A varsity player fetched a deck of cards and passed them to Jasper, who was going to be the dealer. Sol and Kevin sat opposite of the table, their cups and punch bowl full. Higher or lower was a game of chance the Germaine siblings played.
You get dealed a card and have to guess if the next one was higher or lower. If you guess it wrong you have to give something away, but in this case drink the cup. If you get it right you don't do anything and wait for the next round. And they chose as Ace to be the lowest.
The two siblings already went through a drunk test. Walk in a straight line, look up and touch your nose, then stand on one leg and touch your nose. Both of them passed and were allowed to play.
Jasper shuffled the cards and passed them out. "Alright, higher or lower?"
Sol looked to her card and it was 7 hearts. "Lower." Kevin copied and Jasper flipped the card over. 3 diamonds. Both siblings flipped over their cards. Kevin had 4 spades. They both passed and gave their cards to Jasper.
Jasper put the cards to the side and handed them new ones. "Higher or lower?"
"Higher." Sol said, looking at her card with a black two.
"Lower." Kevin looked at his own card. Jasper flipped over his cards at the same time they do. Ace was Jasper's card, king of spades were Kevin's. Sol lost this round. "Drink up, Solace."
Sol looked to her full cup and poured it down her throat. She placed it back on the table and her throat burned, but she didn't show it. "Next." She slid her card back.
They played for the next thirty minutes. Twenty-five rounds. Sol lost thirteen and won the others. They stopped every five rounds to do the drunk test. One person had to fail all tests in one go to be deemed drunk.
After this round of tests, Sol and Kevin both failed the balance-on-one-leg-and-touch-your-nose test. They siblings sat down and waited for their next card. Sol was surprised at how she held down the alcohol for so long. Her vision was getting blurry and she had trouble standing up.
Jasper passed their cards. "Higher or lower?" He looked concerned at Sol.
"Lower." Sol slurred before giggling. She was holding king of hearts.
"Lower." Kevin also slurred, but he didn't giggle.
Sol rolled her eyes. "You suck." She giggled at her words to her brother. She placed down her card and the boys followed. Jasper had a 8 club and Kevin had a 6 diamond. "Haha, you lost!" She pointed at him. "Drink up, blubber!"
Kevin downed his drink and they reset. They played the rounds and Sol won three of them, Kevin won two.
"Okay, time for the test." Jasper announced and Sol pouted.
"Did I mention I hate tests?" She struggled up and stood still. Kevin followed but he almost fell back.
"Okay, walk in a straight line." Sol barley managed and Kevin stumbled. "Okay... now touch your nose while looking up." The two Germaine siblings stuck their arms out and looked up, bringing down their index finger to their nose.
Sol poked her forehead the first time and cheek the other. "Haha, I failed the test." She deliriously smiled. Kevin also failed. "Hehe, we both failed! You suck!" She giggled.
Jasper looked to his friend. "Now stand on one leg and touch your nose." Kevin did it first and almost fell forward if Asher didn't catch him. "Uh huh... Sol, it's your turn."
"Mine? Okay!" She smiled before doing the test.
"You need to raise one leg, Sol."
Sol laughed. "Oh, yeah, right!" She lifted her leg and instantly fell down to the right. She landed in Sebas' arms as he caught her from falling on his face. "That was fun!" She giggled, getting pulled up. She looked to Sebas. "Thanks for catching me, tesorito." Sol put her hand on the side of his face.
"Uh, you're welcome?" He put down her hand from his face. "Did she call me a slur or something..? What's tesorito?"
Jasper waved him off. "Sol wins. Kevin lost all three tests and Sol only lost one."
Sol was poking Sebas' face with her finger. "Wait, what? I won?" She furrowed her brows. "I won! Tesorito, I won!" She jumped up and down, almost falling if Sebas didn't wrap his arm around her to catch her.
"Okay, take it easy there, Sollie." Sebas stopped her from jumping up and down. "Okay, well." He turned to varsity. "Your captain lost, so uh, goodbye!" Sol twirled her finger around his hair. "Bye! Scram, move it!" Varsity helped Kevin up the stairs and they disappeared.
The trio flopped down onto the couch. Sol leaned into Sebas. "You have a handsome face." She commented, her fingers tracing the white spots against his tanned skin.
Sebas shifted uncomfortably, pulling her hand down. "Guess she's a flirty drunk."
"We need to get her out of here." Jasper stated the obvious. "I can try to get Jefferson to take us right now."
Sebas kept on pulling his friends hands from wandering about. "That will be great." He moved away from Sol. "Will be appreciated if you hurry a bit?" Jasper jumped off the couch and disappeared.
"Wanna know something funny?" Sol giggled, twirling her hair.
"What?"
"A guy asked if I was dating you." She recoiled. "Isn't that just so funny!" She laughed, leaning down in her seat.
