~22~ Love Drunk, or Drunk Love?
(Zac’s POV)
Angel Hallow being the jealous type? No. I don’t believe that. That’s exactly why I cancelled our “double date” to the movies we were supposed to have and exchanged it for a small get together. As I slept the night before, I kept remembering how I had technically slept with Angel and how she said I was perfect for her. I didn’t believe that either. I would have an everlasting crush on her that would amount to nothing. She was surely joking back then.
“Never have I ever,” Lacy suggested.
“Alright,” I allowed, bringing out the bottle of liquor. Make it two bottles of liquor. We all sat in a square on the floor of my newly cleaned room. I looked over to Lacy as her hair was curled around her shoulders. “You first.”
“Never have I ever…gone skinny dipping,” she admitted. I poured myself a shot and downed it. To my surprise, so did Angel. We all gave her an interested look.
“It was a dare okay!” she admitted. Her face reddened and she tried hiding behind her hands. It was sort of cute of her…aside from the sexiness of the thought of her being naked in a pool.
“I’ll leave it to you to call the next one,” I laughed. She removed her hands and still looked embarrassed.
“Never have I ever gotten high on drugs,” she said. Everyone but her took a shot. Which is why she stared at Joey, waiting for an explanation.
“I was a stupid eighth grader…” he reasoned. Angel playfully rolled her eyes. “Never have I ever gotten arrested.”
I was the only one to take a shot.
“Never have I ever…” what was I to say? There’s rarely anything that I haven’t done. “…missed taking a shot at this game.”
Of course I used that only to take another shot. It was one step closer to getting drunk. The drunker I was the faster and easier I could forget about everything…well, hopefully.
“If you mean to just take shots, then take shots, we shall,” Lacy noticed. She filled her shot glass. “Never have I ever kissed anyone.”
Of course everyone took a shot. From then on, we just tried saying something that everyone had done. Lacy had the last topic and all four shot glasses were filled, taking up the last of the first bottle of liquor.
“Never have I ever had sex,” Lacy said, expecting everyone to take the pre-made shots.
I hesitated, wondering what Angel would think of what I had done with Lulu, but then grabbed it anyways. To my surprise, even Joey downed his glass. Angel gulped and then decided to drink hers. It shocked me. She and Brian didn’t seem like the type…But I guess so.
But either way, she looked to Joey.
“And I thought you were a gentleman,” she said to him.
“We thought it was the right thing to do at the time,” Joey said, honestly.
“It’s right at any time,” Lacy added. She added her hand to my shoulder. “Right baby?”
“No…” I found myself saying. “I don’t think it’s right to just hook up with anyone at any time…”
“Then why’d you sleep with Lulu?” Angel asked quietly. I looked to her. She was smart even though it was her drunk self talking, and it was gonna be my drunk self answering her. I had no problem about that.
“I didn’t sleep with her, I fu**ed her,” I corrected. And then I left. “I did it cuz she wanted me to and I thought I had to—”
“You never have to—”
“Apparently not if she would just go out and cheat on me,” I retorted. “That doesn’t mean my beliefs change. I don’t regret doing it with her, but I still think that people should wait until they’re actually in love, not when they’re a sophomore—or in high school at all.”
I was being honest. I wasn’t trying some angle like usual. It was pure honesty.
“I agree…” I thought I heard Angel whisper, but if she did, it was hidden by Lacy’s words.
“Sophomore year? Wow,” she said.
“I know it’s early, but—”
“Early? I lost my virginity in seventh grade!” she exclaimed. That’s cuz you’re a stupid whore.
“Wow,” I commented along with Joey.
“Wow is right,” Angel repeated before staggering up, grabbing a beer, and heading out of my room. What now?
***
“Your little girlfriend sure is quite the whore, huh?” Angel said as soon as I found her in my backyard. She drank the beer and set it down beside her. I crouched down in front of her, but didn’t keep my balance for long. She ran a hand through her hair and it uncovered her beautiful face.
“You care,” I said.
“H3ll yeah I care,” she slurred, her eyes daring to close. She hadn’t drunk as much as I had, but she was more drunk than me. Maybe that was to my advantage.
“Why?” I asked interested. She hit me.
“Stop being like a nice person cuz you’re not a nice person. You fu**ed my best friend and you regret it. Stop acting like you’re smart, or something, cuz e’ryone knows you’re not…kinda. Except me,” she slurred. I didn’t follow. “I don’t like Lacy.”
“Good,” I said as I lay on the ground. I don’t like her either. Angel started laughing and I looked at her.
“Did you fu** her too?” she asked.
“No,” I said honestly. “I’m not fu**ing anyone else.”
“Even me?” She asked. I rolled over to be closer to her and then sat up with my head spinning. I didn’t answer her though. “Just like I thought. It’s cuz I’m ugly.”
“Quite the opposite,” I said, looking more intently on her face. I kept imagining the image of me and her being together in that way, but knew it’d never happen. “Who’d you have sex with?”
“No one,” she sighed, sliding over and laying in my lap. She nearly knocked over the beer in the process.
“But you—”
“People lie in those stupid party games, Zachariah,” she said with a smirk playing at her full lips. So she was a virgin. It was somewhat relieving in my mind, but I knew that with Joey thinking she wasn’t, he’d take advantage of it. “Do you hate me now?”
“Why would I?” I asked. I could never…
“Cuz boys like girls that are DTF,” she said. I started laughing.
“I’m not like most boys then,” I replied.
“I don’t like most boys,” she commented with her eyes nearly closed again. Sobriety washed over me at her words.
“You like me?” I asked with a gulp. She nodded with her tired eyes.
“I think I like you more than Joey,” she whispered the secret. I felt relieved.
“Can I k—”
“But you’re not good for me,” she told.
“I’m perfect for you,” I blurted, quoting what she said herself the last time she drank with me around.
“Opposites attract,” she commented. Exactly. Opposites attract! You can’t get any more opposite than me, Angel! Godd4mn, give me a chance. I started to lean into her, but then stopped inches away.
“Can I kiss you?” I asked her in a whisper. Her gorgeous eyes fluttered open.
“No,” she said. “She stood by as it fell apart. Separate rooms, broken hearts. I won’t be the one to let you go, oh. I don’t know what it’s supposed to be with my eyes closed all I see is the skyline through the window. The moon above me and the streets below. Hold my breath as we’re moving in; taste your lips and feel your skin when the time comes, baby don’t run. Just kiss me slowly…”
She mumbled and sang it like a lullaby she’d grown up with. I wanted to kiss her even more with the sweet melody escaping her soft lips. I still leaned in, but her small gasp stopped me.
“Drunken men tell no tales,” she whispered. With whatever that meant at the moment, she got up and stumbled her way back inside. I picked up her abandoned beer bottle, but then realized that it was nearly full.