euphoria. [ rini au ]

chapter fourteen.

Ricky was monitoring the time by the amount of drinks sliding down his throat instead of the clock on his phone or the one on the kitchen microwave. Tipping his head back, he let his fifth drink push reality further away. Looking into the depths of the plastic solo cup, he pondered if the contents would last the distance between his current position in the kitchen and the keg set up in the backyard.

Deciding he could survive the drought of fifteen feet, Ricky gripped his cup close and weaved his way through the hallway and living room, out to the patio where the majority of people were. He stumbled only once, an amazing accomplishment considering how utterly smashed he was. As he made his way to the makeshift bar to grab another drink, a hand plucked the cup from his grasp and he spun angrily to see E.J..

"Man! What the hell?" he yelled to his friend. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Dude, you can have it back," E.J. told him not long before pushing Ricky into a lawn chair on the ground beside him. "But I don't want you passing out behind a tree or something. Just stay put and don't move."

"Sure, whatever," Ricky conceded, gripping his cup full of foamy, amber liquid. "I've made a new friend right here."

"Riiiiight," E.J. said, drawing out the word. "We'll talk about that when I get back."

Not even noticing that E.J. had disappeared, Ricky sipped his drink as he watched the crowd of people in the backyard. Stupid, happy couples grinding in the corners, drunken frat boys who brought the keg and stuck around to keep things in line, eyeing the senior girls grouped by the pool, and Gina and Nini sitting on a gazebo swing on the opposite side of the pool. Wait, what? His foggy brain was screaming at him as he rose from his chair, not certain that he was seeing right. A firm hand shoved him back down.

"Don't even think about it," E.J. told him. He ignored him, searching the crowd for her again. He had to tell her. He had to find her. He hadn't realized he said it out loud until E.J. answered him. "We agreed to not let you do anything stupid."

"It's not stupid. It makes perfect sense. I go up to her and tell her she's fucking amazing. That I am an idiot who loves her no matter what," Ricky babbled.

"And that is exactly why you're not going to talk to her," E.J. joked and Ricky let out a heavy breath.

"You don't understand. You don't get it." he sat up and spun the half-empty cup in his hands.

"Get what?" E.J. asked, thinking maybe Ricky wasn't as drunk as he appeared, judging by the look of concentration in his face.

"I need to take a leak."

Shoving his cup into E.J.'s hand, he pushed himself towards the house, staggering as the alcohol flooded his veins, leaving in search of a bathroom.

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"C'mon Nini," Gina called, tugging her wrist as she pulled her into the kitchen.

"I thought E.J. was in the backyard?" Nini questioned.

"He is, but I need to get some liquid courage first," Gina told her, finding an open bottle of vodka and pouring some into a cup along with some Sprite. "You coming?"

"Actually, I'll chill here with Brinley," Nini told her, seeing the girl near the beer pong table.

"Hey, Nini! You want to play on my team?" the cheerful, giddy teen offered.

Gina shrugged and left for the backyard, leaving Nini to join Brinley. After a couple games of beer pong had past, with Nini letting Brinley do all of the drinking, the two girls decided to head to the basement to try their hands at some pool. As Nini opened a bottle of water while Brinley grabbed a pool stick from another senior, she felt the presence of someone beside her.