"I still can't believe I'm going to a party - like an actual party!"
I would have smiled at Hawk's enthusiasm if he wasn't saying this for the hundredth time tonight.
"Hawk, if I hear the word 'party' one more time, I promise I'll let go of the steering wheel and jump out of this car," I mused oh-so-sweetly. In response, he made a show of zipping his lips and throwing out the key, leaving us chortling.
When the throaty sounds died down though, I couldn't help from asking, "but why are you so excited about this party anyway? It's always the same thing, you know - drinks, silly games, dancing, and lots of sex."
"Well, that's true. But then there's also the people," he remarked. "Though I've never been to a party, I think what actually gives life to parties are the people. The adrenaline that comes with having fun with people your age, is really what makes it interesting. You can always drink and play games on your own, but it's much more fun when you get to do it with others."
I found myself mulling over his words for a little longer than usual. But to Hawk, I said an overly dramatic: "wow, SpongeBob, who knew you could be philosophical?"
"Well," he drawled, chuckling slightly. "And I may or may not also be excited about this party because Ria would be there."
I brought one hand to my chest, feigning hurt. "I can't believe you're thinking of other girls already. Are you bored of me already? Am I not good enough? Tell me!"
That earned a hearty laugh from him, and it wasn't long before I joined in.
A few moments later, we were pulling into Tommy's house and I was turning to face Hawk. "Ok, SpongeBob, you remember what I said earlier, right?"
"That Kent is an idiot," he offered.
"Yeah, that one's true too," I mused between chuckles. "But no, the other one."
"No drinking punch; it'll most likely be spiked."
I gave a pleased clap at that. "Yes, that's the one."
His response came as a mock salute and an addition of: "ok, got it."
I couldn't help but betray a smile at his antics. But I was soon saying, "alright then, let's go in."
He nodded, eyes sparkling in excitement.
And a second later, we were getting out of the car and making our way into Tommy's party, hands intertwined.
We were welcomed by the usual sight - blood pumping music, young blooded teens dancing their hearts away, drinking, and of course, some couples making out. So, yeah, it was pretty much the usual party scene.
"Hey, Peanut," a voice cheered.
"Kent," I deadpanned. He made a show of pushing me aside, casually throwing an arm around Hawk as though they've been best buds since forever.
"Hawk, my man, I'm so glad you could make it."
I thought Jason was his man? How could I forget? It was Kent - every guy he talked to was his man. Now, though, he was inviting Hawk to their game of beer ping pong, and that was my cue to step in.
"I don't know, Kent. Isn't it too early for that?"
"Come on, Peanut, don't be such a spoilsport."
"I'm not," I huffed, but soon ended up giving in to his chants of 'spoilsport.' That boy could be so childish sometimes.
"Fine. But don't make him do any stupid things, Kent, I'm serious." I fixed him a pointed stare to emphasize my point.
"Of course I won't." But the sly grin on his face literally screamed: 'hell yes, I would.'
"Remember the punch thing, ok?" I whispered in Hawk's ear before leaning in to kiss his cheek. He chuckled, but nodded away.
And that was Kent's cue to lead him to where some guys were gathered, loudly cheering themselves on.
Boys.
As for me, I soon caught sight of my friends, and it wasn't long before I was surrounded by three very pumped up girls. And just like that, I found my worries about Hawk slowly disappearing to the back of my mind.
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After dancing to what seemed like the hundredth song, I excused myself to get a drink. But on my way, I bumped into none other than...
"Hey, B."
I felt my features give way to a smile as I took in the boy in front of me. "Jason."
"Wow! You look stunning," he complimented, eyes radiating genuine admiration. I liked that I still had that effect on him.
"Thanks," I said, flipping my hair in an exaggerated show of importance, leaving him chortling.
His lips parted to speak, but another voice beat him to it - Trina.
"Hey, I've been looking all over for you," she beamed, gently grabbing at his arm as she spoke. Her eyes soon fell on me, and despite her best attempts, I caught the way her smile had now dimmed considerably. "Hi, Brooke."
Of course, the extra happy smiles were meant for Jason alone. To her though, I offered a tight smile in reply, and it was with great effort that I managed to maintain it after hearing her say, "sorry, I have to steal him for a minute. Hope you don't mind?"
Well, I wouldn't mind throwing her off the balcony, but whatever.
"No, go ahead. I have to get a drink anyway. Besides, not all of us like being clingy." I threw her a smirk before walking away - the last thing I saw being her silently seething face.
Steal him for a minute? For what exactly? Oh right, probably to go over their assignment.
That sweet, little, scheming Trina.
