Let Me Go

- Chapter Ten - Luca -

Ruby had arrived shortly after we began swimming and joined everyone in the pool, we weren't in there much longer before the drinking games started. I took a walk rather than watch them drinking, they all had started having issues with it but nothing compared to how much Elora drank. She had slowly been getting worse, drinking so much that she was some times unable to walk, sometimes she would just pass out from it. Harry had talked to her a few times about it, but in the end she hadn't done anything to prevent it. A part of me knew that she did it to forget her mother for a while, the other part of me knew she liked being care free like Erin. Either way it was becoming concerning.

I was on my way back to them, when I heard a noise from the front door. It had sounded like someone had opened it before closing it again, softly. I checked to see if someone was there, but the room was empty. I could hear everyone shouting from the entertainment room, so I knew it wasn't one of us, maybe I had imagined it..

"Drink up, you guys lost!" Erin shouted as I walked into the room, Ruby and Elora drinking from their cups. I could smell it from the other side of the room, some mix that Erin had made from her fathers alcohol, this was what I was trying to prevent by bringing some for them. I knew Erin thought this would get them drunk quicker, but that wasn't the problem. They were already drunk. This would just help them pass out quicker.

Ruby took a sip first before gasping for air, I could see by the look on her face that it must have burnt her throat as she drank it, I winced just looking at her. My eyes met with Harry across the other side of the room and he shook his head in disbelief, I was glad this was as messed up to him as it was to me. I looked to Erin, who was now looking as exhausted as the others. Harry walked to her, taking her by the arm before turning to me.

"Can you watch that they don't do anything stupid and I'll get Erin to bed." he said, annoyed that another night had turned into him taking care of them. I nodded to him, and he walked her down the hallway, Erin stumbling as she walked. He took care of them every night that they did this, I knew it was getting too much for him, that he was now responsible for the three of them making it through the night without ending up in the back of an ambulance.

Elora took a sip from her cup, oblivious to what was happening around her. She swallowed quickly, before breathing just as Ruby had; deep. She fell slightly against the pool table that she had just been playing on, holding onto its edge to keep from sliding to the floor.

"I need to lay down." Ruby stuttered, starting to walk down the same hallway as Harry and Erin. I looked at her briefly, she didn't look as far gone as Erin had, managing to at least stay upright and her legs weren't nearly as wobbly as Erin's had looked. I watched her walk into one of the rooms, it must have been Erin's room, Harry wouldn't be too far off, he could check on her on the way back through. Instead I turned my attention to Elora, she didn't look stable.

"You're a walking advertisement for drinking responsibly." I said, walking and standing beside her ready to catch her if she fell. I tried to look into her eyes but it was damn near impossible, she looked around trying to find mine before giving up and looking at the walls around us.

"We can't all look as angelic as you, Luca." she replied, attempting to roll her eyes. Her body swayed as she did, and she clung to the table a little tighter.

"Is Erin's dad home?" I asked, I knew that he wasn't but I was still unsure about that noise from the front door. I couldn't have misheard that, that just wasn't something that happened.

"Why do you think we are all here, idiot." she replied, her words slurring. She wasn't looking good. The alcohol that she had just consumed must have been going to her head faster than she had thought, I didn't think she would be standing much longer.