"I brought you some Broccoli and Cheddar soup from Panera," Parker informed me, as he let himself into my dorm room.
I paused my current episode of Breaking Bad, looking over at him.
"Feeling any better?" he asked me, shutting my door with his foot.
"I guess," I said, with a shrug.
"Did you puke?"
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.
"Then I'd say so."
I accepted my soup from him, swiping his coke as well and taking a sip.
My dorm room door opened again, and Emily came in this time, her Panera drink in hand. "How's he feeling?"
"He's feeling just fine," I informed her.
She offered me a smile, taking a sip of her soda. "Well he's very sassy today, so I can see that."
Silence fell across my dorm room, and I could sense the tension between Parker and Emily.
Parker sat in my desk chair, sipping on his drink as he intently stared at his phone as though it contained something much more interesting than what was happening in my dorm room.
Emily leaned against the wall next to my sink, sipping on her drink as she stared as the opposite wall, her body stance tense.
"Well," I stated, after a full minute of silence. "Thanks for the soup then."
"Is there anything else you need?" Emily asked, looking over at me. "Do you still have the anti-nausea medicine?"
"We just dropped some by this morning," Parker muttered.
She rolled her eyes. "It never hurts to ask."
"I do," I said, interrupting their weird argument. "But thanks."
I could tell that neither one of them really wanted to leave, because then they'd have to return to their argument, and actually try to resolve their relationship issues.
"If you need anything later just call," Parker said, standing up and tucking his phone away into his back pocket.
Emily nodded in agreement
"Okay."
Parker left my dorm first and Emily lingered for a few moments, her eyes trained on the door Parker just walked out of.
"Just tell him he's an asshole," I suggested.
"What?" she asked, her eyes flickering back over to me.
"We all know it."
"It's not that simple," she informed me.
"It never is."
She let out a long sigh, tossing her empty Panera drink in the trash. "I don't want to go back out there."
"Put your big girl pants on and go out and face your relationship."
She tugged my towel down from the hanger it was on and threw it at me before leaving my dorm room.
I restarted my episode of Breaking Bad, reaching into the Panera bag and pulling out the side order of an apple that I'd asked for.
I took a bite as my dorm room door opened again.
"My dorm room is not the place to hide from your problems," I informed Emily, without looking up.
"Well it's one of the only single dorms on campus, so it's hard not to," McKenna said, with a laugh.
I paused my episode again, shutting my laptop screen. "Sorry, I thought you were Emily."
"I won't even pretend to understand that."
"Good because it's a long story."
She came in, handing me a smoothie from Tropical Smoothie. "Looks like you already got some Panera, but I was at a study sesh down at Tropical Smoothie and I was thinking about you."
I took a sip of the fruit smoothie. "Thanks."
"Feeling better?"
If I have to hear that question one more time.
"Yeah I guess."
She reached into her backpack, placing my sketchbook on my desk.
We hadn't had the chance to talk about it yet, seeing as though I'd spent the past 24 hours puking my insides up.
"We shouldn't talk about it today," she advised. "But I just wanted to return it."
"I think we should talk about it."
"I think you look really pale and still pretty sick, so I'd rather wait until you have some color back."
I sighed, but didn't argue it further, taking another sip of the smoothie she'd brought be.
"Have you heard from Warren?" she asked me.
I shook my head. "Warren doesn't handle barf well."
She nodded.
"Why?"
"Just curious."
"That's not really a just curious type question."
"Well he didn't show for breakfast. And Jackson was saying that he hasn't really seen him around today. And he didn't show for the Tropical Smoothie study session like he was supposed to. So I guess I'm just worrying to worry, but that's unlike him."
That was unlike Warren.
Warren doesn't miss food.
Breakfast sometimes, but definitely not a chance to go on an off-campus study session.
"What did Jackson say?" I asked, straightening up a bit.
Jackson was Warren's roommate. They usually annoyed the shit out of each other, but they still hung around each other for some reason I still don't understand.
"Just said that he hasn't seen him around. Said that Warren was gone before he got up this morning."
"Strange," I commented.
Warren wasn't a morning person.
McKenna just shrugged. "We're probably just overthinking things. Maybe he had stuff he needed to get done today."
"Yeah," I agreed, leaning against the back wall that my futon was shoved up against.
"I've got to get down to the Student Lounge, there's a meeting for Junior Student Council. Do you want me to come back later?"
I really didn't.
But I'd feel bad saying that.
"Whatever you want to do."
"Then I'll give you your space," she said, with a half-smile.
She understood that we were two different people. And that sometimes I needed space, even when she wanted to be there for me.
"But just let me know if you hear from Warren," she said, pausing at my dorm room door. "I'm worried about him."
~*~
Who the fuck was calling me at 2:00 in the morning?
I reached over, squinting to try and focus on the bright light of my phone.
Andrew?
"The fuck do you want?" I demanded, answering my phone.
"Always so pleasant," Andrew commented.
"It's 2:00 in the morning," I reminded him. "I'm not in the mood."
"You have twenty minutes to come pick up your friend before I call the police."
That managed to get my attention.
