Started Writing: 02/14/23
Ended Writing: 02/16/23
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Date of Story: November 3rd
Characters Mentioned: Entire friend group
Summary: Opinions on Alcohol. Do you like it, or hate it?
Headcanon mentioned in this chapter: Lev loves to draw and is also saving up for a Drawing Tablet. Right now he uses Sketchbooks.
MASSIVE TW: There will be mentions of Alcoholism, A mentioned Suicide attempt, and Childhood Trauma. Continue at your own risk. Or skip this chapter.
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Lev sketched in his book, capturing the beauty of nature with pencil strokes that formed intricate shapes of clouds, trees, shadows, and animals. A mix of gentle lofi and acoustic music played in the background as he worked. His laptop sat atop his old math textbook from middle school, while his phone charged nearby
A loud 'ding' interrupted the soft music from Lev's phone. He paused, momentarily confused, before setting his pencil down and picking up his phone. It was a text message from Meliana, urging him to join Discord: 'HOP ONTO DISCORD PLZZZ!!!'
After a moment's hesitation, Lev opened his laptop and logged into Discord. He joined a group call with his friends that were already in progress.
"Good afternoon, Lev. How has your weekend been?" greeted Argenis, Meliana's twin brother. Though typically chaotic, he spoke formally with many people. Lev could see that Argenis was wearing a beige sweater vest over a white turtleneck
"It's been nice! Finished my Homework!" Lev answered before deciding to ask his question. "Why am I here exactly?"
"It's been nice so far! I finished my homework an hour ago," replied Lev before getting to his question. "So, why exactly am I here?"
"Meliana, over to you?" Mi-Kyong handed the stage to Meliana. They were seen wearing a dark blue t-shirt, which appeared to be two sizes too big for them.
Great! I gathered everyone here for a discussion," Meliana began. On-screen, she was wearing a white off-shoulder shirt or dress with a black waist corset that was barely visible, along with a black choker.
"On what topic? Sex?" Kiyo interjected playfully. She was wearing a maroon red spaghetti strap shirt with a white sweater unzipped over it.
"What, school? Desserts? Marijuana?" Nout chimed in. He was wearing his favorite yellow zip-up sweater, unzipped to reveal a blue-to-black ombre shirt.
"Perhaps something about culture?" suggested Heng. His usual oval-shaped glasses were missing, which threw Lev off. He was wearing a loose black button-up shirt.
"No, no, and no," Meliana replied. "I want to know how you all feel about alcohol," she informed the group. Lev felt his throat tighten and began to shake.
"Whoa, whoa!" Meliana noticed Lev's sudden nervousness. The others in the group began to take notice and ask what was wrong. Lev realized Fred wasn't on his screen, which made him even more nervous.
"Hey guys, I'm back... woah!" Fred noticed the commotion, but nobody seemed to see his return. He set down a plate of Halve Hahn and began waving at the screen, making exaggerated movements to get everyone's attention and make them stop.
"Lev?" Fred's gentle, calm, yet stern voice eventually caused everyone to quiet down. "It's okay, we're here to support you," Fred reassured him. "Tell us, what's wrong?" he asked in a more understanding tone.
"Alcohol doesn't bring back happy memories," Lev answered bluntly, still visibly shaking.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Meliana spoke up.
"Now," Argenis spoke up, "Could you please elaborate on your dislike of alcohol, Lev?" Argenis asked.
"It will help us understand your trauma, and help us understand you more," Fred added.
"Plus, after we hear your story, and you hear our stories, we can all better understand each other's perspectives," Meliana butted in.
"I agree," Kiyo said, while Mi-Kyong nodded in agreement.
"I guess I could... It's part of a-a discussion after all..." Lev muttered softly, his voice shaky.
"Take your time," Meliana reminded him.
Lev started with a heavy sigh, his voice was shaky. "After my mom passed away, my dad turned to alcohol...and it only got worse. He lost his job and became neglectful. And then one night..." he trailed off, tears welling in his eyes.
"Take a breath," Mi-Kyong spoke up.
"Sorry to interrupt, Lev, but it's okay if you're not comfortable continuing," Fred interjected in a reassuring tone. Meliana nodded in agreement, as did Argenis.
