Good Times
Sheyann Chaney
Tingle on her lips.
Warm sensation cocoons her.
A liquid pleasure.
She tosses her head back.
She lifts the glass to her lips and swiftly tips it towards her.
She swallows quickly, but the burn is unavoidable
She hurries for her soda and chases the burn into the corners of her gut.
The burn rapidly heats the rest of her body.
The burn is good.
It makes her giggle.
She feels accomplished.
Her friends cheer her on.
Eight shots of whiskey and she feels great.
Her muscles are loose.
Her stomach seems lighter.
Her cheeks blaze from the alcohol.
She loves the party atmosphere.
It's always uplifting.
Good friends.
Good music.
Good times.
One of her girlfriends grabs her arm.
She pulls her deeper into the house.
They weave through the mob of people.
The music gets louder.
She leads her to the heart of the party:
The stereo system.
They stop next to one of the amps.
Music flushes into her ears.
She likes the song.
She loves loud music.
They dance in the crowd of people.
Everyone is bumping into one another.
No one cares.
They are all drunk as well.
Music gives a high.
Vibrations intoxicate.
She feels ecstasy.
The couch is comfortable.
It is nice to sit after such fun.
The music still pulses in her ears as she mingles.
She is laughing and reminiscing with old friends.
She hasn't seen them in years.
Out of nowhere, she feels sick.
She felt fine a minute ago.
Now her insides wind and bubble.
She doesn't understand, but she knows she drank too much.
She needs to throw-up and sleep off the sickness.
She stands.
Her head spins and her eyes lose focus.
They readjust.
She goes to thank the host.
She will definitely remember this party for awhile.
She stumbles through the people and uses the wall to guide her.
She finds her friends while wandering through the house.
She hugs each of them.
They're heading home too.
They agree to meet for lunch tomorrow.
One of her guy friends is upset.
He doesn't want her driving.
She is stubborn, but agrees.
She accepts his offer for a ride home.
He seems sober enough to drive.
They walk with their arms around each other to his car.
The night air is cool on her face.
They stumble together.
He stumbles less than she does.
He helps her into the front seat.
Riding in the car makes her dizzy.
She tries not to focus on her vision.
Instead she talks with her friend.
Maybe talking will help her sober-up.
He admits to being intoxicated too.
She doesn't mind.
From what she can see, he is driving fine.
Blurred vision distracts.
Whirl like a roller coaster.
Velocity reigns.
Her eyes open.
A rude brightness glares at her.
For an instant she is confused.
Then foggy memories pour into her awareness.
She pieces everything together.
A steady beeping in the background signifies her heart rate.
Pain relentlessly stabs her shoulder.
She lifts the blanket to search her body for injuries.
Her leg is braced.
She assumes it's nothing serious.
Time and day elude her.
How long has it been?
Worry creeps through her conscious.
Was anyone hurt?
The thought pains her.
She will not live knowing she contributed to a person's death.
Her inebriated recollections are fuzzy.
All she remembers is the instantaneous occurrence.
They were joking, and then they were screaming.
She remembers her sickness increasing as they tumbled through the air.
She feels sick again.
She is in a single-bed room.
Another worry disturbs her.
She has intentionally been avoiding the thought.
She tries to evade the urgency of the thought.
She fails.
Steady Tears Escape.
Memories of him bleed through.
Regret engulfs her.
