Sober

Ch. 11

(POV: Kyler)

Friday night, I drive Deja and her new friends from the previous night to whoever's party this is. This time I wasn't planning to drink—I just wanted to hang out with Nick. And due to the environment, I think he'd be more likely to drink if I did the same. I don't think it could hurt if he laid off the booze.

We get to the house around twelve, yet I don't recognize anyone. The girls who usually swarm me are nowhere to be found, not to mention everyone I've interacted with so far is giving off a vibe similar to Zeke.

I get a chill.

I haven't even thought about him being here too, and what that might mean for Nick.

Everyone seems to already be drunk, acting like total idiots, just waiting to wreak havoc on the few people that are minding their own business.

So far, I haven't seen Nick, so I text him, but he doesn't respond. I mean, he usually doesn't respond, but he didn't even mark it as read. Maybe he was driving or something, so I take a deep breath and use his strategy of hiding in a corner in the basement.

Deja follows me as I go and sit on the floor.

"This party's kinda lame," I mutter.

"Eh, I'm sure you'll be fine once Nick gets here. You gonna get a beer?"

I shrug, and she notices my displeasure, now trying to cheer me up.

"Hey, there're a couple of chicks over there on the couch." She points with a grin. "You wanna go work your charm?"

I stand up. "Nah, you can have 'em. I'll just watch."

She chuckles as we walk over to them and immediately plops down in the middle and begins her flattery, which has always been similar to mine. To her luck, the girls find it amusing, and her friends from yesterday join her.

I stay silent as I lean on the armrest, watching the giant flat screen on the wall. I keep anxiously checking my phone in between, all while looking for Nick as well. Despite how loud the movie is, it's not a great enough interference to stop me from passing out. I don't think my body has completely recovered from that sleepless weekend.

When I woke up about fifteen minutes later, the basement's packed—mainly with men—for Deja and her new crew were no longer beside me.

I go to stretch but then look down and see Nick laying on my lap, smiling a little. He already reeks of alcohol and gets off of me once he realizes I'm awake.

"Hi. I found you sleeping here," He says and snickers.

I feel my face heat up.

"Hey, I was texting you earlier. How'd you already get so drunk?"

Nick sits beside me. "Uh? I don't know, some kid gave me something when I came in, and I got kind of anxious because of all the people...and gulped it down."

I sigh, and he looks away.

"I'm sorry," He mumbles, and I perk up.

"N-No! It's fine! I just wanted to make sure you're okay, y'know?"

He plays with his T-shirt that's tucked into his oddly ripped pants. They're also covered in patches and badges, though it's kind of cool. It seems more like something I'd wear, but hey, he looks cute, so who cares.

"Ah, well I'm fine now that you're up. I figured if I laid by you, no one would drag me off anywhere."

I stretch, putting my arm around him as I do so. "Okay, well that's good. Also, it's weird to see you not wearing your hoodie."