i like (the idea of) you • grayson dolan

five

OPAL'S POV

The second I open my eyes the next morning I groan. Momentarily forgetting where I am, I almost fall out of bed. The room smells of fresh laundry and mint.

Upon closer examination, it seems to be Grayson's room.

I knew he'd taken me upstairs, but I didn't think he was putting me in his bed. It made sense now that I was sober, but when drunk I didn't think about it. And... god, I'm wearing one of his shirts.

There's a very vague memory of me slipping into it before collapsing under his covers. Now, I can't find the clothes I came in. They should just be on his desk chair, yet, they're not.

Last night, I started to agree with Ethan, that it was a good idea to come over. Now that I'm sober I realize how stupid it was.

I wander into the bathroom, stealing a swig of mouthwash and fixing my hair as best as I can, bracing myself to go downstairs. This is exactly why I should've stayed at home.

Hopefully Celia is okay. I was so out of it I forgot to make sure she was fine. Grayson said he would, but I'm not sure if he ever got around to it.

My phone is, unfortunately, at home. It was almost dead when we left, Celia had hers, it didn't seem like it would be a problem at the time.

I'm lucky to not be horribly hungover. My head has a slight ache, but other than that is fine. I'm more concerned with leaving.

Taking a deep breath, I descend the stairs to see Grayson eating breakfast in the kitchen, shirtless, with wet hair. "Morning," he chuckles. "How ya feeling?"

Why is he being so nice?

He's never been necessarily mean before, but this just feels out of character. Is this just how he is when he's relaxed and at home?

"I'm alright... where are my clothes?" I ask, biting my lip.

"Oh, sorry, they're in the dryer. They smelt like alcohol so I figured I'd wash them—should be done soon," he smiles. "Want breakfast?"

Shaking my head, I look around his house. It's a bit of a mess, remnants of the party, but nothing that'll take forever to clean. Just a lot of cups.

"Um—thank you, Grayson," I say quietly, teetering on my feet.

"No problem. I'm sorry about that guy last night. I don't even know who invited him but if I see him again I'll kick his ass," placing his bowl in the sink, he turns to me. "Oh, by the way, Celia spent the night on the couch. She had to go home before you got up, though."

That makes me feel a lot better.

We're gonna have a lot to talk about as soon as I get home and to my phone. I'd go now, but I don't want my dad to see me walking from the neighbors house wearing only Grayson's shirt.

"I didn't think you drank," Grayson pipes up, crossing his arms.

"Yeah... I don't. I wasn't planning on it. But Ethan dragged us over here, and he made me a drink and told me to down it, so..."

His eyes narrow. "Wait, Ethan brought you over? And made you drink?"

"It wasn't like that," I sigh.

Grayson isn't listening though, yelling Ethan's name up the stairs, and now I just feel like a huge inconvenience. It's really not a big deal, if I would've refused I'm sure he wouldn't have actually forced me.

Ethan grumbles as he walks toward the stairs, also shirtless, hair a mess. He just woke up.

"Dude, what's—Opal?" His eyebrows furrow as he looks at me, standing in their kitchen in Grayson's shirt. "Oh my god. Did you guys—?"

"Absolutely not," I shake my head. Of course that's where his mind goes first. "I was drunk and—"

"What did you give her to drink, bro? I can't believe you'd let her get drunk and then ditch her," Grayson cuts me off. This is just getting worse by the minute.

"She's fine! Just wanted her to loosen up a bit, I overestimated how much alcohol she could handle," Ethan scoffs. "You had fun, right?"

"Yeah, but I really need to get home. Could I please—"

Again, I'm cut off. This time it's Ethan, "I stopped her from doing anything stupid. She just needed a drink to get over the nerves so she could be fun."

Ouch. I needed to drink to be fun?

I was getting really impatient. Not to mention my stomach was bubbling with anxiety and I didn't want to be here.

"I don't blame you for giving her a drink, dude, but someone tried to assault her last night. If you get someone drunk you can't just ditch them like that," Grayson scolds. He's more responsible than he comes off at school.

"Wait, what? Opal, are you good?"

Nodding my head, I assure him that I am, "yeah, Ethan, I'm fine. It's really not a big deal, but I need my clothes."

Grayson, just now hearing me, jogs off to check on them. Never thought I'd say this, but I think it might be better if they were still just teasing me.

At least then I know what to expect. This all just feels really weird.

"Here, they're dry," Grayson says, handing them over. "Next time, try not to drink so much."

"Next time?" I ask quietly, raising an eyebrow.

"Mhm. As our neighbor, you're always invited," he shrugs. Right, that makes sense. "But if you do get drunk and forget your key again, you always have a place to stay."

"Thanks," I mumble, moving into their bathroom to change. As soon as I'm out, I hand Grayson his shirt and head for their front door. "I really have to get home. Thank you, again."

"Cya, Opal," Grayson grins as I leave.

The second the door shuts behind me I feel a weight fall right off my shoulders. That was the longest twelve hours of my life.

I'm going home, and after I'm yelled at, I'm going right back to sleep. Well... after I text Celia and tell her that I'm okay and that we can talk later.

Surprisingly, my dad isn't here. Luckily, he often forgets to lock the door when he thinks I'm home so I'm able to get inside. Judging by the note he left for me, he assumed I was still asleep when he left. He didnt even think I might've gone to the party next door—meaning I made it out of this scot-free.

Climbing into bed with a sigh, I begin a long text toward Celia. Last night might've been fun at the time, but after waking up once with a stranger kissing my neck, and then in Grayson Dolan's bed, I've had enough action for the rest of my life.

A/N

i was accidentally up until 6am last night because im an absolute dumbass

also it seems wattpad notifications, after being broken for like two weeks, are finalllly back to normal? you might've missed some stuff from me (i updated masquerade a few times and was just generally annoying lmao)

any who im exhausted so i think it's time to get back to writing another story <3

also hmm to put up another chapter today or not? have not decided