We get to the party around nine thirty, and there's not many cars out front. I've never been to a college party, but I always thought it would be a bunch of kids, and outside events, but it was more quiet.
"Have you been here before?" I ask Zoe.
"Yes, just once."
Zoe holds my hand pulling me inside behind Melrose. "Yo!" I hear a guy yell at us once inside, and Melrose walks up to him shaking his hand. "Hey bro." he says.
The living room where he greets us is dim with a girl, and guy sitting cross legged flipping poker cards on an aged glass coffee table, while the kitchen behind is brightly lit up with a small group of guys playing beer pong with two girls.
"You guys have met Zoe already, and this is Mora." Melrose introduces me to the couple at the coffee table.
"Hi." I say, and I sit down next to Zoe on a brown suede couch that sits low to the floor and the cushion sinks when I take my seat. Suddenly I feel uncomfortable because I don't know anyone.
The guy that greeted us in the house speaks first as he stands next to Melrose. He has tan skin, and sun kissed blonde wavy hair. His eyes are a deep brown. "Hey, Mora. My name is Jake." he leans over the table to shake my hand. "Hi Jake." is all I can think to mutter.
"Want a beer?"
"Hell yes." Zoe chimes in, and before I can answer he's skipping into the kitchen, and is back in a few seconds with two Budweisers.
"Oh man. Budweisers. Do you have anything lighter?" I request.
"Sorry. That's all we have." he responds, and I'm not sure what to say so I just nod at him, and take the beer. Zoe elbows me hard, rolling her eyes at my response. I guess I shouldn't be so rude.
"Dude, deal me in!" Melrose snorts, and pulls a small recliner up to the table where he can reach the cards.
"You guys want in too?" Jake grabs all the cards from the middle of the table to shuffle them. Zoe looks over at me. "Mor?"
"Sure, why not."
After about an hour in, I've gotten to know the majority of the girls there. They all seem really nice. One is a senior at Lake Creek High School, and the rest of them are freshman and sophomores at the community college nearby.
"Deal me!" I say. I'm beginning to feel drunk at this point, so I ask one of the girls to grab me a water. All I can think about now is if my dad is awake for any reason when I get home, I'm dead.
Sometime during the poker game, I look up to see Zoe and Melrose gone, and Jake is sitting next to me on the couch, across from the couple that's still sitting on the floor.
"Shoot!" the girl calls my bluff, and they all laugh at me before I throw my remaining chips into the betting pile. "Well, I think I'm done. That was so much fun!" I manage to spit out. I'm so drunk, and the room is starting to spin. "Jake, have you seen Zoe?" I slur. I wonder what time it is. I start to dig in my purse to find my phone, and I have two texts from Aiden. Once I see his name on my phone, I start to sober just a little but not enough.
Hey sorry about tonight.
I guess you're already in bed. Good night Mora, talk to u tomorrow.
I look at the clock on my phone and it's already twelve thirty. "Shit." I start to get up to find Zoe and Melrose, but when I do Jake grabs my hand and tugs me back down.
"Where are you going?" he smiles over at me, and I fold my face down in my hands. I don't feel good at all. "I have to get Melrose to take me home. My curfew is two." I admit.
"Ahh, I'm sure your parents are passed out." he says to me slobbering drunk, but I ignore him and start to stand up again, and trip over the table as I find myself to the hallway. I can hear Zoe laughing, and I knock on the door she's behind. "Zoe, we have to go. I can't be late, or dad will kill me." I can't believe I even put myself in this situation. She's not answering, so I knock louder, and right after I do Jake comes up from behind me and grabs my waist.
"Hey how about I take you home in just a few minutes?" and he puts his mouth on the back of my neck, and I push him off.
"Um, I have a boyfriend." I lie. Sort of.
"Where is he?" he ignores my push, holding me against the wall, and I finally break free from him sliding into the bathroom a couple feet away, locking the door behind me.
Zoe and Melrose aren't helping me at all. I'm starting to get really pissed, but scared at the same time, so I decide to call Scarlett but she doesn't answer her phone, so I call Aiden next.
