Falling Up

18. Inebriated

"Oh my god!!!" screamed Kendra, bouncing over to her and giving her a bear hug while the rest of the crowd screamed in excitement around her. Riley tried not to get crushed as the crowd gathered around her, patting her on the back and giving her high fives. Riley laughed and smiled, looking over at a defeated Kain who was simply smiling and staring back at her.

"No way. That was freaking amazing!" screamed Riley over the noise. "Come on, let's dance."

She tugged Kendra through the crowd and over to the dance floor, where the thrumming beat of remixed classics exploded through the speakers. An adrenaline rush filled her body, and she was feeling on top of the world, even though the world was spinning slightly. It had been so long since she felt this good, this high.

As the thought crossed her mind, she stopped. The last time she felt this high was not a good thing. As quickly as the memory of her stepfather drugging her floated through her mind, it was gone again, and a relaxed feeling coursed down her arms and onto the tips of her fingers. She looked at her fingers curiously for a moment before the rumble of her stomach vibrated through her body.

Placing a hand on her stomach, she looked up and followed her line of sight to the food table. There her eyes glanced over the delicious chocolate brownies and her legs automatically started walking towards the table.

Pushing her way through the crowded dance floor, she stumbled, wrestling with her feet and forcing them to walk in a straight line. When she reached the edge of the room, she placed her hands on the wall to steady herself.

"Congrats," said Kain from her left.

Riley was completely unaware he was standing there, leaning up against the wall with one foot kicked back against. If she would wager a guess, he had been watching her from the sidelines.

"No-one has ever beaten me at beer pong before," continued Kain.

Riley took her hand off the wall and turned around to face the dance floor, leaning up against the wall between Kain and the table of food.

"I've had a lot of practice," replied Riley.

"You don't seem like the type of person who would have had a lot of practice at this type of thing."

She merely shrugged as she stumbled against the wall, resting her hand on the table next to her. Kain peered over, following her clunky movements but not saying a word as he turned back to face the crowd.

Her stomach gave off another rumble, and she turned to the table, picking up a brownie. As she brought it to her lips, Kain's voice interrupted.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you."

"Why not? They're delicious," said Riley, taking a big bite, devouring half of the brownie in one go.

Kain burst out laughing. His smile was unusual to her, but it beamed with a radiance she hadn't seen before. Her gaze focused on the crinkles around his bright blue eyes as he tried to hold in his laughing fit.

Before he had even finished laughing, his hand came over to hers, brushing his hand against her fingers lightly before grabbing the half eaten brownie out of her hand. "It's a pot brownie."

"What?" said Riley, still distracted by his firm hand that had brushed by hers. It was softer than she thought.

"It's a pot brownie," continued Kain. "You know, weed, grass, cannabis..."

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Riley, grabbing her tongue and trying to rub off the residue with her hand.

"How many did you eat?" chuckled Kain.

"Umm...One...and a half... holy fuck, I'm going to die," Riley panicked.

"You won't die from a bit of pot."

That was definitely not what she meant by that. If Jason and Noah found out she had taken drugs, she would be dead. They would probably lock her away, never to see daylight again.

"Meet me at the coffee shop after your shift on Monday," said Kain, pushing away from the wall and heading back into the crowd.

"Wait, what for?"

He turned around, his face returning to his normal, bitter look. "You have a tutor session for the next exam." Then he walked away, back through the crowd and out of sight.

Riley stood there, staring at the back of where Kain had just disappeared. Did she just really have a semi-normal conversation with Kain without him sending her a death glare every two seconds? She also had a hard time believing he would keep his end of the bet, as it basically meant he would have to spend more time with her.

"Ugh!" she groaned, planting her hand to her face in an exasperated expression. More time with Kain. That was the last thing she wanted. Why did she have to make that her prize for winning the bet? Then again, if it meant she passed her exam, it was probably worth it.

With her stomach still rumbling, she took a sideways glance at the table of food, but decided to ignore her hunger and get some fresh air. She made her way through the house, her mind a buzz from the alcohol and weed that was coursing through her body. It felt like she was floating, and she let out a small giggle as she glided through the house and out the front door.

Spotting a nice grass patch in the middle of the lawn that was free from the crowds of others, she plonked herself down. Her fingers glided against the lush green lawn as she inhaled the cool freshness of the night air. Slowly, she leaned back, resting on her arms as she took in the sight before her.

It had been so long since she had fun without her brothers constantly watching over her. And even though in the back of her mind she knew there would be serious consequences, she couldn't bring herself to care. This moment was peaceful and rare and she would saviour every experience she could of college life.

She must have spent almost an hour just sitting on the lawn and enjoying the night air before she decided it would be best to go back and find Kendra. As she tried to stand up, she wobbled and collapsed again on the lawn, letting out a laugh. The effects of the weed and alcohol were really taking over her body now, but her mind was still relaxed and chill.

As she sat there, poking her legs to make them move, a bright light entered her vision from her left. She shielded her face with her hand so her eyes could adjust. The light was coming from a car, parked only a few cars away on the street, but the headlights were shining directly in her eyes.

"Come on, turn off your lights, man," mumbled Riley.

It took a solid minute for the lights on the car to turn off and she turned her head to get a look at the jerk who had his high beams on her face. When she looked over and peered into the driver's seat, she froze.

It was Vincent.

Her body couldn't move, and her eyes wouldn't tear away from his. It was her stepfather, and he was back. Before she had time to even react, the car turned back on its headlight, pulled out of the parking spot, doing a u-turn and speeding back down the street.

Did she really just see Vincent? It didn't matter, and she would not sit there to wait and find out.

She shot up from the grass and ran back into the party. Her heart was beating fast in her chest, the alcohol and weed was causing her body to feel sluggish and light-headed, and she was sure she was on the brink of her first panic attack in a while.

Riley's eyes darted in front of her to a staircase that was roped off and clearly off limits, but she didn't care. Darting under the rope, she took two steps at a time, reaching the top and turning right. She found the furthest away door that she could at the end of the hallway and opened it, closing it swiftly behind her.

Barely having the time to even glance at the bedroom that she entered, she dipped into the corner of the room, behind a black leather couch, and hid. With her mind racing, she put her knees to her chest and hands on her head. She was spiralling into a panic attack and it was too late to pull herself out.

And with that thought in her mind, she started hyperventilating, her vision going blurry, and she blacked out.