Chapter 7, Part 2 - Asia

The conclusion of Madison's party and then some...

           Dawn and Stacy may not have wanted any beer, but I sure as hell did. My parents had been giving me crap all week about my D in astronomy, even though I explained twice that extra credit could easily fix it. I was rejoicing that they’d be gone all night, at the same wedding as Madison’s parents. I was going to get so shitfaced and forget about them, I was excited about it even though I hated Guinness. Mixed drinks are better any day, but you take what you get when your older sister demands her ID from you. Stupid Michele and her brand new husband, off to have happy hour after work. Like they need it more than me. So I told Andrew ahead of time that I was going to let myself get wasted and he shouldn’t try to stop me, but that I needed him sober to drive me home. He didn’t mind not drinking at the party, because his reward for being my chauffeur would be that I give him some of my dad’s wine after I got home. And wine is much nicer than beer, so he agreed it was a fair deal and resolved to refill my cup all night.

“Keep it coming, honey,” I told him after my first two drinks. “I’m not even buzzed yet.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you drunk before!” Andrew said as he passed me a full cup. “You weren’t at Halloween, right?”

“I don’t even remember Halloween!” Stacy had to shout over the music. I wanted to tell Madison to turn it down, but she was off mingling.

“That’s because you were trashed, sweetie,” I shook my head. “We told you it wasn’t Kool-Aid!”

“When did you tell me that?”

“Around the time you were puking over my balcony. It was magnificent, by the way. My parents couldn’t believe you were the only one who got sick.”

“Well, had you told me BEFORE I drank myself to death, that would’ve helped a little.”

“Neither of you should really be drinking,” Dawn cut in. Always such a square, but it was one of the reasons I kept her around. One of us had to be. “You’re not twenty-one and you don’t drink very responsibly as it is.”

“But Dawwwwwnn! Either you don’t drink enough and don’t have any fun, or you have fun and get called irresponsible. What are we supposed to do?” I complained.

“Not drink in the first place, for starters.”

She had this dreamy idea that high scholars should abide by the rules and not drink. I didn’t want to have to be the one to keep proving to her that this wasn’t the way things worked, but she refused to listen when we told her. Until we turn twenty-one, when alcohol suddenly becomes boring and normal, we would always be borrowing from our parents’ liquor cabinets. At least I knew I would be. But I couldn’t get through a week anymore without it, thanks to everyone always nagging in my ear.

I didn’t want to think about any of that. It was such a good night, all snowy and Christmas-y. I loved snow, and after awhile I wasn’t even cold. I tried to take my sweater off, but I didn’t have anything on underneath so Dawn of course flipped out and yanked it back down.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” she asked Andrew.

He shrugged. “I don’t really mind. She’d do it anyway.”

I laughed. “You know he doesn’t mind! Why wouldn’t he want me to take my sweater off? I’m hot…” I didn’t even know if I meant temperature or sexy. Probably both. I was both, either way.

“Just finish your drink, Asia,” Stacy reached over to tap the cup I had, and I didn’t need further coaxing.

Madison really did throw the best parties, maybe even better than mine. No, not better than mine, but close. She had some club mixes blasting in the next room, where a group of guys were drooling over Tom’s new Halo game. Isabelle and Clair were playing pool, their sparkly top hats pulled low. The football team was lounging in a corner with the snack table. Every so often, someone would climb up on the pool table to dance, or fly through the crowd on a scooter, and everyone would scream and cheer. I was right along with them, raising my plastic cup to the glory that was an unhinged teenager.

Even Danella seemed to be enjoying herself. She was face down on the bar, barely holding on to her cup.

“Danella!” I shouted. “Having fun?”

She looked up quickly, but her fact was blurry. I couldn’t tell if she was moving or if I was.

“Scrrrrrrrew you, Asia,” she said loudly. “Why don’t you go eat something, you’re looking verrrrry skinny.”

