Meredith and Zola

a little tipsy

zola's pov-
"please, austin? i'm ready, really. i will," i say, my words slurring together. i want to go further with him and we're already having so much fun at this party.
"no. no, zola. i'm not having sex with you right now, i need to take you home. you're really drunk," he says.
"okay. will you get me home, please?" i ask him.
"yes, i'll drive. i didn't drink and i told you not to as well, or at least only have one," he tells me as he walks me to his car, "i told you there was going to be alcohol, it's the big end-of-season party with the basketball teams and their girlfriends. but please, let's just go. you know your mom is going to lose it."
damn it. my mom. oh no no no. she's going to kill me, she specifically told me not to drink.
i start crying in his car as we're driving home, about ten minutes from my house.
he sighs and looks at me, "it's okay. don't cry. you made a mistake and you're going to get in lots of trouble, but you're still my girlfriend."
i am going to get in lots of trouble. i don't even know why i drank. mainly to spite my mother, to annoy her because of the constant lecturing. or maybe i wanted to prove i wasn't just a goody-two-shows straight a student. it didn't matter though, either way i am grounded for the rest of eternity. this is totally not me.
austin pulls up in the driveway. "i'm going to walk you inside, okay?"
"okay, i think that's best. my head is spinning and pounding. i probably can't walk straight."
he wraps his arm around me, guides us to the front door, and knocks.
it's my mom. oh no. i was hoping for one of my aunts.
"zola! it's almost midnight! where were you? i was getting worried," her voice fades, "wait, what's wrong with you? oh my god zola- are you drunk?"
damn i was hoping she wouldn't notice.
"ms. grey- i'm really sorry i told her not to drink and i took her home but-" he says before being interrupted.
"you? you can go. and it's doctor grey! i don't want to see you." she says before taking me inside and slamming the door in his face.
"i don't feel so good. my head, my eyes, i'm really dizzy." i tell her, hoping she'll pity me. i'm really regretting this decision right about now.
"zola, you're drunk, and it's going to be worse tomorrow. now go to bed and get the hell away from me before i ground you for the rest of you're life. i'll deal with you in the morning. i can't with this right now."
mer's pov~
i watch her stumble up the stairs as i regret every parenting decision i've ever made. why did she do this? i didn't think i'd have to deal with this from her. ellis, maybe. at eleven years old i can already tell she's the wild child, but that's really not the point right now. i just told zola not to drink or get pregnant, but here we are. did she do this just to piss me off? because it's working.
oh god. did she have sex with him? tonight? while she's drunk? i run my hands through my hair and take a deep breath. the only way i'm getting these answers is in the morning, when she's a little more sober.
~the next morning~
i open the bathroom door and i find her sitting against the wall trying not to throw up.
i hand her a glass of water and an aspirin and tell her: "take this, you'll feel better."
she does as i say, so i ask her what she's been dreading.
"do you want me to punish you now, or when you're less hungover?"
"now. let's just get this over with."
i'm trying to contain my anger. i didn't think i'd have to deal with her underage drinking until she was at least 18, but this is unacceptable.
"first off, you're grounded for two months. no parties, no hanging out with friends or your boyfriend. you go to school and come straight home. the only time you ever leave the house is for school or if you're going somewhere with this family."
she nods; she knows what she did was totally wrong so she's not even going to argue it.
"now, what the hell zola? i just told you not to drink at this party, and not only did you drink, you got totally wasted. would you like to explain yourself, or would you like me to keep lecturing you?"
"i didn't even think i was going to drink, really. when you lectured me not to, i got upset that you didn't trust me. and when someone at the party told me there was drinks in the kitchen, i don't know. i just went to check it out with austin and the next thing i knew, i was drinking. and i know how irresponsible that sounds. i really regret it right about now." she says to me. i'm pretty sure she means what she's saying; this is really out of character for her and i know she won't do it again for a while.
i get up to hold her hair back as she starts throwing up.
i rub her back and say, "you'll feel better after, don't worry." i don't know why i'm comforting her, she literally just went to a party, got wasted, and basically did it just to spite me.
"you're going to have to earn back my trust, zola. i won't let you hang out with your friends while you're grounded, and afterwards i'm going to keep you on a tight leash, do you understand?"
she nods her head.
"did you...did you have sex with him while you were drunk?" i ask her. this probably wasn't the right time to be asking, but i needed to know if she needed another lecture.
"no. i didn't. he said no, that he needed to take me home."
"okay. thank you for telling me. and you know he did the right thing."
i make direct eye contact with her as i get up and close the door, hoping she can feel the disappointment in my stare. she probably thinks i look creepy, but whatever.
"what's wrong with zola, mommy?" ellis asks me.
"nothing sweetie, she's just not feeling very well." i tell her. "i'm going to the hospital now. if you need anything, auntie maggie and amelia are here." i told them what happened after zola went to bed last night. needless to say, maggie was shocked and amelia said 'wow, i didn't think she had it in her!', both of which were totally in character.
i take a deep breath before heading out the door, hoping my day at work isn't as hard as my one at home.