Fate
Page 24
“You look like a light weight.” This is what Jordan said after he poured me yet another shot.
He’d known me for less than a half-hour, and the only thing he’d done in that time was talk about Lil Wayne and ply me with alcohol.
I’d drank before, several times. At least twice, I’d gotten really tipsy on fruity schnapps with Jane, but I’d never been really and truly drunk. Not like Jane.
Not surprisingly, five straight shots of vodka hit me pretty hard.
One minute, I was standing there talking to Jordan. I felt a little warm and a little light, but still entirely in control of myself.
Then, suddenly, everything changed. I’d go to move my arm an inch and it’d move a foot. I tried to take a step, and I ran into the island. I knew I was repeating myself, but I just couldn’t remember anything that had happened a minute before.
Here’s what I can remember: In the kitchen talking to Jordan, and he finally cut me off when it was obvious that I was entirely gone. I yelled things at him, but he just laughed. A girl in a tube top offered to make out with me. Someone threw a football, and it hit me. I walked into a wall. There were so many stairs, and I couldn’t figure out how to climb them. Jane told me I looked pretty, but she was making out with an ugly guy with curly hair. There was a lot of stumbling and leaning on Jordan, who didn’t seem to mind.
The next thing that I remember clearly I was in a darkened room. I know that I had been conscious the entire time, but I felt like I was just waking up.
All I knew is that I was on a bed, making out with someone that smelled insanely good, presumably Jordan. We were kissing pretty intensely, and his fingers had just started pulling down the string on my bright purple thong, alerting me to the moment I was in.
Vampire or no vampire in my life, I hadn’t planned to give up my virginity to some guy who thought it was a good idea to pour too many shots for a girl. I know that a moment ago, kissing him had felt good, but it suddenly just felt wrong.
Before I could even push him off me, my pocket started to vibrate.
“You’re vibrating.” Jordan stopped kissing me, so I took the opportunity and pushed him off me.
“It’s my phone,” I mumbled.
“Ignore it.” He put his hand on me, trying to keep me in bed with him, but I shook him off and got up. The ground felt precarious under me, but at least I had taken off my shoes at some point so I could actually walk.
“I’ve gotta take this,” I said, but I just wanted an excuse to be away from him. Without even checking the ID, I answered. “Hello?”
“Alice?” Jack sounded confused. Just hearing his voice made my heart soar, and combining that with too much to drink, I started crying in relief.
“Jack!” I squealed. “Jack! I’m so glad you called! Oh, Jack!” I searched around the darkened room for a door, but I stumbled into furniture. “Dammit! Why is it so dark in here?”
“Why don’t you just come back in bed?” That was Jordan’s helpful advice.
“Because I just want to leave! Where is the stupid door?” I cried, and tears streamed down my cheeks now.
“What’s going on?” Jack asked, his voice tight with anxiety. Which made sense since I was sobbing and complaining that I was trapped in the dark, but really, I was just too drunk to find a door. “Alice? Are you okay?”
“No!” I stomped my foot. “I want out!”
“I’m getting the door!” Jordan said. Out of nowhere, a rectangle of light flooded the room, revealing the door.
“Thank you!” I smiled at him as I walked past, but he just nodded. As soon as he realized that I wasn’t going any farther, he lost interest.
“Alice!” Jack shouted, trying to get my attention. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”
“I don’t know!” I had to yell so he could hear me over the music and the chatter of the party. I plugged my open ear so I could hear him better, but he was still hard to make out.
“Where are you?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know!”
“Look, I’m coming to get you!” Jack decided.
“How do you know where I’m at? I don’t know where I’m at!” I tried to walk down the stairs and talk on the phone, and I stumbled into the railing and dropped the phone. When I picked it up, Jack was yelling panicked hellos. “Jack?”
“Alice! Go outside!”
I fought my way through throngs of people. I could hear Jack saying things on the phone, but I couldn’t understand them. It wasn’t until I’d finally made it out the front door and the sound dampened that I could hear him again.
“-need you to look around,” he was saying.
“You need me to do what?” I asked. I half-expected it to be some kind of magic trick, and Jack would already be waiting out front for me, but he wasn’t.
“You’re outside?”
“Yep, I’m outside, and I’m not wearing any shoes.”
“Do you see any street signs? Any landmarks? Anything to tell me where you are?” Jack asked.
“Um…” I scoured the area around me. I could hear the traffic from the highway and I saw a billboard a block away. “I think I’m right off of 494 by a billboard for 93X. Is that good?”
“Yeah, I can work with that,” Jack sounded relieved. “Just stay where you are. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay,” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Call me if you need to. But I’ll be there really quick,” he assured me.
“Okay,” I repeated, and he hung up the phone.
I should’ve let him know that I actually wasn’t in any danger. Well, not in any immediate danger. After all, I was drunk, shoeless, and sitting on the curb outside of a house party.
Jack pulled up a few minutes later in the Lamborghini, which was how he traveled when speed was a necessity. He stopped right in front of me and dove out of the car, leaving it on and the door open.
“Are you okay?” Jack crouched down in front of me to inspect me for injuries, pushing my damp hair out of my eyes.
My eyes were puffy from crying, beer stained my fancy top, and my feet were very dirty from walking around the party, but overall, I was okay.
“I think so,” I nodded.