"What?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing the back of my freehand across my eyes.
"You have twenty minutes to come pick up your friend before I call the police," Andrew repeated.
Fuck.
"The fuck's going on?" I asked, as I hopped down from my bed.
I flipped on my dorm room light, the light blinding me for a few moments.
"He's passed out on my couch where he's been for about 45 minutes now, and I don't have time for this."
"What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything."
"Fuck you."
Andrew chuckled. "19 minutes."
I slipped a pair of jeans over my boxers, throwing a hoodie on over my sleeping shirt. "Are you at Champions?"
Andrew hummed in agreement.
"I'll be there."
"You better be. I'm not kidding."
I hung up, tucking my phone into my back pocket before heading downstairs.
Dylan was running the front desk in the dorm building, bouncing a quarter on the front desk.
"Hey," I said, with a nod.
"Morning Lee," he said, offering me a smile. "Signing out?"
I nodded. "I was supposed to be Warren down at Java Chip for an all-nighter, but I fell asleep."
"Nice."
"Yeah, but I think he might've fallen asleep too, because he's not answering his phone."
Dylan chuckled, shoving the clipboard towards me so I could sign out of the dorm.
It wasn't against the rules to roam the campus at night. You just had to sign out of the dorm or into the dorm after 10.
It was, however, highly against campus rules to leave the campus. Especially in the middle of the night.
I made my way across campus to Java Chip, trying to formulate a plan as to how I was going to get off campus.
That was Warren's specialty, not mine.
I slipped inside Java Chip, where Caroline was behind the counter, leaning against it as she read a magazine.
"Morning Lee," she greeted, with a smile.
I leaned across the counter, looking around.
There were a few stragglers still in here, pulling all-nighters or doing whatever it is you do in a below average coffee shop in the middle of the night.
"I need you to do me a favor," I informed her, in a low voice.
"After you helped me pass that Pre-Calc exam last week, I'm putty in your hands," she promised, her eyebrows laced with confusion.
"I need you to say that Warren was here."
She slowly nodded.
"All night," I added.
"Done."
"And now I need you to close your eyes so I can't get you fired."
"Are you going to sneak out the backdoor?"
"I'm not going to divulge that information."
"Lee, what's going on?"
"I'm not going to divulge that information either."
She rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement, going back to her magazine.
Java Chip had a backdoor that led directly off-campus. They used it to dump trash, but we used it to sneak off-campus.
It's all in who you know.
Lucky for me it was Caroline working tonight, otherwise I'd be screwed.
I slipped out the backdoor, ducking down behind one of the dumpsters and peering out to be sure the coast was clear.
As if one of the campus Administrators was going to be taking a stroll out behind Java Chip at 2:15 in the morning.
After a few moments, I crept out from behind the dumpster and took the back way to Champions, letting myself in the back door.
"I'd just about given up hope," Andrew called from the main bar area.
"It's 2:00 in the morning, what the fuck did you expect?" I demanded, as I let myself into the bar area. "It's not like I can just waltz off-campus."
"Your boy is on the couch in the back," Andrew informed me. "Get him home before someone sees him."
You've got to be joking.
"You expect me to take Warren four blocks back to campus, sneak him back on, and get him back to his dorm?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Why can't he just crash in the back?"
"Because I'm not dealing with this bullshit anymore."
"Well why don't you stop dealing then?"
Andrew shot me a murderous look.
As if I give a fuck what Andrew thinks about me.
"I cannot get Warren home," I informed Andrew. "It's four blocks. I can't support him."
I can't have him that close to me for four fucking blocks. It just wasn't going to happen.
"Well you're going to have to figure it out," Andrew informed me. "Because he's leaving my bar tonight, whether it's with you or by police car. Your choice."
I cannot believe this.
"Give me a shot," I ordered, leaning against the bar.
"What's your poison?" Andrew asked me.
"I don't really give a fuck. Something strong."
I'm a lightweight as it is. I just need enough of a buzz to be able to stand having Warren's arm around me for four blocks.
Andrew slid me a shot, which I tipped back, wincing as it burned it's way down my throat.
"Here," Andrew said, sliding me a second shot glass. "To top that one off."
So I downed the second one as well, which burned twice as badly as the first.
"You crack me up," Andrew said, laughing. "Never one to hold your alcohol."
Never one to drink it really.
That wasn't my first drink, and I'm sure it won't be my last. I just pick and choose my battles with my liver.
Andrew led me back to Warren, who was indeed passed out on the couch.
Andrew bent down to Warren's eye level, giving him a good slap.
"Easy," I ordered.
Warren stirred a bit.
"Lee's here," Andrew informed him. "Rise and shine." And then he added another slap.
"That's about the best you're going to get out of him," Andrew informed me.
"The fuck did you give him?" I demanded.
Andrew just hoisted Warren up to his feet. Warren mumbled something incoherent, clearly heavily leaning on Andrew.
This wouldn't be the first time I was getting myself into this type of situation.
But it still pissed me off nonetheless.
"Come on," I said, Warren's arm looping around my shoulders.
The usual panic that pressed against my chest was dulled by the buzz from the alcohol that had slowly kicked in.
