing me to lift my head up from Nick's shoulder and look at him. He narrowed his eyes at me, "Come here"
"Why?" I asked confused.
"Come here" he repeated motioning me over with his finger. I rolled my eyes but for some reason made my way over anyway. I stood in front of him and crossed my arms obviously pouting. I raised my eyebrows at him still not sure why he called me over.
His eyes roamed my body which made me think he was checking me out. I was about to hit him but before I got the chance he spoke.
"These are my sweatpants" His hands gripped the fabric lightly causing me to be pulled towards him just a bit.
"Hm?" I tried not to make eye contact with but I could feel him staring down at me. When I met his eyes again they held amusement as a light smiled laid on his face.
"I thought you brought your own clothes?" he questioned now being the one to cross his arms and lean back against the wall behind him.
"I did" I shouted defensively, "But I woke up in jeans and the only other pants I have are shorts. And I'm cold" I frowned.
"I wouldn't mind seeing you in shorts" Nick chimed in causing me to roll my eyes.
"Shut up Nick" he sent me a shit-eating grin.
"I suppose I'll let you wear them" Grayson shrugged, "This time." he pointed a warning finger at me which I simply swatted away.
I made my way back over to Veronica deeming in safer than being near the boys as at least here I won't be fucking interrogated.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind as I was standing but she was still sitting down. She giggled lightly causing Nick to look over and smile.
"So what's the plan for today?" he asked finally putting my sandwich on a plate. He placed it next to Veronica which made me instantly sit down.
"Right now, my only plan is to devour this sandwich" I moaned as I took the first bite. This is fucking incredible. Who knew Nick was such a good cook.
"I'll be doing homework" Veronica spoke finally speaking again after saying only two words before. I laughed in amusement as Grayson shot his eyebrows up.
"It's Saturday."
"Yeah" she agreed confused as to what he means. What a cute little nerd.
"Well, I will be sleeping until I can't sleep anymore" I mumbled still focusing on eating this egg and cheese sandwich. Veronica stood up and went upstairs presumably to pack her bag.
"What's up with her?" I asked nodding my head towards the stairs after she left. Nick just shrugged while Grayson rolled his eyes.
"You know what's up with her idiot" he spoke to Nick, "She's probably still upset from you being a douchebag last night"
"I forgot about that! I knew you made her mad but I couldn't remember what for" I threw my fork at him which I didn't end up using in the first place since I was eating the sandwich with my hands.
He tried to duck but it ended up hitting him in the back of the head.
"Ow! Fucker" Nick mumbled rubbing his head sheepishly.
"Stop being a douchebag! Just because you don't like her doesn't mean you can play with her feelings! Veronica is a sweetheart..." I ranted as I saw Grayson make his way over to stand behind me, "And you're a fucking asshole. I know you're just using her for your own pleasure and mfjsjckwi"
My words were muffled as Grayson wrapped his arms around me from behind and used one of his hands to cover my mouth. I tried to yell at him with no luck as his hands remained around me.
Suddenly, I realized Veronica was at the bottom of the stairs with her packed bag over her shoulder. Ohhhhh, I see why Grayson cut me off.
Veronica sent me a confused look at the sight of Grayson with his arms around me so I reached up and used both my hands to rest them over his. This is fucking gross, but I'm trying to cover up my rant about the girl now standing a few feet away from me.
She laughed lightly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm going to head home now. I had a good night, thank you guys"
She headed towards to the door but was stopped when Nick walked over to her and wrapped a hand around her wrist.
"Wait, why don't we all hang out today? It's Saturday and none of us are actually doing anything productive" Nick rambled.
"I'm doing homework" she raised her eyebrows at him.
"Like I said, none of us are doing anything productive" Nick laughed and shyed away from Veronica when she playfully swatted his shoulder, "Babe you can do homework here, Ryder you can nap, and Grayson you can do whatever the fuck it is you do on weekends"
"I would rather be home" Grayson spoke, "I've had enough of you all"
"Really?" Nick pouted but I could tell the poor kid had slight disappointment in his eyes. He's probably so use to being alone and just wants people to stay with him.
"I'll stay" I chimed in. Maybe Veronica's kindness is rubbing off on me, "As long as none of you fuckers wake me up from my day long nap"
"YAY" Nick cheered happily, "Veronica? Grayson?" hope was written on his face.
"If you study with me I'll stay" Veronica compromised causing Nick to groan.
"But it's Saturdayyy" he whined.
"Okay, then I guess I'll be going now" Veronica headed towards the door but Nick was quick to grab her waist pulling her back into him.