I was soon snapped out of my thoughts by a drunkenly excited Kenny Walker. "Brooke," he started breathlessly. "Your boyfriend is totally killing it."
My boyfriend? Oh my god, Hawk! How could I have forgotten to check up on him?
Now though, I was asking, "where is he?"
"In the kitchen," Kenny slurred. Muttering my thanks, I was running off to go find my 'boyfriend.'
I arrived at the kitchen soon after, but the sight that welcomed me was one that left me battling to keep my mouth from hanging open.
Hawk was standing on the kitchen table, a whole bunch of people gathered around him, all of them cheering him on as he...what the hell was he doing?
It was one of those things you wanted to un-see, but yet, couldn't keep from staring at.
So, now, I watched as he did some really weird dance moves, only to announce, "and that's why I call it the Hawk duck."
The Hawk what?
"You duck, you come up, then duck right, duck left..." Sure enough, he performed the routine as he explained, giggling in between, with his audience cheering him on all the while.
"Now, come on, let's do it together." And everyone really did join him in doing that weird dance.
Despite my worries about his drunken state, I found myself betraying a smile at how carefree he seemed just dancing on the kitchen table. It was strangely kind of cute.
However, my smile was short-lived, as I soon caught sight of a sheepish looking Kent.
"Kent," I started, eyes shooting accusingly at him.
"Alright," he caved in. "I may or may not have given him 'boost.'"
Ok, Brooke, just try to relax and...screw it!
"You gave him 'boost?'" I roared, glaring daggers at a shifty-eyed Kent. "How'd you think he'd be able to handle something like that?"
'Boost' was what Kent used in referring to his special mixture of super strong alcoholic drinks. Given that he possessed the alcohol tolerance of a camel, it was no big deal for him. One time, I tried a sip of his 'boost,' and I felt my head go woozy immediately. No kidding, one cup of that thing could probably drive you crazy.
I could only imagine how much of it Hawk must have had.
"Look, B, I didn't think it'd have this effect on him and..."
"Kent, please, I don't want to hear it," I snapped. "Just help me get him down from there."
He could only nod, face apologetic. He went over to the table, and after much difficulty, managed to convince Hawk to get down. And soon after, he was bringing him over to me.
"Brooke!" Hawk cheered, as though he were seeing me for the first time in ages. "You're here. You know, I behaved really, really, really, really..."
Just when I was readying myself for another 'really,' he added, "...well. I didn't take any punch, just 'boost' - lots and lots of 'boost.' I did good, didn't I?"
Perhaps it was because of the way his face beamed with a kind of pride that resembled that of a kid telling his mum of how he finished all his homework, but I found myself smiling.
"Yes, really good. Now, let's get you out of here," I cooed in the manner of one trying to appease a child - the only difference was that I was talking to my grown ass 'boyfriend.'
I placed his arm around me while he asked, "but what about the Hawk duck?"
Despite myself, I almost felt a chuckle slip out my lips. How did he even come up with that name? To him though, I said, "don't worry, I'm sure they've learnt it already."
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Kent steadied him in the car. Thankfully, he didn't put up a struggle as he was too busy counting his fingers.
"Ok, looks like you're all set," Kent declared as soon as he was done with the task.
I gave a small: "thanks" in response, already moving towards the other side of the car, but stopping at the sound of his voice.
"B, are you still mad at me? I'm really sorry, ok? I know I fucked up and I'm sorry. Just tell me what I can do to make it up to you."
Any effort I'd been making at maintaining my anger at him, was quick to fade away in the face of the earnest desperation in his eyes.
"Anything?" I asked.
"Anything," he affirmed.
"Ok, then," I mused, feeling my lips stretch into a sly grin. "One minute twerk video of you."
That earned a hearty chortle from him, reassuming his usual playful demeanor. "No way. Fifteen seconds."
"Thirty," I said, making failed attempts at biting back a smile.
"Fine," he sighed in defeat.
"And you know I'll send it to the girls, right?" I chirped, greatly enjoying this.
"Meanie," he huffed lightly, earning a chuckle from me.
And just like that, all was good with us again. Over the years, we'd honed our bickering skills. But one thing we still hadn't learned to do was stay mad at each other. And neither of us liked when the other was mad; that's just how it was with us.
Now though, we were saying our byes. He returned to the party soon after, leaving me to slide into the car.
"So, Spongebob," I started, turning to face the boy beside me. "Where do you live?"
At that, he laughed as though I'd just told him the world's funniest joke. "Brooke, you're so silly. Where else would I live? I live in a house."
Well, this was going to be hard.