“Y’know, I don’t know what I did to you, but you’ve been rude to me ever since I met you,” I started preaching, getting closer and closer to that stupid Danella. “And quite frankly, I’m getting really sick of pretending to like you.”

“Then stop! Then stop!” Danella started screaming. “I don’t need you to like me, Asia, because you’re just a burnout anyway!”

I felt Andrew’s fingers brush against my shoulder; he had my back. And on either side, Stacy and Dawn appeared. It felt so good to have friends with me, people to stick up for you when reckless ugly drunk b*****s start in on you…

So why was Dawn pushing me backwards? Stacy was saying words to Danella, something like “That makes two of you so just go back to your beer” and then following us. What, were they just going to let it end on her side of the battle?

“That’s funny, Danella, considering that nobody else here likes you either!” I screamed, before Dawn shoved me into the opposite wall and grabbed away my cup.

“You’re drunk; that’s enough beer.” She said angrily, glaring at me and shaking her head. Like I said, such a square.

“But Dawwwwwn, I was just trying to be nice to her and she got all mean!” I whined. “It’s not the beer, I swear! I just stood up for myself!”

“Maybe you should cut back. You’ve had a lot,” Andrew was agreeing.

“Nooo, baby! Just a few more, please, you know I’ve had such a sucky week. I won’t start any more fights, I promise!” Far away, I was thinking “oh MAN, I sound like a three year old” but I didn’t care enough to worry about it.

“Just give her back the drink, Dawn. She’ll calm down if she has a little bit more.” Stacy said quietly.

“That hardly sounds logical, if she’s already had enough that she’s acting stupid.” Dawn argued.

“I’ll be calm; I promise I’ll be calm,” I added.

Dawn was hanging her head, one hand rubbing her forehead. Andrew gently took the cup from her and handed it to me.

“No more fights, okay?” he said to me.

“None.” I promised. I meant it. It’s not like I wanted to fight with that little freak. She just took my comment the wrong way. Who cared about her anyway? I forced myself to focus on the drink in my hand; now that was something to care about. Calm, calm…I could be calm. I walked around a crowd of people towards the back wall of the basement.

Outside it was snowing madly. I stood at the long windows where Madison’s house was completely above ground, and looked out. What a stupid thing, for a basement to be above ground. I always thought of them as being very deep, to protect from tornadoes. But not floods. Not volcanoes either. Actually, basements weren’t good for much. Except awesome parties. And the snow! It was falling in fist-sized powder puffs, twirling down and down, to the ground where it piled up magically. Magical like gumdrops. Why was it that snow made me think of gumdrops? They didn’t look much alike. Gumdrops were chewy, starry molds of sugar; my dentist loved me for eating gumdrops. Snow was cold and full of angels. That was why I loved the snow. If you laid in it long enough, you could become those angels.

“Baby? You’re spinning,” Andrew’s voice was in my head, spinning with me. I smiled and reached for his hand, finding it after an eternity.

“I’m done my drink,” I handed him the empty cup.

“Are you done this time?”

“…what?”

“You’ve had about nine drinks, is that enough?”

“Wow!” I had completely missed those last few beers. Where had I been? For that matter, where was I currently? “Good. Can we go soon?” I leaned against him and smiled.

“Sure, I’ll get my keys.”

            I shook my head. “Not now, just soon,” I pulled away and saw stars very briefly, but for long enough to remind me of something. “Hey, do you have any rubbers?”

            Andrew’s eyes widened. “R-rubbers?”

            “Yeah, condoms. You put them on your…”

            “I know what they are.”

            “You have any?”

            “No, I don’t.”

            That was too bad. That was really just too bad. It must’ve showed in my face, because Andrew quickly led me back to the bar and blurted “But I can go get some, if you don’t mind waiting for me.”

            “I’ll just have one more drink,” I told him. “And then we can go.”

            “Okay, okay. You sit here, and I’ll be right back, okay?”

