In Spite Of...

Chapter 4

It was usually easier to fall asleep when twelve o'clock hit. At that point Blair would find herself more tired and burned out.
At this point she was sitting in the living area on the couch. After getting home earlier she decided to watch TV  to get her mind off a few things. Specifically the fact that her friends were hanging around Clark.
Of all people. Clark.
Just the thought of it was enough to keep sleep from overtaking her.
Not that she tried, but rather she fought the urge and instead sat there and stared at her phone until her eyelids started to droop. Only then did she allow her eyes shut.
The clock struck 12:04 before any noise entered the air. Her cell phone rang from its place on the coffee table.
"Hello...!" Blair anwrrwd had asleep and half awake.
"Bl...Bear?" it was a man's slurred voice. Blair looked at the collar id and realized it was an unknown number.
"Who is this?"
"Is this Blair?" His voice still slurred.
"Yes..." she said slowly. "This is Blair..."
There was silence for a moment before he spoke. "Where are you?"
"No. Who is this?" She asked with more emphasis. "I think you have the wrong--"
Over the music she could hear some other voices. They sounded like girls and Blair culnt understand why they seemed familiar.
"Partaaaaaay." one of them squeled. Blair's eyes widened, it was Michelle in the background. And if she was assuming correctly, Halle was the other voice which meant the one who called was Clark.
"Where are you guys?" Blair asked firmly.
"Bloo blah blee...blush." Clark uttered. He was drunk, that was far to obvious. Blair couldn't help but huff in anguish. She didn't know how to find them and had no idea who's party they were at.
An idea clicked pretty quickly though. She pulled up hr social media and scanned through multiple stops until she find on of her classmates profiles. Blair didntusualy associate with anyone other than her friends but Michelle had insisted she follow a few of them. Blair was grateful she'd listened because one of her classmates happened to be at the party too.
With the address she dressed herself and dashed out.
Clark had called it a 'get together' but the location was far too...rundown. Not only that but it could be summed up to a regular frat party in a sense. On campus in the more rundown looking side.
The dorm rooms were of less quality compared to the ones more suited for students who could afford the better rooms. When Blair got there she grew anxious. There were so many people moving about outside the building as well as inside. It was a wonder how she would find her friends.
People danced and drank all around. Blair bumped into a few people along the way seeing as I was so crowded. She pinched her nose with he smell of vomit sticking to the air.
In and out of multiple dorms, Blair started to walk more quickly. The atnch and hot air we're no a great mix..Soon enough she found Halle first, hunched over one of the couches in an open dorm room. There had Ben a few other girls sitting in a circle passing around some smoking device.
Blair quickly picked Halle up and over her shoulder before leaving.
In total honesty, Blair didn't have to come. She could say Michelle and Halle were her friends but it would be to much to say best friends. They were the type of girls who really floated around socially an cae back to one another.
For Blair to take the initiative to come out and pick them up felt like to much. But the again, it was wrong to leave them.
Next came Clark. Upon seeing him Blair set Halle down to grab his shirt collar. "Where is she?" she said narrowing her eyes.
"Who?" he spurred, his head swaying lazily.
"Where is Michelle?"
Clark grinned goofily as she shook him for answers. The sight of his drunken state made her grimace. It was similar to the tims before. The tims from Bradbury when they were just first years.
Blair let go of him and picked Halle up again. As she went to walk away Clark clung to her leg.
"Blair beaaaar~" he cried.
She tried to shake him off with no luck. With him like this she knew it would be wrong to just leave him. Especially with his reputation as a professor now. Even after what happened in the past she didn't want to hurt his reputation so she ended up bringing him along. He did live in her hiding after all.
Michelle was doing shots in he hallway upstairs. She was drunk beyond her limit and it showed. Some boys were cheering her on as she laughed maniacally. Their cheers died down when she hunched over to vomit the alcohol.
Blair came forward to hold he hair away. Her nose scrunched at the smell. It woul be a nightmare for whoever was going to clean it out of the carpet.
After Michelle vomited her guts out Blair put her down. "Thank you," she said with a breathless smile.
"Hey," the guys from earlier said.
Blair turned toward him. "Yes?"
"Can I have a dance?" he said extending his hand.
Blair glanced between them blankly.
"No. Give me money for a bus fare or I'll report you all for this party. I doubt the dean knows about this."
They gave each other looks before complying.
She didn't live to far but didn't want to walk with three idiots along he way. If the buses weren running she planned to just leave them outside instead. They got lucky.
Blair found herself exhausted after getting her friends, with the additional Clark, onto the bus. The alcohol had them mumbling and snoring in their seats and she was glad.
After getting back to her apartment she lugged the three in. Michelle and Halle laid tired on her carpet. Blair helped Clark back to his own apartment and tossed him on his bed.
As she went to leave he jumped up startling her. "Blair!" he yelped falling over.
Instead of helping him up she wakes over and crouched down, holding her knes to her chest. "What Clark?"
Silence filled the small space. That and the smell of vodka rising from his blazer.
"You haven't changed one but." Blair spoke breaking the silence. "I thought...I thought you left to make a change for yourself but..." she stared pitifully at his figure. Sprawled on he carpet before her in such a nice suit.
It was enough looking and smelling. She stood to leave again when he called hr name. "Bl..."
"What do you want?" she said more exasperated. Then she asked something she'd been wanting to do a little while. "Why are you even here you dummy?"
He didn't move.
"Acting like everything's normal, calling my phone..." her voice trailed off.
Suddenly Clark sat up. He tried to make it look natural by sitting up straight on his knees. The look on his features was stoic.
"I came back to apologize Blair Bear."
"Well I don't want it." she replied waking o the door.
"But, it's l--long over do."
Blair paused at the door.
"I don't want a drunk apology you coward." she muttered turning around. "Don't you dare show up in my life just to get drunk and push out a half-assed attempt at mending what you broke. If you want me to see you the way I did before..."
She shook her head feeling her stomach clench.
"Then start by being the Clark you were."
With that the door to his bedroom clicked shut.