Cheers to New Beginnings

Chapter six: Homecoming

A/N: This isn't graphic or anything, but if it's somehow to intense or to mature in some places for a PG 13 rating, please let me know. Some people find part of this a "taboo" subject, although I don't come out and say what really happens. Comment and vote! Thanks to all those who are still reading...    -Vanessa

Cadience:

            I beat myself up the rest of the day for blowing up on Lili, but my nerves were in shambles. I just wanted to scoop her up and kiss her like I had the night before. Being with Lil also made me crave a hit of something. That was what we’d always done. We’d always get a hit the next morning. Dad looked at me worried when I got home from school, and I decided it would be best if I talked about it.

            “I want a hit, Dad.” He froze at the cook stove where he was about to start supper. He ran a hand through his greying hair before shutting off the burner.

            “We’ll order in,” he explained. When he got off the phone with the local pizza place, he sat down at the table across from me. “How bad is it?”

            “Pretty bad,” I said leaning back in my chair. “I blew up on Lili today over her wearing her sophomore homecoming dress tomorrow, but I can’t handle seeing her in it. She just wants to be friends. I know how amazing she looks in that dress, Dad. I’ll end up doing something stupid.”

            “Seems to me you might have done something stupid already.” I groaned. I already knew that. His green eyes pierced me. “I know you lover her, Son, but it doesn’t seem to me that she’s changed much. I think she’s deluding herself and you.” I’d considered that myself.

            “If I tell her why I flipped, she’ll run.” I said ignoring his jibe. “What should I do, Dad?”

            “I think you should hit the weight room like you did in juvie. It’ll help with the cravings. As for Lilibeth? I won’t approve of you being with her until she can prove that she has changed and that she’s no longer a danger to you.” He left me with that while he went to pay for the pizza. We didn’t discuss Lili anymore that night.

            I hadn’t gotten much sleep because I was planning how to apologize to Lili the next morning. I knew she’d be angry even if we hadn’t been friends very long again. I entered the school on a mission, and saw Lili’s back, where she was leant against her locker talking to Chloe and Logan.

            “Lil,” I said quietly coming to a stop behind her. The apology was on my lips when she spun around, but it died when I saw her sunglasses. “What the hell?” I hissed and jerked them off her face. Her eyes were bloodshot with a definite hangover.

            “Chill out,” she hissed wincing at the light. “You know what sunglasses mean. You don’t jerk them off someone’s face.”

            “Explain, Lil. Seriously!”

            “I went out with a friend last night,” she said with a shrug, but I saw regret flash in her eyes.

            “What friend?” I asked, but before she could answer a hand clamped down cheerfully on my shoulder.

            “Dude,” Parker said with a grin. “You need to be a tattoo artist. That work you did on her back is amazing!” It took a moment for his words to register. I was too stunned to see sunglasses on his face as well. He also had a band-aid on his inner elbow. Wait, he saw her back? She had sex with him!

            I whipped my head around to glare at Lili. She started to open her mouth to explain, seeing that I’d made the connection.

            “Oh shut the hell up, Lili. Save your dumb ass explanations!” The others shared grim looks but didn’t step away from the drama. “You haven’t changed a bit! Still getting drunk and screwing random strangers. And judging that you were with him when he shot up last night, you did too.”