Loving Under the Influence

Three: "Eyes Up, Toddler."

Dani hated school more than anything, so, of course, she accepted when Rue offered up a party the day before school. Though, Dani was never one to pass up a party regardless if school was coming and it was a distraction. She lit the cigarette from her shoe, already past the weird but amazed look from her older cousin. The shoe was mindlessly tossed back into the closet, Dani laying across Rue's bed as she watched the girl get dressed for the party.

She was going to stick with what she'd been wearing the whole day, mostly because it had been covered up by her older brothers, much too big hoodie and would stay covered the whole night. She loved in this hoodie. She could wear the same outfit to ever and no one would notice. Even in the summertime, she just rolled her sleeves up and prayed she wouldn't pass out when she left the house.

Rue emerged back into the room in all her glory, only having left to go raid Gia's room for the shirt she was looking for. She held her hands at her side, dramatically posing for Dani to review her outfit. Dani fed into her theatrics, slowly eyeing her with a grip on her chin before nodding.

"You look like a hot mess," She revealed, making Rue roll her eyes and flip her off with a sarcastic smile.

Dani laughed, rolling off her bed to stand beside Rue so they could leave. After a tight conversation with Leslie, most of which Rue came up with a good lie about where they were going and who was going to be there, Dani just nodding along and agreeing with what she said.

Finally, twenty minutes under the rug, Leslie allowed them to leave with the hard promise of drug tests when they come back home. Rue gave her a hug and kiss bye, Dani mimicking her older cousin before they were freed from the house and were let into the free streets to get where they needed to be. Rue sighed as she made it out, acting like she had been incarcerated, which technically she has.

As much as Dani did hate the thought of moving at first, she quickly grew accustomed to living with her overbearing, well meaning aunt and her two cousins. She wasn't sent away and forced into her sobriety, though she felt she didn't even need to be sober because it was a One time thing, while Rue was. Of course, Rue's out come was much worse than Dani's so there's more to considered in both halves of their now intertwined story.

She tries to push that back, feeling her hand begin to jerk in her hoodie pocket. Tonight's not about wasting away and trying to connect every little dot, even the ones that aren't there, it's about hanging out with her cousin and staying sober while drinking enough fluids to pee for two people.

She's dragged through the crowded house, stumbling and apologizing for Rue's disregard as she searches for someone fervently. Rue drops her hand to hug another person. Dani stands back a bit, well as much as the crowd will let her as Rue plants herself onto the couch beside the very short haired man, who's smiling at Rue.

"Shit, I thought you was dead, Rue."

"Yeah, well everyone did but I'm not," Rue brushes over it with a shrug, "But you know what I am? I need of something to get me high. Where's the little brat?"

Almost on cue a younger boy comes up and crosses his arm as he rolls his eyes at Rue, who has a bigger grin on her face as she looks at him expectantly, "Who's she?" He nods over his shoulder as he passes Rue a tiny bag of white pills from his pocket.

"My cousin, Dani. Dani, this is Ashtray and Fez. She's moving in. You'll be seeing a lot of her, Ash."

He eyes Dani over once, making the older girl narrow her eyes at him, "My eyes are up here, toddler."

His lip quirks into a scowl, Dani smirking back at him before Rue grabs her hand and pulls her into her lap against her will, an arm circling Dani's waist to prevent her from trying to get away. She rolls her eyes at her cousin but lays back and scans her eyes over the place as Fez watches her cousin try to get the bag open with one hand, Ashtray somewhere else in the house.

"Yo, didn't you, like, just get out of rehab?"

"Yeah, so what? Just because I went doesn't mean I'm staying clean." She explains shortly, using Dani's leg to slid her pill out on.

Dani's eyes met Fez's, watching as he widens his eyes and motions at Rue but she only shrugs and shakes her head at the bearded male. He huffs, smoking coming from his nose and dispersing into a huge cloud below his face. She doesn't know what he expected from her. It wasn't like she hadn't tried to talk to Rue but she wasn't in any position to say much because she also didn't plan on staying honestly clean.

She eventually separates herself from her cousin, deciding to explore the party than just sit there with Fez and occasionally Ashtray when he appears from nowhere to give something to Fez or take something. She drifts around, stopping when she bumps into a shorter girl, who quickly whips around with her hand balled into a fist and raised.

"I told you Carl-Oh, you're not Carl." She drops her fist, turning to face Dani properly as the girl laughs.

"Yes, I am definitely not Carl, especially if it means that won't collide with my face. I'm Dani." She introduces, making the other girl hold here hand out formally with a smile.

"Kaylee. You're Rue's cousin?" She questions slowly, nodding to herself when Dani asks how she already knew, "Two reasons. One, Ashtray is talking about you calling him a toddler. And, two, Nate is also talking about you to McKay."

Dani's face is filled with puzzlement, Kaylee grabbing her arm and angling her to see the two boys she was just speaking about. Sure enough, McKay and Nate are standing in the kitchen, McKay looking more or less bored with the conversation while Nate's eyes are hardened as he glares at Dani. She quickly turns around, leading Kaylee away as the girl grabs her cup and stumbles behind her.

"Thinking there's something between you two?" She questions once they get outside, only for Dani to groan at the sight of Maddy.

"Yes. No. Kind of? We'll just say it's pending and I'll give you answer some other time?"

She nods with a chuckle, looking over the rim of her cup as takes a drink of whatever's in the cup, looking at Dani, who's looking around the exit of the house through the back door, like she's expecting something.

'It's a yes. There is something going on.' Kaylee thinks to herself.