The Small Town: Senior Year

Is it because of the swap water?

Keith slumped onto Lance's bed. The boys had nothing to do. The movies that Veronica ad sent to Lance were janked and couldn't be played on his computer. The wrong file.

"If Pidge were here she'd figure it out," Hunk mumbled from his seat on the floor. Lance was thumbing through his phone when all three of them got a notification. Allura had updated her story.

There were Nyma and Pidge sitting across from each other, arms poised to wrestle.

"Shot!" Romelle yelled excitedly. Both Nyma and Pidge drank the contents of the shot glasses in front of them, then Pidge slammed Nyma's arm down onto the table before the taller girl even had a chance to register what was happening.

"Shit," Nyma muttered. "Wait, Pidge, have you ever actually had alcohol before?"

"No, but I bet it's not unlike the time that I drank four redbulls and an espresso and then failed my math test."

"Was it because of Lance?" Allura asked from behind the phone. Pidge nodded, grinning and trying not to laugh. "Yeah, I'm calling him." The video ended and Lance's phone rang.

"Shit, two missed calls." Lance grabbed his phone and answered quickly. "Hey 'Lura, what's going on?"

"You can't let Pidge do that! Remember grade nine?"

"Yes, and I didn't know that she had had three redbulls before that."

"You dared her to mix two redbulls with an espresso! You-"

"Don't bring up the grade nine accident!" Pidge shrieked.

"Grade nine accident?" Keith asked, raising his eyebrows. Hunk and Lance looked between each other. Lance ignored him and turned back to his phone.

"If you're worried about that happening again then you shouldn't give her alcohol!" he retorted.

"All of you shut up. I can do what I want." Keith could almost picture Pidge's pouty face and crossed arms.

"Pidge we don't want you to end up in the hospital again," Allura said softly.

"I've been there thrice what's another time?" Pidge defended.

"Broken arm, allergic reaction, what's the last one?" Keith asked.

"When we were 14-"

"Lance shut the fuck up!" Pidge screeched. "You promised never to bring it up again!"

Lance hung up the phone after a quick "we'll be there in a few."

"-Pidge had two espresso shots and four energy drinks and then her kidneys failed." Hunk giggled as Lance pulled up the larger boy's shirt and a very small, slightly discoloured line ran diagonally across his stomach.

"Hunk had a match and gave her one of his."

Hunk looked at the ground bashfully. Keith nodded. Wow, there was nothing these three wouldn't do for each other.

"That's actually part of how we became such good friends," Hunk admitted.

"Pidge if you don't drink it I'll tell Beezer you have a crush on him," Lance said.

"I don't?" Pidge said honestly. She barely looked up from the monstrosity in the plastic slurpee cup in front of her.

"He doesn't know that. He's been into you since grade seven." Lance pillowed his cheeks in his hands as he leaned on the table in front of her. The sickly sweet stench coming from the cup made her stomach roil. She shook her head.

"Twenty bucks," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"I'd give you seven we could shake and make it happen."

Pidge scoffed. "I wasn't born this morning, eighteen would be just fine."

"Why not just go ahead and ask for nickels on the dime?"

"Fifteen."

"I'd do eight."

"Twelve."

"Maybe nine."

"Ten."

Lance stuck out his hand for Pidge to shake.

"No. Twenty."

"Fine," Lance whined, pulling out his wallet. He slapped a green bill onto the cafeteria table. Pidge smirked and shoved it into her pocket. She pulled the brownish red sludge towards her and threw the straw to the side. She chugged the cup down and burped loudly. Her tongue was bright red and her face scrunched up.

"What was in that?" she asked, moving her mouth around to try and decipher the taste.

"Two red bulls, half a Pepsi slushee and two espresso shots," Lance laughed.

"Right." Pidge burped once more, in time with the bell ending lunch.

Later in the day, Lance was trying to load up a video game for the four to play, and while Pidge was laying on Lance's bed, with Hunk spinning in his computer chair, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She sat up abruptly, but that only made it worse.

"Ow," she said quietly. Suddenly, it started pulsating.

"Ow, ow ow!" she shot off the bed, and Lance and Hunk looked at her in concern. She grabbed Lance's bedroom trashcan and threw up into it.

"Is it because of the swamp water?" Lance asked, holding her hair back.

"I think I'm dying," she choked out.

"Swamp water?" Hunk asked.

The two boys ended up having Lance's older sister drive them in the minivan to the hospital after Pidge passed out.

She ended up needing a kidney transplant, as both of hers had failed due to the caffeine overdose.

"We have no transfers available, and she may die without immediate attention," the doctor said to Hunk and Lance. "Do either of you know her blood type?"

"O negative," the two boys said together. They looked at each and had to suppress the urge to smile, due to the severity of the issue.

"A universal donor, she can be helped by anyone," said the doctor, visibly sighing in relief.

"I'll do it," said Hunk.

"Are you sure?" asked the doctor. Hunk nodded rapidly.

"Put me in, I want to help my friend."

"And that's why we don't want her having alcohol," said Hunk, scratching his scar. Keith nodded in understanding.

"Lance, what the fuck?"

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The wait is over, I bet y'all thought I was dead. I can't promise the next chapter anytime soon, because I'm currently trying to hold down two jobs and a bit of sanity. And a boy. That's not hard tho, he's pretty great, and I will happily talk about him to anyone who will listen. Also my bar job makes me suicidal. But I also work in a bakery, and the only problematic people are the ones that complain about our baguettes being out for everyone to breathe on, and then saying that Corona is a scam in the same breath. It was kind of funny. She didn't buy anything either, she just wanted to yell at someone because she was getting a divorce or smth, idk.

And yesterday a man offered me weed because he didn't have change for a tip. I said no. Don't do drugs kids. 

Okay, bye.