Sebas pulled down her dress, as it was getting dangerously high. "Yep, so funny. Who asked you that?"
"A guy wearing a suit." Sol giggled. "I don't think I like him." She furrowed her brows. "I like his eyes though." Sol looked up and had a dreamy look on her face.
Her friend looked to her. "You liked his...eyes? "
"Uh huh," she sounded breathless. "Swirls of grey that leave me mesmerized. Then again," Sol giggled again. "Everything has me mesmerized. Even you, tesorito." She turned her head to Sebas.
Sebas looked back. "Uh, thanks..?" He looked away and coughed. "Anyways, grey eyes you say?"
"Uh huh."
"Asher Hawthorne grey eyes?"
Sol perked up and actually fell off the couch. "That's his name! I remember it now." She tilted her head back onto the couch.
Jasper came running down the steps. "Jefferson said if we leave right now, he'll take us!" He passed and looked at Sol. "You think she could walk?"
Sebas looked to Sol who was giggling to herself. "Maybe?" He pulled her up and urged her to take a step. She fell to the floor. "Okay, definitely not."
"How are we going to get her outside? Especially these stairs?"
Sebas pulled up the girl to her feet. "I could carry her? I mean, she really doesn't look all that heavy." He picked her up, bridal style, and walked to Jasper. "Oh, she's light light."
"Uh, up these stairs we go!" Jasper laughed and led his friend to the main level. Sebas was carefully ascending up and followed Jasper to the front. "She had a coat right?" Jasper turned around.
"Yeah, it was black and had a diamond on the pockets." Sebas recoiled. "And I didn't come with one." He added, following his friend into the mudroom where they had the coats at.
He waited for him by the front door, and with company.
"Is she okay?" A voice asked.
Sebas turned around and saw Asher standing there, pulling on his coat. "She's fine." Sebas mumbled.
"She doesn't look it."
"Well, she is." Sebas snapped.
Sol leaned her head back and saw Asher. "Oh, it's you." She said with attitude, which confused Sebas.
"Even intoxicated she doesn't like me." Asher said. "Impressive."
Sol rolled her eyes. "You suck." She giggled, reaching up to his face.
Sebas pulled down her arm with his head. "Okay, Sollie, that's enough touching people's faces for tonight." Jasper came into view, holding Sol's coat.
Jasper laid it over the girl, covering her. "There. Now Jefferson is waiting so lets go." He opened the door and Sebas followed him out.
Sol wrappers her arms around his shoulders. "Bye, twinkle face!" She flipped off Asher before getting carried away to the SUV waiting. "I smell snow."
"There's snow on the ground." Sebas said, placing her into the back seat of the car. Jasper was seated on one side of her, Sebas on the other.
"Take us to Eden Hall please." Jasper asked Jefferson, his chauffeur.
⋆ ★
Sebas carried Sol to her dorm.
He turned the knob and entered the dark room. He kicked the door close and put Sol onto her bed, before turning on a lamp. He dusted off the snow from his shoulders and hair, as it started to fall halfway through their ride here.
Sol throws off the heels to the floor, taking off her hoops too. "Is it bed time, tesorito?" She looked to Sebas, who looked back.
"Uh, yeah?" He watched the girl kneel on the floor in front of her closet. "What are you doing?"
She pulled out a large t-shirt. "Putting on pajamas." She opened up a drawer and pulled out shorts that looked like they didn't fit her. Sol got up and went to the bathroom.
"Can I leave..?" Sebas asked.
Sol stopped in front of the bathroom door. "No." She closed the door. After five minutes, Sol emerged from the bathroom and was wearing the clothes she grabbed. The oversized Metallica shirt with one side tucked inside shorts that Sebas thought he should not be seeing her wear.
She climbed into her bed and got comfortable. "Now can I leave?" Sebas asked her again.
Sol turned off the lamp and turned around. "'Posed so." She answered him and Sebas instantly left. Sol fell asleep the second she relaxed.
⋆ ★
Sol was extremely hung over.
She woke up around noon with a splitting headache. "Ow." She groaned, sitting up. Her vision came into focus and she looked around the room before getting up. "¡Aye!" She yelled as she tumbled to the floor. "What happened..?" Sol managed to get up and take a brisk shower.
She got dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She threw on a sweater and left to the cafeteria, hoping to snag something to eat before they close up lunch.
Sol was stumbling to the cafeteria, walking along the wall. "Wassup, Capt?" Asher saw her.
Sol shook her head. "Get away, Hawthorne."
"Are you hungover?" He asked, looking at the stumbling girl. "Oh, you are. Must've been from last night."
Sol looked to him. "What are you talking about..?" She rubbed her temples and continued to walk.
"You got drunk last night." Asher went quiet for a moment. "Remember?"