"Fine" he huffed into her shoulder then looked at Grayson expectantly.
Grayson rolled his eyes but then looked down at me. I put on my best puppy dog face, pouting slightly. He sighed but I knew I had him convinced.
"Alright, but only because I have nothing better to do"
"I just have to go home first so I can get all my school stuff" Veronica said lightly.
"Let me drive you home babe. I just got to put some shoes on" Nick towered over her small frame so Veronica just looked up at him and smiled.
"It's okay, I'll just take the bus" She leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you for a good night"
She gave me and Grayson and hug then walked out the door. I'm sure Nick would of fought with Veronica about taking her home but right now he looks like he's in shock. He had a small genuine smile on his face. He glanced over at Grayson and I coughing awkwardly and tried to wipe the smile off his face.
"Welp" I clapped my hands, "On that note, I'm going back to bed. No one contact me for the next 24 hours because I will be sleeping off this hangover"
I walked upstairs to lay down. But first, I went into the bathroom quickly to look at my rundown reflection. The bags under my eyes were prominent and I would probably have to brush out my hair for the next 3 days in order to get the knots out. I glanced down at Gray's sweatpants that I'm wearing smiling to myself. I think I'll keep them.
I walked back into the guest room and saw Grayson sitting on the bed, scrolling through his phone. He looked up when he heard me come in and smiled, his eyes roaming up and down my body. I snapped my fingers in his face which made him grab my wrist and pull me closer to him. My breath hitched as he put his mouth right next to my ear.
"I think I like the looks of you in my clothes" I could feel him smirk. I quickly pulled away shooting him a glare. He chuckled getting up and grabbing his bag from off the ground.
"I also have to run home real quick to check on my mom" he said now avoiding my eyes. I smiled softly finding it cute that he's thinking of her. Wait...Did I just say I think Grayson's cute?
"How are you getting home?" I asked following him down the steps and trying to shake my most recent thought out of my head.
"I'm walking" he said simply to me and then walked up to Nick and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, thanks for having us man. I'll help you throw a party soon since your parents are fucking assholes"
"I thought you were staying" Nick furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"I am, I just need to run home and take care of something quickly" he spoke.
"And I thought you were going to sleep little one" Nick moved his gaze to me.
"Yeah me too" Grayson also looked down at me as I smiled sheepishly.
"I'm going with Grayson" I decided.
"Uh, why? I know you guys were about to make babies last night, but I thought you still pretty much hated each other" Nick yet again wore a confused look.
"Because I feel like it okay!" I didn't feel like arguing with either of them. Truthfully, I wanted to visit Grayson's mom again to see how she's doing.
Nick shrugged then wrapped his arms tightly around Grayson as if he was trying to break him. Grayson looked at me and rolled his eyes causing me to smile. "Thanks for coming!" Nick's enthusiasm was too much for me this morning, "You guys are more than welcome any time. Although, it seems like Ryder won't be drinking for a while"
I smiled sarcastically and flipped him the middle finger. But, I still up walked over to him and gave him a small hug.
"Thank you Nick, even though we never ended up watching that movie" I teased him.
"Don't worry, we can have a movie date soon. Although, I don't know how much we're gonna actually pay attention to the movie" he winked. I gagged and pushed him away while Grayson rolled his eyes, clenched his jaw, and walked towards the door. Nick and I both looked at each other and laughed before I jogged to catch up with Gray.
"Hey grumpy" I bumped my shoulder into his. Grayson just mumbled something I couldn't make out but I didn't bother asking what he said.
"Eventful night huh?" I spoke again as I walked towards my car.
"Yeah even though you don't remember any of it" he smirked. Then, as I went to open my door I saw Grayson walk pass me and head down the driveway.
"Where are you going?" I tilted my head in confusion.
"Um, home. Ya know like I just said 5 minutes ago"
"You're a dumbass" I rolled my eyes, "Get in the car" I demanded. Although he seemed like he wanted to put up a fight, he sighed and walked towards the passenger side.
I pulled out of the driveway and made my way to Grayson's house.
"This year has been going by so slow yet so fast at the same time" I spoke up as I got lost in my thoughts while driving.
"Yeah, Veronica and I were just talking about that before in the kitchen. What are you doing for winter break?" he asked.
"I have no clue" I shrugged, "Halloween is coming up soon but usually I don't attend any parties or anything. I can't stand most of the kids in our school if you couldn't tell already"
"Nick will probably throw a party. He's your friend and you can actually stand him so maybe you and Veronica could finally have plans this year instead of sitting home like losers" Grayson chuckled as I punched him in the arm.
"Nick isn't my friend" I muttered.