I sucked in a breath before going on. "Yes, Hawk, I know that. But where is your house?"
"On my street." He even added a 'duh' expression as though saying, 'dang, this girl sure is slow.'
I, however, had almost reached my wits end. It was with the patience of a nun that I managed to say, "of course. But where is your street?"
"In my neighborhood," he remarked, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. And soon after, he was going back to counting his fingers.
I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. I doubted I could do the latter, because my tear glands hadn't worked in years now. And as for the former, I was too frustrated to even attempt it.
So, I found myself staring from Hawk to the steering wheel while contemplating my options - which for the record, were practically nonexistent. I had no idea where his house was, and I most definitely couldn't leave him at Tommy's either.
That left just one option - take him to my place.
"Oooooooooh I wouuuuuullld nevvveeeer huuuuuuuurrrtt yoouu..."
"Ok, let's buckle you up," I hurriedly cut in, stopping Hawk from his deafening shrieks which he considered to be singing.
Never hurt you? My ears were hurting now.
I reached over to place his seatbelt on him, stopping when I sensed that he was being oddly quiet. So far, he'd giggled like a hyena, talked about his dance moves, counted his toes and fingers loudly and sang even more loudly. But now, he was just being awfully silent.
Sure enough, when I raised my head to stare at him, I found him throwing me a strange grin. Knowing drunk Hawk, I wasn't sure that was a good thing.
It was confirmed when I heard him say, "Brooke Allen, are you trying to seduce me?"
For a moment I didn't say anything; I just stared dumbfounded at him. Seduce him? Me? I? Myself? Meself? Ok, you get the drill.
"Of course not! I'm just putting your seat...you know what? This is crazy. I'm not explaining it," I huffed, choosing to start the car instead.
A hearty laugh soon rang through my ears, and I traced the source to Hawk. "I was just teasing you - I know you'd never do something like that. You like Jason, and I like Ria. Ria, oh sweet, sweet Ria."
I swear, if he started reciting a poem about Ria, I would return to the party. "You know, Brooke, Ria is so beautiful, she's just so perfect." Of course, the 'so' part came out as more of a drawl. "She's what I imagine pizza would look like if it had body parts."
I felt the urge to laugh at that. "So, you think she looks like pizza?"
"No, silly," he answered between drunken laughs. "She is so sweet, and so beautiful like those toppings, and you can't help falling in love with her, just like how everybody loves pizza."
A mental image of Hawk telling Ria that he thought she resembled a pizza popped up in my head, and I couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped my lips at the image.
The sound of Hawk's voice snapped me out of the thought. "But you're also really pretty, Brooke."
A smile was about to form on my face, but stopped midway at his addition of: "but you look like a pancake."
What? I was pancake and Ria was pizza? Why couldn't I be 'pizza?' Well, the joke's on him - try eating pizza for breakfast.
Even I couldn't help but cringe at my pettiness.
Thankfully, Hawk soon went back to counting his toes, so I didn't get any more food comparisons for a while. Well, until...
"Do you think I look like a weasel?"
Caught off guard by his question, I found myself chortling in response. "Why would you even ask that?"
"Because I think I look like my dad's brother, Uncle Bob. And my mom says Uncle Bob looks like a weasel."
"Well, that's...interesting."
He simply shrugged. Though a second later, he was adding, "but it's kind of funny, you know - I'm a Hawk who looks like a weasel," he giggled to himself, resting his head on the car window.
"Oh, come on, I'm sure you don't look like a weasel. Besides, everyone loves weasels..." I trailed off at the sound of gentle snoring from beside me.
He had fallen asleep resting on the car window. For some reason, the sight made my lips upturn in a small smile. He looked so peaceful and serene, almost like a child - it was quite endearing.
Hawk Gary Moose, you sure are something.
I used one hand to pull his jacket tighter over his body, before speeding into the night.
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Your boyfriend had his arms around you, the both of you lying on the bed - sounds romantic, right?
Wrong! I was dying here.
After we arrived at my place, I had to struggle to get Hawk up the stairs. That boy might look lanky, but he sure had some weight. If I wasn't so used to heels by now, I was certain the both of us would have toppled over the stairs given how much I staggered as I made my way up with him.
Finally arriving at the guest room, I dropped him on the bed only to find myself falling right on top of him, with him muttering incorrigible words, a small smile on his face as he wrapped his arms around me.
Was he dreaming about Ria? I would have found it cute if I wasn't trapped in his arms, my face pressed against his sweat and alcohol filled clothes.