"I-I'll finish..." Lev sniffled and took a breath, tears streaming down his face. "Well... I walked in on him trying to... kill himself," Lev softly said, his words dragging out as he spoke. The group fell silent, taken aback by Lev's story.
"...What happened after?" Meliana softly spoke.
"My u-uncle Roman was there at the time and he called the police and the hospital," Lev muttered.
"It makes more sense why you live with your Aunt and Uncle now..." Argenis said, resting his hand against his face and looking down. "I'm sorry, Lev. I had no idea..."
"Thank you, it feels good to have expressed that," Lev said. "However, I'm now quite curious to hear your opinions on alcohol," he added, receiving a chuckle from everyone.
"I'll carry on," Mi-Kyong interjected, mustering up the courage to share. "My mom was recently admitted into rehab," they revealed to the group.
"My father is also undergoing treatment at a rehab facility," Lev pointed out.
"So, your 'father' made it?" Fred asked Lev, his voice expressing a mix of anger and annoyance. "Unfortunately," Lev replied his tone heavy with the weight of the situation.
"I do drink occasionally, but it's not to get drunk," Nout confesses.
"If you're drinking, isn't the intention to get drunk?" Kiyo asked.
"Not really," Argenis answered.
"Really?" Lev asked.
"A beer once in a while doesn't necessarily mean you're trying to get drunk," Fred countered.
"Technically, 'buzzed' would be the appropriate term," Argenis added.
"I don't like or hate alcohol, or drinking. It's just part of Life," Mi-Kyong chimed in.
"I agree!" Fred replied to Mi-Kyong.
"Meliana, what's your take on alcohol?" Lev asked.
"I do enjoy fruity margaritas and sweet wine! But I only drink when I'm with my mom," Meliana replied. "What about you, Megumi?" Megumi swept back her pastel pink bangs and secured them with a gold hairclip, suggesting that she was preparing for an upcoming event or occasion. She was dressed in a black turtleneck and wore a white sleeveless blazer on top.
"I hardly ever drink, and when I do, it's usually with your mother. I tend to favor cider, or occasionally tequila," Megumi replied.
"I'm not a fan of drinking alcohol myself. Instead, I prefer using it as an ingredient for cooking dishes," Argenis chimed in.
"Eleonora, Sorry if we've ignored you," Lev addressed Eleonora, who was tying back her coral-pink hair. She was wearing a light gray sweater with small red hearts scattered throughout.
"Heh, no worries! Chillax," Eleonora replied with a laugh. "I do like wine, but I'm not a heavy drinker by any means," she added.
"It's funny to consider that we need to be twenty years old to drink legally, yet many of us have already gained considerable experience with alcohol," Nout remarked to everyone jokingly.
"I'm just educated," Heng muttered with a nonchalant shrug.
"Long story short, Lev has had traumatic experiences with alcohol, Fred and Nout occasionally drink, Mi-Kyong is just indifferent, Megumi and I only drink with my mom, Heng is merely educated, Argenis only uses alcohol in cooking, and Eleonora only enjoys wine during special occasions. Is that an accurate description?" Meliana elaborated, and everyone seemed to agree with her statement, as it was true.
"Eleonora didn't say when she liked to drink Wine though," Lev pointed out.
"Right- Just an assumption," Meliana told Lev with a shrug.
"She's right though," Eleonora spoke up.
"Oh,
"Oh, shit- I gotta run! Toodles!" Megumi left the call quickly.
"I need to go as well. Today is Megumi's school play, and they're performing 'The Plot, like Gravy, Thickens.' However, I'm not quite sure what role she'll be playing," Eleonora told the group.
"Record it for us!" Meliana demanded.
"I will," Eleonora reassured her before leaving the call
"Meliana, we should get going now," Argenis informed his Sister.
"Where are you two doing?" Fred asked.
"We have a family picnic for today!" Meliana told him with excitement.
"Enjoy your picnic!" Lev greeted the twins. They expressed their gratitude to Lev and left. Heng, Fred, Lev, Nout, Kiyo, and Mi-Kyong remained on the call.
"Shall we play Minecraft?" Nout suggested to the group. All of them agreed to play.
After a few hours of gameplay, they had to sign off as each of them had other commitments.