"Hello." Aiden answers in a dazed voice. I woke him up.
"Aiden." I can feel my voice shake, as I start to cry, and his tone changes.
"Mora, what's wrong?" he asks.
"I came to this party with Zoe, and I can't get her to leave, and there's this guy here that won't leave me alone, and I'm really really drunk." I ramble on until Aiden cuts me off. "Where are you?"
"I locked myself in the bathroom." I cry, and he sounds like he's getting angry. "No Mora. What is the address where you're at?" he asks again.
I try to sober up for a second, and think. "I'm in Montgomery I think, but I'm not sure. It's some college guy's house." I admit to him.
"Okay Mora." his voice is softer "look at the location on your phone, but keep me on here okay, and tell me exactly where you are." I quickly follow his orders, but as I turn my location on my phone, I accidentally hang up on him, but a few seconds later he's calling me back.
"Mora, I told you to keep me on the phone." I can hear irritation in his voice. In the middle of me giving him the address, Jake is knocking on the door. "Baby, why don't you just let me in." he's as drunk as me, but louder. Aiden hears him from the other end of the phone.
"Do not unlock the door for that creep. I'm on my way now Mora. Can you stay in there, or is there a window that you can possibly crawl out of?"
"No. Aiden, can you hurry. I'm scared." I confess to him, and after I say that I yell through the door... "I'm throwing up, give me a minute." and I can hear Jake groan, then walk away.
I crawl down leaning my back against the bathtub. I'm so ashamed of myself right now, and I can't believe I let myself get this wasted with people I don't even know. I should have known Zoe would be this way.
I've only been this drunk one other time, and it was about a year ago when my dad was on a fishing trip, so Conner, Ross, Scarlett, and I stayed home and got drunk watching scary movies but it was different because that was with people I love, and trust.
Aiden stays on the phone with me, and I'm laying on the cold floor now, just waiting on him. A few minutes later Zoe is knocking. "Zoe is knocking on the door now. I better let her in." I whisper on the phone.
"No, Mora I'm almost there. Just a few more minutes." he must be speeding.
"Leave me alone." I snap at her.
"Here, let me inside and I'll help you." she begs, and I can't help but yell at her this time. "Just go away Zoe!" I'm sure I'm being over dramatic now but I don't care.
"Mora, calm down. Let me in, and I'll help clean you up so we can get you home." her voice is low and calm, but I ignore her. A minute later I pick up my phone to say something to Aiden, but he's hung up on me.
A few seconds later there's a loud knock on the door. "Mora, it's me." Aiden's voice echoes loudly and I lift myself up to open the door as I'm flooded with relief.
He shuts the door behind him, kneeling down to see my face. He's in a baggy grey hoodie, with major bed head. He's so cute even with bed head.
"Come on Mora, let's go." he picks me up, and I bury my face in his chest. As we're walking out of the house I can faintly hear Zoe in the background. "Will you tell her I'm sorry." but Aiden ignores her.
As he's putting me in the passenger seat of his jeep, he turns around and yells at who I can only assume is Jake.
"If you ever put your hands on her again, I'll kick your fucking ass." he's furious, but I'm too drunk to react.
"I'm so sorry Aiden." I say to him as he hovers over me to put on my seat belt.
"Don't apologize Mora. That guy is an asshole. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
"No."
"Are you sure?" he wants confirmation.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Why did you get so drunk around a bunch of college guys you don't even know. What were you thinking?" he's lecturing me now as we start to pull out of the driveway.
"I didn't mean to. It was heavy beer, I only had a few."
"Mora, you can't do that around people you don't know, and I'm sorry but Zoe isn't the most reliable friend you have."
"I know." is the last words spoken before we make it to my house.
"Mora, you are so drunk. I'm afraid we can't hide from your dad." he sighs loudly, and turns to look at me as he's turning his keys to shut off the jeep.
"Can you just walk me into the house quietly?" I ask, and it makes Aiden laugh. I could melt into his laugh.