“You’re drunk,” Jack smirked.
He’d known me for less than a half-hour, and the only thing he’d done in that time was talk about Lil Wayne and ply me with alcohol.
I’d drank before, several times. At least twice, I’d gotten really tipsy on fruity schnapps with Jane, but I’d never been really and truly drunk. Not like Jane.
Not surprisingly, five straight shots of vodka hit me pretty hard.
One minute, I was standing there talking to Jordan. I felt a little warm and a little light, but still entirely in control of myself.
Then, suddenly, everything changed. I’d go to move my arm an inch and it’d move a foot. I tried to take a step, and I ran into the island. I knew I was repeating myself, but I just couldn’t remember anything that had happened a minute before.
Here’s what I can remember: In the kitchen talking to Jordan, and he finally cut me off when it was obvious that I was entirely gone. I yelled things at him, but he just laughed. A girl in a tube top offered to make out with me. Someone threw a football, and it hit me. I walked into a wall. There were so many stairs, and I couldn’t figure out how to climb them. Jane told me I looked pretty, but she was making out with an ugly guy with curly hair. There was a lot of stumbling and leaning on Jordan, who didn’t seem to mind.
The next thing that I remember clearly I was in a darkened room. I know that I had been conscious the entire time, but I felt like I was just waking up.
All I knew is that I was on a bed, making out with someone that smelled insanely good, presumably Jordan. We were kissing pretty intensely, and his fingers had just started pulling down the string on my bright purple thong, alerting me to the moment I was in.
Vampire or no vampire in my life, I hadn’t planned to give up my virginity to some guy who thought it was a good idea to pour too many shots for a girl. I know that a moment ago, kissing him had felt good, but it suddenly just felt wrong.
Before I could even push him off me, my pocket started to vibrate.
“You’re vibrating.” Jordan stopped kissing me, so I took the opportunity and pushed him off me.
“It’s my phone,” I mumbled.
“Ignore it.” He put his hand on me, trying to keep me in bed with him, but I shook him off and got up. The ground felt precarious under me, but at least I had taken off my shoes at some point so I could actually walk.
“I’ve gotta take this,” I said, but I just wanted an excuse to be away from him. Without even checking the ID, I answered. “Hello?”
“Alice?” Jack sounded confused. Just hearing his voice made my heart soar, and combining that with too much to drink, I started crying in relief.
“Jack!” I squealed. “Jack! I’m so glad you called! Oh, Jack!” I searched around the darkened room for a door, but I stumbled into furniture. “Dammit! Why is it so dark in here?”
“Why don’t you just come back in bed?” That was Jordan’s helpful advice.
“Because I just want to leave! Where is the stupid door?” I cried, and tears streamed down my cheeks now.
“What’s going on?” Jack asked, his voice tight with anxiety. Which made sense since I was sobbing and complaining that I was trapped in the dark, but really, I was just too drunk to find a door. “Alice? Are you okay?”
“No!” I stomped my foot. “I want out!”
“I’m getting the door!” Jordan said. Out of nowhere, a rectangle of light flooded the room, revealing the door.
“Thank you!” I smiled at him as I walked past, but he just nodded. As soon as he realized that I wasn’t going any farther, he lost interest.
“Alice!” Jack shouted, trying to get my attention. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”
“I don’t know!” I had to yell so he could hear me over the music and the chatter of the party. I plugged my open ear so I could hear him better, but he was still hard to make out.
“Where are you?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know!”
“Look, I’m coming to get you!” Jack decided.
“How do you know where I’m at? I don’t know where I’m at!” I tried to walk down the stairs and talk on the phone, and I stumbled into the railing and dropped the phone. When I picked it up, Jack was yelling panicked hellos. “Jack?”
“Alice! Go outside!”
I fought my way through throngs of people. I could hear Jack saying things on the phone, but I couldn’t understand them. It wasn’t until I’d finally made it out the front door and the sound dampened that I could hear him again.
“-need you to look around,” he was saying.
“You need me to do what?” I asked. I half-expected it to be some kind of magic trick, and Jack would already be waiting out front for me, but he wasn’t.
“You’re outside?”
“Yep, I’m outside, and I’m not wearing any shoes.”
“Do you see any street signs? Any landmarks? Anything to tell me where you are?” Jack asked.
“Um…” I scoured the area around me. I could hear the traffic from the highway and I saw a billboard a block away. “I think I’m right off of 494 by a billboard for 93X. Is that good?”
“Yeah, I can work with that,” Jack sounded relieved. “Just stay where you are. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay,” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Call me if you need to. But I’ll be there really quick,” he assured me.
“Okay,” I repeated, and he hung up the phone.
I should’ve let him know that I actually wasn’t in any danger. Well, not in any immediate danger. After all, I was drunk, shoeless, and sitting on the curb outside of a house party.
Jack pulled up a few minutes later in the Lamborghini, which was how he traveled when speed was a necessity. He stopped right in front of me and dove out of the car, leaving it on and the door open.
“Are you okay?” Jack crouched down in front of me to inspect me for injuries, pushing my damp hair out of my eyes.
My eyes were puffy from crying, beer stained my fancy top, and my feet were very dirty from walking around the party, but overall, I was okay.
“I think so,” I nodded.
“You’re drunk,” Jack smirked.
