A Guide To: Isla

How To: Drink Irresponsibly

HER HEAD WAS spinning. Though she'd only be worried if it wasn't, seeing as her body was going just as fast.

Kem had dragged them all out to The Republic, and was currently nowhere to be found. Isla had seen him slip off with a redheaded boy about 20 minutes before (apparently, when he was drunk, his 'No Gingers' rule did not apply), and though she had tried a few times to exit the mosh pit to find him, she was always pulled back into the throng of sweaty dancers and seemed to immediately forget about her missing friend. 

She could, however, see Jimmy out of the corner of her eye as she jumped to the beat. He was reaching for her hand but she was just too far away for him to grab. She smiled at him, the alcohol that was coursing through her system acting as a buffer to the bitterness she felt towards him. Her head was fuzzy - did she hate him? Did she hate him or did she hate Chris? Did she hate Chris? She loved his hair that was so soft and she could run her fingers through it when he above her making those noises, the small grunts as he moved with her and she loved the freckle on his neck that was in such a kissable place and ... and, and - she needed to find Chris right now. 

Isla mouthed his name to Jimmy, who was still attempting to grab her arm through the crowd of people between them. He jerked his head towards the bar, and she reached for him, his hands clasping around her wrist as he tugged her out of the horde of drunk students, now dancing to a badly remixed 'Sexy and I Know It'. She slipped slightly on some spilt drink on the floor, but righted herself before following on along behind Jimmy.

She found herself calling out to Chris as she neared him, an arm reaching out to mess up the soft blond mop of curls on his head. They were so soft. He looked up at her, his green eyes, though still more cloudy than usual, were dancing in the glare of the club spotlights, illuminating the flecks of blue that dotted his irises. Not only was his hair so soft, but his eyes were so pretty, and he looked so sad staring up at her. She slid her hands down his face until her palms cupped his cheeks.

"Silly Chris." She slurred. "Silly, sad, Chris. Stupid for being sober in a club. Silly, sad, stupid, sober, Chris." He flicked his eyes up to Jimmy, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Who let her get this drunk? She was not this bad when we left the Union." Why was he talking? She thought. Why was he talking and not kissing her? No, a small voice in her head said. No, we're angry at him, remember? But she didn't. She knew she should be, but she couldn't remember why and he looked so sad and she could make him so happy.

Jimmy shrugged behind her, as Chris' hand came up to guide her hands off his face. Isla frowned. Did he not want her to touch him? She pulled her hands back to her body, as she suddenly felt really heavy. She could hear Jimmy and Chris talking next to her, but she didn't know what they were saying. Her head still felt like a whirlpool and her legs were becoming more jelly-like by the second. 

Jimmy pulled out his phone and texted someone, as Chris put his arm round her shoulder and guided her towards the front of the club. She lent on him, as if without him the world would tip over. Jimmy followed behind them, looking over his shoulder at Elliot, who was dragging a stumbling Kem behind him. He had a stony expression on his face that led Isla to believe he was sober too, and still angry at being Kem's designated caretaker all night. 

The cold air hit her like a train. She was only wearing a strappy red top that seemed like a good idea at the start of the night when the balmy Autumn air was still just warm enough to not need a jacket, but at 3am in the morning, on a street corner outside a still bustling nightclub, even the alcohol in her veins wasn't enough to stop the shivering. The boys didn't notice, too busy helping Kem as he retched into the wall beside him. She saw him leaning over his feet, with Elliot patting his back, and decided that she had had enough of tonight, and wanted to curl up in bed, and wait until she remembered why she was angry at Chris so she wouldn't have to hate the way he had pushed her off him tonight. She sat down in the road and waited for her boys to pick her up and take her home.