"Yeah right! If he wasn't then you wouldn't be going back to his house"
"I said I was just going to sleep! I won't even be hanging out with him" I defended myself.
"I know you saw the look in his eyes when we were all gonna leave. You care about him Ry" I stayed silent at that comment because I knew he was right but I hate to admit that. Luckily I pulled up to his house and immediately got out of the car.
As I was about to enter his front door, he quickly grabbed my wrist hauling me towards him.
"If my dad is in there, ignore him completely and just go right upstairs. Don't even look at him" he warned in a tone that I knew it was better not to defy him. When I went into the house his dad was luckily not there causing me to breath out in relief.
I instantly went upstairs, excited as ever to see Judy.
"Hi!" I peeked my head in to see her smiling face. Her condition was worsening as her pale skin was showing hardly any color.
"Hi darling, come on in" she motioned towards the seat beside her, "Where's Grayson?"
"He should be right behind me" I said just as Gray walked in.
"Hey mama" he walked over and gave her a kiss on the forehead making me smile.
"How was your night? You slept over Nick's right?"
"It was..." I looked at Grayson trying to find the right word but he just raised his eyebrows waiting for my answer, "Eventful, but it was definitely a lot of fun"
"Aw good you both deserve to have a nice, fun night. Although I hope while you were having fun you were being safe. I don't need any grand babies popping out anytime soon" she pointed a finger at me.
"Ma!" Grayson quickly interjected while I just laughed, "Shhh" he placed a hand over her mouth with a playful smile on his face.
My heart swelled at the sight. They had such a good relationship. I had that relationship with my mom for a while until everything came crashing down. I wish I still had my mom to make stupid jokes with me, or give me advice on boys, or to tell me not to get so angry over little things.
Judy chuckled at Grayson pushing his hand away yet still keeping it in her grasp. Gray had a kind smile on his face as he talked with his mother. Something I'll never be able to do again. I felt a lump in my throat making me instantly want to retreat.
"Excuse me, I just need to go real quick" I rushed out not waiting for a response. I know they were both confused but I couldn't stand to stay in there another second. I stumbled into Grayson's room as I saw on his bed and put my head in my hands.
It was only a few moments before I felt the bed sink next to me as a hand rested at the small of my back. He rubbed light circles as I felt his eyes beating down at me.
"What happened Ry?" he spoke in a much softer tone than I'm used to "Talk to me"
I don't want to open up. I don't want to talk about my fucking feelings. But it hurts so bad.
"I love your mom and I love your guys relationship. It's just...I don't know...Makes me think how I'll never have that again" I muttered so quietly I'm surprised he heard me. I felt his arms wrap around me as he brought me to his chest.
This change of dynamic is something I'm not used to. We're both acting soft, something out of the ordinary for the two of us. We were at each other's throats just the other day. Grayson spoke about hating me, calling me ugly and how happy he was he didn't have to see me. Now he's cradling me in his arms as if I'm some weak, fragile doll that could break at any second. I'm already broken.
"I'm so sorry" he said lightly.
"I don't want your fucking sympathy" I attempted to push him off me but he only held me tighter, this time falling back onto his bed and taking me with him. I laid, resting my head against his chest as I listened to his heartbeat.
No words were exchanged as we lay in silence. Soon, I know Grayson won't have this relationship with his mom anymore either. It's selfish of me to talk about how much I miss my mom while his is literally dying right in front of his eyes.
"We're going so fucking soft Ryder" he chuckled lightly causing his chest to vibrate under me.
"What's happening to us?" I asked perhaps scared to hear the answer.
"I," he paused trying to find words to explain this terribly confusing situation, "I don't know"
Gee, how helpful Grayson.
"We should go back to the way we were" I announced. This was weird for us. Someone is going to end up hurt. That's if they're not already.
"Because you're scared" I could feel him look down at me slightly, "Of me leaving you. Like everyone else does. You're scared of being hurt again"
I don't know how to respond.
"You're the scared one" There we go Ryder, just flip it around on him. That's the best way to avoid opening up, "Every day you're a different person. Treating me like shit then acting like you're in love with me. Maybe you're just scared of your true feelings so you act out in hopes of avoiding it. I don't deserve that shit Grayson"
I felt him tense up.
This conversation. It feels so familiar yet I can't recall ever having one like this. Hm, weird.
"You don't deserve to be played with love. I know that" he sighed. He doesn't mean it Ry. He doesn't care.
"Yeah I'm sure you do" Sarcasm was laced in my voice.
"I'm not going to leave you Ryder. I'm staying. I'm right here"
Liar.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
hi cuties!
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