To my relief, our long time butler, Walter, came in just then. He'd been around since my dad was a little boy, so growing up, I basically considered him family. Now, though, I considered him my savior. "Walter, thank goodness you're here. Please help me out here," I pleaded.
"Of course, Miss Brooke. I shall get to removing your constraints immediately," he said in that ever gentle voice of his. In all the years I'd known him, I'd never heard it go even a notch louder - it was always so calm.
Constraints? I found myself chucking inwardly at his choice of words. But that was just Walter for you; ever diligent with his job. He never liked to leave any room for dissatisfaction, hence, he always strived to ensure he performed his tasks to your taste.
Now, however, he'd managed to peel Hawk's hands off of me, and I was quick to make a getaway before I ended up trapped again. "Thanks, Walter."
"No problem, Miss Brooke."
That's another thing about Walter - he never dropped the formalities. I'd made several attempts to get him to drop the 'Miss,' but my efforts had been as successful as fetching water in a basket.
"And please, could you help me - you know." I used my eyes to gesture towards Hawk's form on the bed. But judging by Walter's confused expression, he obviously didn't grasp my meaning. It's not like I could blame him though; I was being vague as hell.
"Could you, well..." Why was I finding it so hard to just come out with it? "Could you change his clothes? I think he might have spilled some drinks on them."
"Don't worry, Miss Brooke, I'd get him changed and have his clothes washed and ready for him in the morning."
"Thanks, Walter, you're the best!" I added a thumbs up, earning a small smile from him.
I bid goodnight to him soon after, ready to head to bed and get some much needed sleep for tomorrow's thing. But the sudden blare of a phone, stopped me from leaving.
I traced the source to Hawk's pocket. Walter was soon retrieving the phone, his eyes staring questioningly at me, silently asking what to do with the device. So, I outstretched my hand, and getting my message, he handed it to me.
I stared at the lit up screen. The caller ID read: Dove.
Sucking in a breath, I answered the call. A chirpy voice immediately flooded my ears.
"Hawk, where the hell are you? You have no idea what's going on at home..."
Home? That meant she must be Hawk's sister. I should have figured it out from her name. I guess their parents must really love birds.
But what did she mean by what's going on at home? Could Hawk's parents be waiting for him?
I got my answer soon enough when she added, "I have to listen to mum and dad getting it on in the living room. And you know how mom moans. Hawk! Say something!"
I momentarily shifted the phone from my ear, scared that her yells would make it bleed. It seemed both siblings were determined to ruin my hearing tonight.
"It's never cool to hear your parents do it," I offered. There was a momentary pause, and then the sound of something like a bowl dropping to the floor.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, please who am I speaking with?" She asked, voice reduced notches lower, making it almost impossible to link her to the screeching girl from earlier.
"Uh..." In the end, I settled for: "I'm Hawk's girlfriend."
Since this was Hawk's sister, did this count as meeting his family? The thought made me smile inside. However, there was a much different reaction at the other end of the line.
Loud coughing was what followed my statement, leaving me quite worried. "Hey, are you okay?"
After a few more sputters, she managed to say, "yeah, sorry I just choked on my drink. But are you really Hawk's girlfriend?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
I bit back a chuckle at her apparent utter disbelief. I had a feeling that I might really like her.
But the words that came out of my mouth were: "I'm not sure I get what you mean." Although, I could only hope I sounded as convincing as I tried to.
"Sorry, I meant...when? I just didn't know my brother was dating," she explained, but I could still sense the underlying disbelief in her voice.
"We just started dating. It's pretty new right now."
"Oh," she said. I could imagine her brain processing this new piece of information because she took a while longer than usual before adding, "so, where is Hawk now?"
I proceeded to tell her about Hawk getting drunk, and of how I had to bring him to my place. By the time I was done, she was laughing.
"Trust that punk to get drunk when he knows he can't handle it." Despite what she said, there was an underlying fondness to her voice.
I, however, could only chuckle in reply.
"Ok, then. Thanks uh..." She trailed off shyly.
"It's Brooke," I offered.
"Oh. Well, thanks, Brooke. I'm Dove. Yeah, I know - my parents are obsessed with bird names," she mused between chuckles, with me softly echoing the sound.
A little later though, we were ending the call. Yeah, I liked Hawk's sister.
Hawk himself was still snoring away. I cast a lingering glance at his sleeping form before heading over to my room, leaving him in Walter's care.
I'd barely made it into my room before my lips were betraying lion-like yawns. Well, I guessed I could finally get that much needed sleep for tomorrow's thing.
I've had enough boyfriend drama for one night.
And with that thought, I crashed on my bed, sleep overcoming me in no time.