2054(HIATUS)

Chapter 2

WARNING! This chapter contains:
-underage drinking
However I, the author, do not condone the actions in this chapter. Drink safely and legally.

10/27/54

Pain.

That's all Cinder felt.

His vision had blurred and the world became dizzy as Isaac carried the brunette. His wrist throbbed, and was most likely swelling. A headache began to stir up also.

He could hear the faint voices of Athena and Isaac, however he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Cinder's eyes were getting heavy as well, and a high pitched ringing was all he could really hear.

Then, before he knew it, the world went dark.

* * *

Cinder awoke to a loud thud, and blinked drowsiness from his eyes. The young teenager sat up, looking around in confusion. He didn't recognize where he was, and he couldn't see his party members.

It was a fairly average sized room, it reminded him of the small shed he once lived in, and despite the darkness the boy could tell it was most likely the restroom in a gas station. He reached his hand up to rub his eyes, but pain shot to his wrist, making him gasp in surprise and hold onto his arm. Some sort of rough fabric met his fingers though, and Cinder looked down.

His wrist had been wrapped in what he assumed to be ace wrap, and an arm sling that was just slightly too big for him was where his injured arm rested.

Cinder used his right hand to rub his eyes instead, then stood up groggily. He still felt dizzy, and had to lean on the wall for support, but the pain had died down.

Just a little, though.

"Isaac?" He called out hesitantly, his voice cracking with nerves.

The room fell silent again, the only sound being Cinder's racing heart and quiet footsteps.

Without warning, the door flung open and light flooded into the room, like water flowing out of a broken dam. The young brunette let out a yell of surprise and staggered a bit, grasping onto the sink for support.

It was hard to hold himself up, especially with his right hand. Cinder's dominant hand was his left, and he always found it hard to do anything with his weaker hand.

Speaking of hands.

A rather large one gently fell onto Cinder's shoulder, and the boy looked up to see the familiar—and comforting—sight of Isaac.

Isaac wore a kind and sympathetic smile, and offered Cinder support, which the younger male gladly accepted.

Cinder walked out of the bathroom while leaning on Isaac for support, squinting and flinching at the bright lights he was met with.

He could see Athena and Lynn sitting on the far edge of the gas station, chatting quietly amongst themselves. The sun still leaked into the building through the windows, so either Cinder wasn't out for very long, or he was unconscious for an entire day.

"Ayyyye there's our favorite boy!" Lynn cheered, which was followed by a hiccup and giggle. Cinder furrowed his brows in confusion, to which Isaac chuckled and responded with a simple, "She's drunk."

Drunk? Lynn was sixteen, Cinder knew this from her overwhelming amount of sharing she often did. Though he didn't judge her, laws didn't really matter anymore.

Well, nobody followed them.

Isaac helped Cinder sit on a small blanket that had been sprawled out, then plopped down next to him. "Athena's tipsy and so am I," He hummed, motioning to a bottle of half empty wine. "Lynn is the one who found it and suggested we drink a bit while you slept, it's only been about an hour."

"Lynn is a light drinker," He mumbled, his voice hardly audible. That comment earned him a chuckle from Isaac, and a dramatic gasp from the drunken teenager.

"H-Hey! Cindy! I thought we were frieeeends!" Lynn wailed, flailing her arms and rolling around like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Cinder scowled at the nickname, but chose to ignore it.

"Has the ibuprofen wore off yet?"

"What?"

Isaac tilted his head, brows slightly furrowed, "You took ibuprofen after we wrapped your wrist, do you not remember?" A shrug was all Isaac got in response.

An ibuprofen would explain why Cinder didn't feel all that hurt, so he simply nodded and scooted closer to Athena, who was pouring herself another glass of wine.

"Can I have some?"

Athena snapped out of whatever daze she was in, and turned to stare at Cinder in total shock. "W-What?"

"I asked if I could have some," He mumbled, and the two adults of the party—Isaac and Athena—exchanged looks.

"Aren't you...thirteen?" Athena asked hesitantly.

"Fourteen." Cinder corrected, holding back the urge to reach for the wine.

Lynn perked up from her mini tantrum, drool starting to leak from the corner of her mouth. "What?" She gasped, followed by a giggle, "When was your birthday?"

Cinder stayed silent, instead simply reached for the wine. Athena was hesitant, but handed him the cup halfway full of wine that she had planned on drinking herself. She simply grabbed another cup though.

Cinder eyed his cup of wine, not sure how he was supposed to drink it. He had seen movies where people drink it quickly, so he decided what the hell.

And I drank it all at once.

Then regretted it.

It tasted...odd. Not exactly bitter, but definitely not sweet. Like vinegar and cranberry juice had a child that was his wine.

Isaac couldn't help but laugh, and Cinder gagged after he swallowed the fowl drink, furrowing his brows in disgust. "Worst, birthday, ever," He whispered to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose, and shoved the cup away.

"Oh my—" A hiccup, "—God it's your birthday today?" Lynn gasped, throwing herself next to Cinder and poking at his right arm. The brunette simply nodded in response.

"Ah, happy birthday," Isaac smiled, extending his hand and rubbing Cinder's head, messing up the boy's hair in the process. He hissed at the other male, moving himself away from Isaac's touch. Athena snickered quietly, hiding her mouth in her sleeve, so her voice came out muffled.

"Now who's the light drinker?"