edited A/N: I'm aware 6-7 were the parts where it was extremely cringey with abnormal occurences. This edit will change the scene entirely.
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What a great night this turned out to be.
I mean as if going to my first college party with my nemesis isn't bad enough; the girl who's supposed to be my sidekick abandons me and I find out almost too late that I could've been the main lead of a R-rated film?
Can my life get anymore dramatic?
The only thing that seems to not have gone to waste is all the liquor I've ingested, considering how I'm sitting here in the passenger seat of my car feeling nauseous as heck.
"So at which point was anybody ever informing me about Salvatore? Huh?" Wayne fumes not only at me but at the other guys too, as if he's the boss of everyone.
That's something I cannot tolerate.
"Yo, leave me out of this. I'm innocent." Drew holds both his hands up in mock surrender and backs away.
"I fucking warned you, Kel. How can you be this dumb?"
Zac, who's been sitting on the driver's seat next to me, cuts him off. "Alright, stop." He tries to defuse the situation. "Wayne, I'll take her back to your place. She's not exactly in the right state of mind to discuss this here."
My head has never felt so heavy before that I can already foresee the incoming hangover next morning. I silently sit here tuning out everyone, constantly swallowing my saliva to get rid of the queasiness.
Better yet, someone please just knock me out.
"Like hell you are," Wayne objects sternly, raising his voice. "Take my car. I'm driving my sister myself." He gives no room for discussion, immediately rounding to the driver's side.
The door got yanked open so forcefully I can almost hear the hinges getting loose. Thankfully I parked my car further down the street because judging by the thick tension in the atmosphere surrounding us, I predict someone's really about to throw hands soon.
For some reason, Zac remains glued in the driver's seat despite Wayne's instruction. I have never felt this uncomfortable sitting in silence.
I rather die than have to suffer excruciatingly with Satan in the car, but this dangerous stare-off between the guys is beginning to spook me.
Carson lets out a sigh first, thank God. "Will everybody just take a step back?" He does so as he speaks. "You're hot-headed right now and you know she's going to piss you off even more in the same car. That's the recipe for a traffic accident."
"Don't tell me what to do." Wayne shoots back. Who the hell is he to be snapping at everyone?
"You get in my car and I'm hopping off." I threaten, desperately knocking my fists against my temple as if it's a hammer hitting a nail.
This isn't drunk. This is torture.
"Don't you dare-" Wayne seethes but cuts himself off when Zac leans over to secure my seatbelt for me.
"I'll see you guys at home. Trust me." Zac nods to Wayne.
"Trust you? You-"
I say a silent thank you when Zac swiftly shuts the car door and roars up my sleeping beauty, stepping on the accelerator to escape the hell Wayne is giving me. I stay quiet all the way, resting my head on my folded arms while my knees lean against the dashboard and gratefully Zac doesn't try to force a conversation either.
It's a wearisome thirty-minute car ride at least as he continues to drive with no music, just the sounds of engines and tires screeching.
"Oh my God," I suddenly wail, clutching my hand over my mouth as I feel the bile coming up to my throat. "Stop the car!"
We are about twenty minutes in, driving on a relatively quiet road when Zac jams on the brake. I quickly use my free hand to release the seatbelt and unlock the door before I jump out and dash to the roadside.
Thank God I manage to hold it in and not unleash the pavement pizza in my car.
Seconds later, I sense someone coming up behind me as I bend over a drain and puke the life out of me. He gathers my hair together while gently patting me on the back.
"Here, take this." He hands me the box of tissue paper from the back of my car.
I puked at least twice, the third time just a tiny bit, before I manage to calm myself and prevent the tears in my eyes from falling. For some reason, whenever I gag or vomit, my eyes water and makes me want to cry.
"Thanks..." I sheepishly murmur, too embarrassed to turn around and face him because I know I look and smell like literal barf. "Glove compartment... water..."
He hands me the bottle of mineral water that I always keep in my car for emergencies like this, and I clean my hands with it before gargling and spitting out any disgusting residue in my mouth.
He helps me back to the car after I dry myself with tissues, suddenly feeling exhausted after throwing up the only meal I had for the entire day.
This will teach me never to drink on an empty stomach again.
"I'm sorry," Zac speaks up as we quietly sit in the car for a break.
"What?" I lean back on the headrest, turning my head slightly to look at him.
He's resting his elbow against the windowpane, his soulful umber eyes watching me carefully as if he's trying to read whether I'm about to flare up the next second or not.
"I shouldn't have left you for a minute. Not at all."
I shake my head lightly, not really blaming him. It's not his responsibility to watch out for me. I'm the one who's responsible for my own decisions. Maybe the whole Justin situation I can't really be blamed since I didn't know the guy, but the drinking half a bottle of whiskey thing? Yeah. Totally my bad.
"Where were you going?" I ask.
"I was gonna get you something from the kitchen. But I-"
"It's not your fault." I assure him. "Justin though, what's his deal? Clearly I'm missing a lot of backstory."
He sighs and turns to face the road. "You shouldn't get close to him."
"Is it true? That he makes homemade porn with girls he sleeps with?"
He seems surprised, turning back to face me again. "How did you know?"
