Just Stop It

chapter 13 the cat

The guys were clearly drunk except for Nick who was the assigned driver. But Nick would never be too drunk to drive. Liam envied him for his alcohol tolerance. And so it was decided that Nick would always be their driver whenever they will have one of their escapades. 

"Soorry bro, for barging in here, why didn't you say so earlier that your father is in the hospital. We could have left the party early..." Donald said and left his sentence hanging. He is so drunk that he couldn't even finish his sentence. 

David however, is only slightly drunk and is now drinking lots of water to dilute the contents of alcohol in his blood which according to him helped keep his mother's tongue from nagging.

"When did you receive the call about your father? We actually waited for you at the hideout. Mc Kenzie has filled it to the brim with drinks." David said as he probably trying to piece together his disappearance at the prom and his absence in his mother's house when they went there. 

"What is his prognosis?" Mc Kenzie asked. "My father went the same thing he collapses at work then it was touch and go for a while at least now he's recovered but not fully. But my mom won't allow him to work back in his office. He has to work from home." Mc Kenzie said as he settled himself on the divan. 

"I don't have news yet. It was the paramedic who called me while they were on their way to the hospital." Liam said. 

"I'll probably call my dad's girlfriend in the morning or maybe later," Liam said as he noticed the time. It was already two o'clock in the morning. 

"Maybe by then she would have news for me," Liam continued as he took a sip of his beer. 

Donald stood up and dropped himself to the rug. "I'm sleeping guys, good night." Donald would always do that whenever he's too drunk to walk.  

"So what are your plans? Are you flying to New York?" David asked.

"We still have two weeks of class, what about school?" Nick also asked.

"I don't know guys, it would depend on what news I will receive," Liam answered to both of them. 

"Remember Colette when she has to compete for Ms. Teen USA? The school gave her work to catch up on class so maybe you could do the same, you go to your father and come back here in time for graduation" Nick suggested.  

"Who's dating Collete?" Mike asked. As he sat up from the couch he was taking when they arrived. The group laughed at his question. 

"What that is what I've heard," Mike defended himself. "Okay, what are we talking about here?" he asked as he asked Nick to pass him another bottle of beer. So they proceeded to tell him of Liam's worries and predicament. 

After a few minutes that seemed like hours Mike asked, "Do we still have that bottle of vodka?"

"You finished it along time ago," Nick said getting the cup of coffee that David placed in front of him. 

"Does that mean Liam, that you will be going to New York?" Mike asked as he too tried to analyze Liam's predicament. Mike's father is a doctor. So any health problem they have Mike becomes the easiest solution like asking for drugs to treat the urinary tract infection Mc Kenzie has acquired from one of his dates. 

"If your father is that sick that he collapses in his office, chances are if he survived the attack he will either be partially paralyzed or has to diffuse the blot clot in his brain. And those will take time to heal". Mike analyzed.

"So, if you're going to New York that would mean either you have to take over his store or work for him until he's fully recovered." he continued to think things over. 

"Which to my calculation you will be coming back to us after ten years, and if you do you will have a wife and kids by that time," Mike said thoughtfully. 

This has made Liam smile as well as the others. 

"So why don't we drink now and be merry!" Liam said. He smiled at Mike but he knew in his heart that what Mike has said could be true. He couldn't let his father's store go down with him. He has to help. His father may have let him down but one thing he did right was giving him this house. 

Nick walked to the balcony and settled on the lounging chair to sleep. A cat is nestling under the chair next to him so he meowed to call it. But it didn't move so he leaned farther to check on the cat. Then he realized it isn't a cat but something else that is under the chair. 

"Look what I've found guys," Nick said as he stepped back inside. "Who could it belongs to?" he asked as he waved the item in front of the guys. Liam leaped up to get the item from Nick. But Nick found it funny and throw it to Mc Kenzie. Mc Kenzie looked at David who in turn looked at Liam. 

"Why you didn't say anything that she's here? We wouldn't have barged in you know." David said helplessly as he stared at Liam. 

"Wait, who is here?" Nick asked then it dawned on him that Julia is in the house and that the bra he got from beneath the chair belongs to her. "Oh" was all Nick said as eyed the bra that Liam is now holding. 

"I thought we called off the bet?" Mc Kenzie looked at Liam. But Liam shook his head. 

"It isn't like that at all, guys," Liam said as he blushed while trying to explain his action to his friends in the room. But the guys laughed and cheered at Liam. 

"At least there's one thing good that happened tonight right?" Mike said.

"Well, how much do we owe you?" Mc Kenzie asked jokingly while slapping Liam's back.