"I don't remember anything about last night, you pest." Sol snapped, turning to enter the cafeteria. "I don't even remember getting home."
Asher trailed behind her. "Sebas and Jasper took you home. About 8-9:30." He watched as the girl piled her plate with food. "You going to ignore me now?"
"That's exactly what I'm going to do." She mumbled, walking to her usual table. "Sebas, hey!" She smiled when she sees her friend. She jogged over there, leaving Asher behind, and took the empty seat next to him.
Sebas returned the smile. "Hey, Captain. How you feeling?" He took a bite of his sandwich. Sol groaned and ate her own sandwich. "Bad, huh? Didn't help that you had sixteen drinks last night."
"I had what!? " Sol yelled and instantly regretted it as her head ached. Sebas began to tell her everything that happened last night, except her touching his face and their conversation. Instead he told her everything from arriving to having to carry her out. Sol listened as she downed her food. "Oh, Merry Christmas by the way. I got you a present."
Sebas took a sip of his Sprite can. "Oh, sick. I got you something too." They finished their food and talked with each other. "Hey, lets go to my dorm for your present." Sebas suggested once they put their trays back.
"Got it." And Sol followed her friend to his and Donovan's dorm. Sebas opened up the door to reveal a dorm with posters all over the wall. He led Sol inside and went inside his closet, emerging with a small wrapped box.
He passed the box to her. "Here." She started to unwrap it. "I know it's not much but I hope you like it."
Sol opened the lid of the box and there was a silver chain bracelet there. In a small little bag next to it, the letters '𝔖, 𝔖, 𝔍' were there along with a star, sun, and moon. Sol covered her mouth. "Sebastian... this must've cost ya a lot."
"Only $72.87." He quickly added. "But it's worth it for my best friend. Jasper's gift was almost $125 so don't feel bad."
Sol clipped on the letter charms. She also clipped the star charm next an S, the other S got the sun, and moon got the J. Star for Sol, Sun for Sebas, and Moon for Jasper.
"Lets get yo gift now." This time Sol lead Sebas to her dorm. She opens the door and passes him his gift. A small gift and a big gift.
Sebas accepted the gifts. "You didn't have to get me two presents." He commented, opening the smaller gift first. It was an envelope. "What the..?" He opened it up and closed it back up. "Sollie, I-I, I can't accept this." He tried handing back the envelope.
Sol pushed the envelope back. "I know you need it, keep it. I already sent your mom a check."
"You really shouldn't be doing this." Sebas' voice broke.
Sol gave him a small smile. "You deserve it, Sebas. Take the money."
"Yeah, but not," he counted the money. "$700 worth. This is way too much, captain."
Sol gave him a look. "You're child number nine of eleven, I bet you have so much hand me downs. Keep the money and gets yourself some clothes. I had my dad send a check for a thousand to your mom."
A tear rolled his cheek. "Thank you so much, Sol." He wiped away his tears and Sol told him it was no problem. "I don't know how the next gift could be better." He joked, unwrapping his bigger gift. It was brand new hockey skates.
"Saw you needed new ones." Sol informed and Sebas gave her a hug. She returned it. "Merry Christmas, twiggy."
⋆ ★
Jasper got his gifts.
Sol and Sebas called up Jasper and waited foe him in the front of the school. Jasper pulled up in his SUV and waved to his friends. "Hey, guys!" He ran under the hangover to get out of the snow. "Why'd you guys called?"
Sol and Sebas revealed their gifts for Jasper. A thin box wrapped in green wrapper from Sebas, two boxes wrapped in silver from Sol. "Merry Christmas!" The two friends yelled at the same time, passing the boxes into Jasper's hands.
He gasped. "Oh, thank you! I never would have expected this." He smiled to his friends, grabbing the boxes. He opened up Sebas' first, to reveal a stack of vinyls. "Thank you, Sebas!" He then opened up the gifts from Sol. A crucifix necklace and another stack of vinyls, except these ones were for decoration as they had designs. "Aww, thanks, Capt!"
Jasper pulled his two friends into a hug, which they gladly returned. "I got a new necklace from Sebas. Look." Sol showed Jasper the necklace.
"What are the symbols for?" Jasper asked.
"The S with the star is for me, the captain. The S with the sun is for Sebas, the one who always cracks jokes. And J with the moon for you, the one that keeps us in line." Sol pointed to each symbol as she talked.
"That's sweet." Jasper commented.
Sebas agreed. "It is."
The trio talked some more under the overhang of the entrance hall, until Jefferson said Jasper had to leave and they left. Sol and Sebas went to their dorms and finished the homework packets they were given for the break.
Sol finished hers and went to get dinner. She served herself a plate of spaghetti and got salad on the side. She ate her food before leaving back to her dorm and going to sleep.