I wasn't sure what Andrew had given me, but it was enough to get me by.
Which wasn't hard to do, because I wasn't really one to hold my alcohol in the first place.
"You annoy the hell out of me," I informed Warren, as the two of us headed back to Jefferson Lake. "The fuck is the matter with you?"
He was barely coherent and in no condition to answer any of my questions, but it still felt good at least get them off of my chest.
The four blocks to Jefferson Lake were the longest four blocks of my life.
I was basically supporting Warren's weight, which wasn't going too well for either one of us, seeing as though I'm not really one to work out or be in any type of physical condition to do that type of thing.
And Warren wasn't really much help either.
Sneaking off-campus by yourself was one thing. But sneaking back on while I was slightly intoxicated and I had a partially functioning human being to support? Well that was nearly impossible.
I just simply opened the backdoor of Java Chip, shoving Warren into a back booth and leaning against the counter with a sigh.
"Well," Caroline stated, looking between the two of us.
"I could really use a shitty coffee," I informed her.
"Well that's our specialty." Her nose wrinkled. "Have you been drinking?"
"Slightly."
She set to making me a coffee, shaking her head.
"I didn't know that you drank," she said, handing me my usual order.
"I don't." I took a sip of the coffee, already knowing that it was going to be awful.
And it lived up to that standard.
She didn't ask any more questions and I didn't say anything else, the two of us just standing there in silence.
And then the coffee shop door opened, and the Campus Security guards walked in.
"Fuck," I muttered.
I looked over at Warren, who looked like he was asleep in the chair I'd haphazardly shoved him into.
"We're looking for..." the Campus Security started. He paused, looking down at the notes in his hand. "...a Warren Butler."
"Over there," I said, nodding to where he was passed out. "He fell asleep during our study session."
The security guard gave me a onceover. "Your name?"
"Lee Adams."
"Can I get a spot-check on Lee Adams?" the Security Guard asked over his radio system.
I looked over at Caroline, who was staring the Campus Security, her eyes wide.
"Checked out of the dorm room at 2 AM," Dylan's voice came back over the system. "Went over to Java Chip to meet up with Warren for a study session."
I cannot thank myself enough for that cover story.
The Campus Security looked at Caroline. "How long would you say that Warren Butler has been here?"
"He's been here since I started my shift at 10," Caroline informed them.
I owe her big time.
"What's the issue?" I asked.
"He didn't show up for an off-campus study session at..." he trailed off again, checking his notes. "...Tropical Smoothie? And never checked into the dorms tonight. Roommate Jackson Aldridge stated he hadn't seen him. So we needed a follow-up."
"He's been here," Caroline confirmed. "And Lee joined him not too long ago."
"That's all we needed," the Campus Security said, jotting it down. "Thanks guys."
I flashed him a thumbs-up, sipping on my coffee as the two of them left.
"I don't want to know," Caroline stated, as soon as they were gone.
"Good."
And then I saw the golf carts that the Campus Security had, and an idea dawned on me.
I really didn't want to drag Warren all the way across campus to the dorm building.
"Can you do me a favor?" I asked, throwing open the Java Chip door where the two guards were standing outside.
They looked over at me.
"Sure," the one on the right agreed.
"My friend, Warren? He's been asleep for like almost an hour now. And he's a real deep sleeper. So do you mind giving us a lift back do our dorm?"
The guard shrugged. "Yeah, sure."
I went back inside and dragged Warren to his feet. "Act lively."
"He's really out of it," I informed the Security Guard, as we came outside. "He's been up for over 24 hours for this exam we have later today."
Either they bought it or they really didn't care, because they didn't ask any more questions as they gave us a lift back to our dorm building.
"Good luck on your exam later today," the second Security Guard said, with a nod.
"Thanks," I said, dragging Warren inside.
"You guys made it back," Dylan said, as we came inside.
He had no idea.
"Warren was already asleep," I said, signing myself and Warren in. "As you can tell."
"Yeah," Dylan said, with a laugh.
He could definitely see right through that.
I pulled Warren into the elevator, taking him to my dorm room and letting him crash on the futon.
I patted down his pockets, pulling a small package out of his jacket pocket.
And I wasn't even surprised anymore.
I held the pocket-sized bag in my hand for a few moments, trying to decide what to do with it.
I don't know where a person hides drugs.
After a few moments of debate, I pulled my Pop-Tart box out of the bottom drawer of my desk, dropping the bag inside the half-empty box.
"I know you're not going to remember any of this," I said, with a sigh. "But I'm done with this bullshit."
*********************************************************************************************************************
So what did you guys think about Parker & Emily? A little bit of trouble in paradise? And of course the doozie of the chapter, Warren. Did you guys expect any of that? Of course the whole story hasn't been explained yet, so what do you think happened? Thoughts & opinions?
The picture off to the right (or up at the top if you're reading on a mobile device) was submitted by EsmeraldaMorgan. Check it out! -->
So I'll be posting a new YouTube video tomorrow! I hope all of you guys check it out :D
Teaser: Lee gives Warren quite the ultimatum. And it's time to involve big brother Parker.