"CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG!" Everyone was chanting it. It was like a mantra that pushed me to the edge and drove me to keep going. The liquid was prickly down my throat, but I forced myself to stop being such a wuss and finally tipped the bottle up, drowning the last of its remains. My head swam and everyone's voices blended together as they cheered and roared like crazy. Everything was in slow motion. Someone clapped me on my shoulder. Suddenly, I was being hoisted on someone else's shoulders. I don't know whose hands held me or whose arms were around me. And the voices started to blend into distant echoes.
I shook my head vigorously and just like that, everything snapped back into clear order. My eyes met Ryan across the crowd giving me an uneasy, worried smile. I told Alan to put me back down and he obliged, giving me space to make my way to Ryan.
"You okay?" He had to raise his voice over the loud music.
"Best I've been in a while!"
We decided to take a break and get something to eat so we headed to the kitchen. The music dimmed down a bit there, and only a few people lingered, including William and Jade. He said something that made her throw her head back and laugh, placing the cup that was once in her hand on the counter after some of it spilled a little on the floor.
"Hey there, wild ones," William teased once he spotted us, "why didn't you tell me beforehand that you were the life of the party?"
I rolled my eyes. "And you didn't tell me you were the life of the kitchen. You haven't left it since we came here."
"William, I told you. I'm fine here. You can go out and have fun and dance with your friends." Jade shoved her hands in her pockets, embarrassedly. Her tight outfit revealed her gorgeous curves, and I suddenly felt a pang of envy. I hadn't realized how blue her eyes actually were. They reminded me of a crisp, spring sky.
"It's alright. I'm the designated driver tonight, remember? And who says I'm not having fun tonight?" I was acutely aware of their touching sides.
"You know what, I know how I can fix this," Ryan said, "mine and William's house is pretty close to here. And Brooks is on the same block. We can leave our car here, walk to our house and crash there. And tomorrow we can drop Jade off. How does that sound?"
"Always the problem-solver, brother," William draped an arm around Ryan's shoulders. He was a bit taller than William, and I couldn't help but study how different they were. Other than the obvious fact that Ryan was black and William was white, their personalities starkly contrasted with each other. Ryan was always the golden boy everyone just couldn't help but love, whereas William had a certain aura around him that hinted he wasn't easy. He was never a troublemaker, but he just had this weird mischevious thing about him that attracted everyone ever since he enrolled into our school. Already, everyone knew him, and all the girls drooled over him.
I was snapped out of my gaze when Jade spoke."I don't know. . . It's a-"
"Oh, come on Jade. Loosen up a bit, it'll be okay," I interrupted her before she can give any more excuses. The night was young and I was ready to go back to the dance floor.
"Fine. Yeah, I guess it could work."
"There we go!" I said exasperatedly with a laugh. "Now who's ready to play a round of shots and truth or dare?"
—-
Soon enough, we were all sitting in a circle by the pool with a bottle between us. The heavy air smelled like chlorine, sweat, and alcohol, and I could hear the faint sound of music and crickets chirping. Resting my head on my hands which were supported by William's shoulders, I stared at Finn, waiting for him to dare me. I was well into my 4th shot but still felt like I'd only taken a sip of the intoxicating alcohol. I guess my body, was just a 'strong, resisting powerhouse'—as Ryan had once told me.
"Skinny dip."
My head slipped from my hands in shock, much to William's amusement. Everyone stared at me hesitantly as I thought it over. No one has seen me naked before and I'd like to keep it that way. Despite everyone praising my body all the time growing up, I've always been self-conscious of my lack of curves and chest.
"What is it," he teased, sensing my hesitation, "the party animal Brooklyn Smith is backing out of a dare? Show us what you got! Or. . .the lack of what you got."
I clenched my jaw and breathed in deeply from my nose, not letting anyone see how affected I was.
William scoffed. "You're just trying to get into her pants, Trevor. You should really be saving yourself from the rejection." He was leaning back on a chair with one leg outstretched and a beer in his hand.
A few people snickered at his comment and I felt the bubble in my chest deflate in relief when Megan flipped the bottle and it landed on someone else. I turned my head to look at William, silently thanking him. He simply raised his beer with a smile.
An hour or so later, we decided to crash back at Ryan's house. We were all pretty trashed, and I had to lean on William because I could see three Jade's in front of me, and something told me that wasn't a good sign. I watched as she almost tripped and fell on her nose. Except Ryan held her back at the right time, making her slur out a thank you and something about how big his arms were.
Suddenly, she wasn't giggling anymore and she rushed to the nearest bush. I grimaced as the rabid sound of her throwing up filled the air. I laughed as Ryan looked away with his nose wrinkled, holding her hair away from her face.
"How much did she drink?" I asked William. He was the soberest one out of all of us, and at this point, he didn't seem to be enjoying it that much.
"More than I can handle apparently," Jade spat from the curb. It was a sight to pity; her white pants were dirty from sitting on her knees on the road, her hair was all messed up, and her shirt was slipping from her shoulders. I sighed and walked towards her, leaning to her level. She took the water bottle I handed her in gratitude.
"Are you guys okay with carrying her home?" I turned back to face their tired faces, but before they can answer, she held her hand out in protest.
"I think you guys have carried me enough. I can handle myself." She pushed her hair out of her face with a deep breath, and I watched as she stood up without warning, staggering a bit. Ryan and William looked at me in question, but I just shook my head. She didn't want help, so I did the most we can do and draped her arms around me.
Thankfully, we reached the house in a couple of minutes. Neither of Ryan and William's parents was awake, and the guys quickly helped me support Jade up the stairs and into the guests' room. I've pretty much memorized their huge house by now after countless times of visiting and always sleeping over at their house. It was a pretty big one, at that, and there were always extra spacious rooms, but I'd grown accustomed to sleeping on a mattress on the floor in Ryan's room. But since William's back, he'd taken that spot temporarily until they set up his room, so I had to take another room as well.
I focused on the task at hand, carefully dropping Jade on the bed. I had started to undress her when she put her hands out. "Woah woah, what are you doing there?"
"Undressing you? You can barely register which hand your raising in the air, so I think you'd be thankful to let me help you out here."
She stayed quiet as I returned to the bathroom in the room and grabbed a change of clothing. I always kept an extra here, along with an extra pair of underwear and a toothbrush. Jade was cooperative when I changed her into her clothing and put her to bed. Just as I was about to leave, she grabbed my forearm, stopping me from leaving.
"You're not as bad as I thought you would be."
I raised an eyebrow in question.
"Well, you know," she drawled on sleepily, muffling a yawn, "you're skinny...and...pretty and perfect...and bitchy. But you're not bitchy. You're nice."
It was the last thing I had expected her to say. Why would she call me bitchy? And then tell me I'm nice. Before I could even ask her or clarify anything, her eyelids closed and she turned her head peacefully, falling asleep.
I decided to let the matter rest for tonight. Already too much has happened, and my brain couldn't handle it. I left her room and closed the door quietly.
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Hey there! Sorry for the boring chapters I've been uploading so far, but there are a few things that need to be established before we get into this story. There's a long and exciting ride ahead of us!
Next chapter is in Ryan's POV so tune in! 💞
Much love,
MD ❤️