Once Backstage

Chapter Four - Partying with the Band

Soon, we were all in the midst of the biggest party I had ever attended. The beach house the band was renting had quickly become my dream house. It had a private courtyard and a separate studio apartment, and the five-bedroom home had walls of clear windows overlooking a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean. The fridge in the kitchen was stocked with beverages, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. The TV in the living room was playing upbeat music, and there were people everywhere. Even the guys from Doper Stub were there, and a few girls who were acquainted with them and the roadies. There was a group of people hanging out in the courtyard, barbecuing and smoking weed.

I felt very out-of-place at first and I just sat on the couch next to Maddy, although Dylan never left my side. But then, Nick asked us, "Do you guys want a drink? A beer or something?"

"No, thanks," I said. "I'm not really a fan of beer."

"We have other drinks," Nick suggested. "Uh, pop, Kool-Aid, water, lemonade, orange juice, Redbull, milk... Jack, tequila, Jäger, vodka – wait, you're too young to drink, huh?"

"A lot of us are," Ryan laughed.

I thought for a second. There had only been a couple of times that I drank alcohol before, so I felt safe in requesting something I had already tried and enjoyed. "Vodka lemonade?" I asked. "And go a little easy on the vodka please."

Maddy laughed at me and I smiled innocently back at her. Well, why not? I thought. Drinking with Quarry of Mine? Who wouldn't?

"What about you, Maddy?" Nick asked. "Want the same?"

"Nah," she said. "But you said you have orange juice? Can you make me a screwdriver?"

"Sure," Nick said, going to the kitchen to make our drinks. A couple minutes later he brought them out to us, the ice cubes clinking against the glass.

"Thank you!" we both said as he set them down on the coffee table in front of us.

"Fuckin' eh!" Alex shouted from the other room. "Jimmy brought Ding-Dongs!"

Maddy and I giggled at each other before I caught Dylan taking a sip of my drink and making a face. "Woo, that shit's sour!" he puckered.

"Good!" I said to him. "I like my lemonade sour!" I took a hefty gulp and cringed at the strong alcohol added to it. So maybe he added a little more vodka than I could handle. I'd drink it anyway.

"Hey, Nick, make me one of those, too!" Dylan hollered. "One of those hard lemonade things."

Nick, who was standing in the kitchen doorway, furrowed his brows at him. "What am I, a bartender?" he laughed and went to make Dylan's drink. "I better be getting some tips for this shit."

"You like vodka lemonade?" I asked Dylan, raising my eyebrow. "It's not too girly for you?"

He shrugged. "If it tastes good, I'll drink it."

When Nick brought him his drink, I suddenly blurted out, "Let's have a drinking contest!"

Dylan almost choked on the sip he was taking. He looked over at me in disbelief, almost humorously. "Alright," he chuckled.

We counted down and when we said "Go!" I started chugging the lemonade. I immediately scrunched up my face. It was kind of bitter-tasting. But I refused to quit, so I closed my eyes tight and kept drinking it. Maddy was cracking up at us the whole time.

Suddenly, Dylan slammed his empty glass down on the coffee table with a gasp. I wasn't that long after him, and we sat there laughing. I was strangely proud of myself. I never drank like that before, and I was surprised that I was almost as fast as he was.