On Sturdy Legs

Like I'm Drunk

Wednesday morning I was shaken awake by Izzy who was up before me for what was probably among the first times ever. She was bouncing where she stood with more enthusiasm than I had ever seen from her.

"What?" I demanded and sat up all the same, even as tired as I was. "This better not be another date."

"Oh no," Izzy waved that possibility away like it was the most bizarre thing in the world. "This is better!" She announced. "Madison's parents are out of town, so she is throwing a party. It will be the first one since," Mia? "the end of the school year," Izzy said instead. "You are coming whether you like it or not." She stopped with a smile as if what she was going to say next would change my entire attitude about the party. "Will might be there." It didn't.

"So?" I asked. "Your point is..."

"Will!" Izzy announced again.

She threw her arms in the air and paced away from me in a moment of frustration with my relationship standards. Izzy came back and jumped on my bed. She ended up sitting on my legs.

"That bridge has burned," I assured her. "I want nothing to do with him and I am sure he wants nothing to do with me."

"It's not like that!" Izzy argued and bounced a little on my legs, not enough to hurt yet. "You guys just got off to a rocky start; it's like one of those love/hate relationships. Come on, give it another go. You guys would be great together! Please! He actually texted me to ask me if you were coming."

"Tell him 'no'," I instructed her and put my head back on the pillow. "I'm not coming. I hate house parties, besides I have dance tonight since I didn't go yesterday."

"Dance ends like, what? Nine?" Izzy guessed. "The party is after that. Madison's parents aren't leaving for their flight until eight at the latest anyway. Please! I heard that Jacob got a keg stand and Madison's older brother agreed to buy us all alcohol. I mean," she blushed bright red, "if you're into that."

I sat up a little straighter and pulled my legs out from under Izzy. "Isabella Siteki, how much did you drink?" I demanded. I was a seventeen year old girl; I knew that when another seventeen year old girl blushed that bright at the mention of alcohol, there was a wasted story behind it.

"My middle name is Esme," she answered me--it could have distracted me from the real topic but only a really ridiculous name would do that. Izzy realized this and sighed in defeat. "I don't know," she admitted. "I was doing shots and I might have had a Cosmo or two before that, maybe some wine but that's it."

"And?" I prompted.

"I fell into the pool and someone had to jump in to save me. I have no idea who it was," she admitted, "so..." Of course, even after that, Izzy was still going to drag me to a social event. "You should come, especially if you want to play the responsible card and look after me!"

"Maybe," I told her. It wouldn't be all bad.

What I said about hating house parties may have been a bit of a lie: I had gone to a few off base in Texas and they were pretty awful, but then again, I didn't exactly know anyone because I went to the school on base. The last time I had fun at a house party was a party after homecoming one year in which I did drink a little more than my limit but was still the most sober of my friends and drove home. Somehow we managed not to get caught by the MPs. It was nothing short of magic.

"Yes!" Izzy cheered; she jumped off my bed in enthusiasm and made to run out of the room. "I'll tell the girls! Make sure you come home right after your dance thing ends. I'll find you something to wear."

"I can pick out my own damn outfit!" I shouted after her, it wasn't like she would listen. I just hoped that Izzy didn't look too closely at one of my old military ball dresses. She would find that the long skirt zipped off to make not too bad of a party dress. One that Molly would faint if she saw me wearing.