"Yeah, I can see that ending so well." he snickers.
"Please Aiden. If he sees me like this, I promise I'm grounded for life, and that means no more hanging out with you." I tease him, and he gives me a pouty lip.
"Shit, we can't have that." he grabs my hand holding on to it firmly. "What's your plan?" he asks me. Why on earth would he trust my judgment right now?
"What about instead of going in the front door, we go through the mudroom in the back of the house. Dad's room is downstairs but it's on the front side of the house. You just have to walk me up the stairs, and you can stay in Conner's room until morning." and Aiden starts laughing out loud.
"Hell no, the first half of the plan we'll do, but the last thing your dad needs is to see me sleeping in your brothers room in the morning." he's still laughing at me, and I give him a sad face. "Aiden I have twenty minutes before his alarm clock goes off." I start to rush him out of the jeep.
"Okay. Let me come around and get you."
"Aiden, I can walk." I tell him, but he ignores me and throws my arm around his neck, and grabs my waist to hold me up. Once I'm on my feet I start to get dizzy again. "How are you feeling? Do you need to get sick?" he asks. "No I'm okay." He's taking such good care of me. Not what I would have imagined.
We walk around the house, and I pull away from him to get the back door key out from under a fake rock dad bought a few years ago. It's starting to lose its coloring. I need to tell him to get a new one.
After handing Aiden the key, I look up at him as he unlocks the door and puts my index finger over his mouth to motion to him to be quiet, and he rolls his eyes at me, as the door opens.
It's pitch black inside, so I pull out my phone to light up the room so we can see where to walk.
He locks his fingers into mine, and when he does I grab his same hand with my other hand as he guides me up the stairs. "Which one's your room?" he whispers. "Last door on the left." My tone is louder. "Shhh" he gives me an annoyed look. Oops.
Once we're in my room he quietly shuts the door behind him, and turns on my light. I quickly sit down at my desk, and stare at him. Usually I would stop gawking like a weirdo, but right now I don't care. I just want to sit and admire him.
He's looking around my room, taking it all in. I wish I could tell what he's thinking. He walks over to a picture collage hanging on my wall. It has pictures of Conner, Scarlett, Ross, Emily, and even Zoe. Pictures of me and Lorene in the shop, and an old photo of me and dad by his old red chevy truck, and I'm in a red puffy Easter dress. There's one selfie up there of me, and Ross in face paint at a football game, and we're cheering into the camera, and I wonder if it upsets him, but he doesn't seem to care.
"Aiden, we need a picture to put up there." I propose to him, and he raises an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" he asks.
"Yeah." I smile back.
"How about we take a picture later. We don't look our best tonight, and honestly, your dad is going to wonder how the picture was taken in your bedroom." His smile is small.
"Okay." I say.
"I better go before he wakes up." and he starts to walk to my door.
"Wait, you're leaving now?" I don't want him to leave.
"Well yeah. Mora, your dad is about to be up to make sure you're home."
"Just hide." I tell him, but he ignores me. "Sorry Andrews, not tonight." and he walks over to me and kisses the top of my head. "You better get into bed so he doesn't get a good whiff of you Mora, because I can smell the beer on you from the other side of the room."
"Shit." I say, and I have him smiling again before he decides I'm incapable of making it to the bed. He guides me over, and tucks me in. I can't help but smile up at him.
"I'll call you tomorrow okay." he tells me, and I just nod. Before he walks away, he leans in one last time and whispers in my ear. "Mora, please don't get so wasted like that again, at least not around people you don't know." and I just nod again because my mouth is starting to feel numb from all the alcohol.
He kisses my forehead, shuts out the lights, and is gone.
I just stare up at the ceiling after he leaves and try to keep from getting lightheaded. I'm embarrassed that he saw me like that, but at the same time I'm so glad I got to see him. Aiden Bryant saved me tonight, and I would never forget it. He's a good guy, and I just hope he likes me more than the other girls he's been with in the past because I like him so much.