The Trench

Chapter 31 - Don't Drink the Punch

When we got to the party it was after midnight, and it was still at a full swing. Upon entering the front door, a stairway sits on the left wall leading up to a balcony overlooking the foyer. A large banner promoting the party hung from the railing and the stairs were littered with students clinging to red cups.

In the living room a guy was passed out on the couch, making him a living canvas for the art majors and jocks; one making intricate hearts and abstract drawings across his arms and legs, the other outlining male apendeges on his forehead. Poor guy.

Only about thirty minutes and five drinks pass before we're invited for a beer pong challenge. Corbin asked Taylor to be his partner and she smiled slyly at me before walking over to meet him on his side of the table. Two guys stand at the other side, and one is standing to the side in the middle, I'm assuming it's the guy throwing the party since he's laying out the house rules:

Keep your elbows behind the edge of the table when shooting.

Guys finger, girls blow. If the ball is spinning at the top guys can finger it out, girls have to blow it out.

You can re-rack twice per game.

If somehow you go the entire game without getting a cup, you're a troll. The troll has to hide under the table for the entirety of the next game.

The list goes on and both teams nod in agreement and shoot to determine who goes first. I laugh at the troll rule, because I know Taylor is a terrible shot and I've seen her sulking under the table a time or two back home.

Poor Corbin doesn't know what he's in for. I shake my head and watch them play for a while, the look on Corbins face when he realizes how bad Taylor is at the game is priceless.

I look down at my cup preparing for another drink and realize it's empty. I tilt the cup up to my mouth to catch the last drop and roll my head back in despair. For some reason my head feels extra heavy and I can't seem to keep it steady, my vision is slightly impaired and my tongue feels numb.

"Hey there." A guy says from my right and I look over to him, his face unfamiliar. I blink a few times trying to remember his name, Jonah, Joe, Jimmy? I couldn't remember, he was with Corbin at the bar and got them kicked out for fighting. He now sports a cut under his left eye and some bruising on his cheek.

"I noticed your drink was empty, hun, so I got you another one." He holds out a red cup exactly like mine, the liquid inside a rich blue color and I scrunch my eyebrows together.

"Oh, I wasn't drinking whatever that is. I had rum and mountain dew. What's in it?" I pointed to the new drink and he glanced down at it for a second.

"Well, that's a good question." He says with a snigger. "I'm not entirely sure. I know it has blue Hawaiian punch, along with some vodka, peach schnapps, malibu rum I think, some fruit." He shrugs and hands me the cup.

Against my better judgement I take it from him. I sniff it first, it smells very fruity and I take a small sip.

"Oh wow, this is awesome!" He smiles and takes a drink of his own punch before saying bye and leaving.

I turn back towards the game, where the opposing team has gotten cocky with the promise of a win. After a few minutes and almost the whole cup on punch gone I started to feel groggy. I wasn't feeling great to start with, but this was a different feeling.

I look around the room, confused. I touch my face and I can't feel it, I put my hands out in front of me and try to wiggle my fingers but I can't seem to get them to move.

Why can't I move?

At that moment Corbins friend comes back up to me, hollering at me over the noise trying to tell me something but I can't hear him. It feels like there's cotton in my ears and I can't focus. Something about the punch I assume because he tears it from my hands and looks inside the cup with dispair. Finding it empty he throws it on the ground and grabs me by the elbow, pulling me through the crowd of people.