I slide my phone over the middle console to show him the texts from Cassandra.
He doesn't say a word, simply nods then starts the car again. That's my cue to stop being nosey, so I shut my eye for the rest of the journey.
I sigh in relief when we reach Wayne's house and didn't spot his car there yet. I needed the peace and quiet, at least for the rest of the night I do.
Zac trails behind me as we climb up the stairs to my room. "Rest," he whispers at the door. I don't bother switching the light on, going straight to the bed instead. "I'll be downstairs. Shout if you need anything."
"Thank you."
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My face practically heats up; eyes struggling to stay open as blinding sunlight shines right at me. If I thought going straight to bed was the best idea, I regret it now. Why hadn't I just take three seconds to lower the blinds?
It doesn't help that as I push myself to sit up, my head starts acting like a hurricane exactly the way I expected.
The time on my clock reads 12PM, and I'll gladly stay in my room the entire day if it isn't because that I have a dry mouth and in dire need of painkillers. Plus the fact that I hadn't brush my teeth after a vomit episode, I can only imagine the stench of my breath.
Note to self: Don't ever chug alcohol again.
After a quick wash up in the bathroom, I pad downstairs in hopes to find an Advil. I never knew painkillers should be categorized under the necessity department until I need them. Why didn't I bring my own? I dread having to ask someone if I can't find any in the house.
"Shit, Kels. I'm so sorry!" Cassandra rises from the couch in the living room, startling me with her presence.
She might've mistaken my confusion as frown. "Why are you here?"
"I didn't know, I swear. I only found out earlier when I checked in."
"And?" I continue to walk to the kitchen while she follows after me.
"And that's why I asked Wayne if I could come to apologize. I shouldn't have left without saying a word. I'm sorry. This is a severe violation of girl code."
Though she sounded genuine, my headache takes priority and talking only makes it worse. Where's the damn medicine cabinet?
"Morning, sweetheart. Feeling better?" Drew says, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. I'm grateful he doesn't try to crack a stupid joke as he approaches from behind me.
"I will be when my head stops feeling like it's battling itself." I pull open every single drawer. There're utensils, pots and pans, bakeware, old newspapers, lots of paper towels and even a compartment that hid a box of condoms, but no Advil.
I feel him leaning over me, reaching for a small Tupperware container placed above the fridge. He opens it up and like Christmas day, my eyes sparkle seeing the array of painkillers in it.
He chuckles, stroking the top of my head lightly as if I'm a kitten. "You're more likely to find things in strange places here."
"Drew." Wayne says in a warning tone all of a sudden, causing Drew to drop his hand.
Where the hell is everyone coming from?
"Here comes the food!" Carson announces cheerily as he enters the front door, his brother following behind him. Both of them carrying two brown take-out bags each.
I contemplate if I should shamelessly help myself or sneakily retreat to my safe space. At this point, we are still basically strangers and it won't offend me if I'm not invited. Besides, the events of last night still make me uncomfortable to have to face everyone, much less talk about it.
As everyone else saunter towards the dining table, I turn towards the staircase instead.
"Hey Kels..." Cassandra tags along in a sad voice. Oh, I've almost forgotten she's still here.
At the mention of my name though, the guys take notice of my exit strategy.
"Where are you two going? There's more than enough food. Come." Zac says as he spreads out the plethora of breakfast food across the table buffet style. Pancakes, waffles, french toasts, omelettesâyou name it. My stomach silently approves.
But I steal a peek at Wayne's face and no doubt, it is as black as charcoal. He has a deep frown between his eyebrows, his lips pulled into a thin line as he stare pointedly at the food.
Maybe as part of my revenge plan, I shouldn't care about what he thinks. Yet I can't help it when I do. Whether or not last night is the reason he's pissed off, this is his house. These are his friends. I should know better than to cross the line and invade what is supposed to be his personal space.
Our problem involves only us and I know if I actually had any friends, I'd hate for him to try to befriend mine too.
So I shake my head. "I have a headache." Truth. "I'm just going to sleep it off. You go join them though," I tell Cassandra. "I'll text you when I'm up." I promise her.
Her guilt is practically tattooed across her forehead. "Nah," she declines and I'm not gonna lie when I say that surprises me. "I only came here for you. I'll just..." she glances to the door. "Yeah, text me when you feel better. I'm sorry though, I really am."
I put up my first smile all morning. "I heard it the first time."
Zac apparently is adamant that we must join them as he walks to us, guiding us to the table with a hand on each of our backs. Cassandra looks almost as uncomfortable as I do as she takes a seat on the chair, directly opposite Wayne on the other end.
"Just eat a little," Zac mutters next to my ear. I don't know if he planned it, but he positions me at the bench nearest to Wayne's seat while he sits on the right of me. I try to subtlely switch with him so I can be next to Cassandra insteadânot that we're such good friends, but I just don't want to be this close to Wayneâbut either he's smart or he's oblivious, he plants his butt firmly down and that was that.
I could open my mouth and ask, or walk across to where Carson and Drew are sitting and exchange seats, but that in itself would make something as simple as a seating arrangement a big deal. I don't want to be a big deal.
Just freaking sit!
Glad my legs are co-operative.
Drew whoops in excitement opposite me. "I'm so fucking famished I can eat double. Hey sexy, pass me the maple syrup will you?" He reaches out a hand to Cassandra's direction where the jar sits in front of her.
Carson shoves Drew's arm off since the latter's almost deliberately blocking him. "Don't take my waffle!" The poor guy shouts. Sure enough, Drew's asking for syrup was merely a distraction as he uses his free hand to grab the waffles. To ensure that it remains his, he quickly takes a huge bite out of it before Carson can protest.
"You fucker!" He must have kicked Drew under the table as the latter cries out. "You said you didn't want waffles!"
Drew laughs. "And you should know better than to take my word for it. I only know what I want when it's right in front of me." He takes another large bite to spite him.
I haven't taken any food, only pouring myself a cup of hot coffee hoping it'll rid of the remainder of my aches. Wayne, who's sitting just on my left has remained completely quiet too.
"Is toast okay?" Zac asks me.
I nod, not really enthusiastic about eating together as if we're one big happy family. Until my eyes scan the table and spots the grape jam. I poke him lightly in his bicep. "Can I have it with that?" I point to the jam adoringly.
He smiles back, taking two slices of toast and spreading the jam on my behalf. While I sip quietly on my coffee, I notice Wayne from my peripheral vision staring intently at Zac. I avert my gaze quickly, not wanting to make eye contact.
"Hey, so y'all hear of Bianca's birthday party tonight?" Drew says when it's apparent nobody else seems to want to make conversation.
"Again?" Zac shakes his head.
Who would've thought they'll be crazy enough to party two nights in a row? But since I sort of ruin their night yesterday, I probably shouldn't blame them.
Cassandra scoffs, the first sound she made since she sat down at the table.
I look at her, curious about her reaction. "Why?" Kinda sucks to be new girl.
She looks back at me as if taken aback that we've all heard it. But she shrugs. "Who has birthdays every month? She takes attention seeking to a whole new level."
Wayne raises a brow at her statement.
Drew chuckles. "That's true. It works all the time for her only because she throws good parties."
"And because she's basically the stripper in the cake, I bet." Cassandra adds.
"I like you." Drew grins at her. "Now you must come with us tonight."
"We're going?" Carson asks mid-chewing.
Drew nudges my brother in the arm, earning him a groan. "Unfortunately." Wayne replies sounding almost uninterested.
I keep quiet, automatically excluding myself from their we. I learnt my lesson the first time. Partying with my brother is a disaster in the making.
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"You sure you're okay?" Cassandra questions as dries the dishes with a rag while I wash them. I didn't want to be a brat who freeloads in the house, especially after the mess last night, and I volunteered to clean up without a word. Nobody really fought me for it though, who likes doing dishes?
"It's just the hangover."
She sighs. "It's awkward between us now, right? I'm sorry for showing up unannounced too."
I turn to acknowledge her. "Listen carefully. Nothing happened." I emphasize. "It's fine. And you know these people better than I do, I'm practically the stranger here. So stop apologizing."
"But I ditched you over some run-of-the-mill sex."
"Fine, you're a bitch then. Is that what you want me to say?"
"That's more like it." She smiles. "This time, I swear with my life that I won't ditch you again." She raises three fingers at the side of her head.
"You're talking about the party tonight? No thanks." I shake my head.
"How come? Please don't say that you're banning yourself from parties for life."
I laugh at that. "Of course not. But I'm not going somewhere my brother is gonna be. Besides, I got the impression that you didn't like the girl. Why would you go?"
"Half of the people who goes to these things don't like her either."
"And that's justifiable enough?"
She suddenly puts down the plate in her hand, whirls around and looks at me like a lightbulb just popped above her head.
"I can't believe I forget that Wayne and Bianca are basically on-off dating!"
I cringe automatically, not at all keen to know about whoever he is shagging. "Is that supposed to mean anything to me?"
"Well I mean if he said he's going, that means they're on again right?"
"I don't really give a shit."
"Didn't you say you're going to make him payback for the things he did?"
I wipe my hands dry. "Yeah, but how's that in my favour? He's just going to boss me around like he did yesterday."
"Exactly. And you're going to show him you're not gonna let him boss you around anymore. See, Justin Salvatore? I get it. He has that dreamy look and you couldn't have known he's a wolf under his sheep skin. But I'm gonna be there all the way tonight. And I know people. I'll warn you if there's somebody we should avoid. You'll be perfectly safe. There's no reason you have to skip it just because your annoying brother is going. Do you have any idea how many parties he goes to? Almost every single one of them. You have to stand up to him! Or else he's gonna bully you into missing out on everything. You're not going to let that happen anymore, right? Am I convincing you yet?" She rambles on.
I think about the times when we were younger, how he always gets all the invites to birthday parties while I barely had the chance to attend any. Mostly because I was nerdy and had little friends, which he isn't to blame, but also because he never liked me showing up at the same places as him.
Attending the same school, he could pretend to not know me. But when mom asked him to take me along to his friends' house? Over his dead body.
"Alright, alright." I chuckle. "You have me convinced."