            Okay, Andrew. Okay.

           

            He was gone so fast, his shadow took a moment to follow him. I stood by the wall, by the big pointless windows, kind of in a daze until I decided to go wait at the bar. Dawn and Stacy were still there, talking over a bowl of pretzels. Whatever they were talking about, Dawn was into it; she almost looked excited.

            “You’re not miserable!” I jumped at her and caught her by the shoulders. Her eyes darkened immediately and she pushed me onto a bar stool.

            “Is that so surprising?” she asked. Well, yeah. Madison’s parties were only on Dawn’s Top Five list of things she’d prefer to never EVER do, and she didn’t really hide it too well.

            “What’re you guys talking about?”

            “Colleges. We’re applying to some of the same schools,” Stacy told me. “Where’s Andrew?”

            “He ran out. Can I have a pretzel?”

            Dawn pushed the bowl towards me and scanned the room. “He left? I thought he was your ride.”

            I giggled. “He is my ride!”

            Somebody tapped me on the shoulder, hard. What were they trying to do, drill their finger through my bone? I cradled the pretzel bowl and spun around. Danella was standing there, kind of spinning in place, the same way I had been doing.

            “Thanks for giving me your spot,” Danella said, spitting on the “spot” and slurring everything else.

            “What spot?” I asked.

            “Your spot in the group,” she continued. “You left, and now I’ve got your spot. Now you’re a nobody and I’m a somebody.”

            Was she for real? It was so immature to go around and spout that crap, so petty and young, such a weak grab for any kind of attention. But I felt hooked; I couldn’t ignore her without feeling like I let her win.

            “I’m gorgeous and you’re ugly; I’m thin and you’re a hippo; I’m lucky and you’re jealous,” I shot back.

            “Jealous of what?” Danella was suddenly in a rage, waving her hands and hair. She stuck one meaty finger in my face. “You’re a loser. And what’s more pathetic is that you chose to be a loser!”

            I snapped my teeth as if I was going to bite her finger off, which I would’ve done if she hadn’t yanked it back.

            “And you’re effing psychotic!” she screeched.

            “Better than being desperate, you ugly little leech! Do you really think anyone here really likes you? None of these people are your friends!” I hissed at her. People nearby were starting to notice, their faces turning in interest. Stacy pulled on my arm, trying to get me away from Danella, but I was stronger than Stacy and pulled back.

            “More mine than yours, b***h!” Danella crowded, and she threw her head back in a cackle. I can’t express how much I hated her right then, but take my word for it; I hated Danella.

            I dumped the pretzel bowl over her head and ground down on it, listening to the pretzels break against her skull. Danella screamed and flailed, slapping at my arms with her fleshy hands, but lifting the bowl only let the pretzels dust into her hair and eyes. A lot of people in the crowd were cheering, so I threw the bowl and cheered with them.

            It took both Dawn and Stacy to push me off the stool and practically carry me to the stairs. Madison met them there, her eyes lowered in annoyance but her mouth crooked in amusement.

            “Way to cause a scene, Asia,” she complimented me. “I’ll call you in a few days, maybe we’ll go to Ripples or something?”

            “Oh yeah,” I tried to stop and talk to her but Stacy was pushing me up the stairs. “Just don’t invite Danella.”

            Dawn and Stacy dragged me along until we reached the front door.

            “You shouldn’t start fights with her,” Stacy said calmly as Dawn opened the door. “You know that’s what she wants.”

            “If getting yelled at by big scary Asia makes people feel sorry for her, then they’re all as stupid as her,” I said resolutely.

            “You make yourself look stupid by starting those drunken fights,” Dawn snapped. “C’mon, I’m taking you home.”

            “No! I have to wait for Andrew.”

            The snow was halfway to my knees and still falling, but I wasn’t cold at all. I yanked away from my friends and stumbled off the porch into the snow.

            “S**t. Come on Asia, get up,” Stacy offered her hand, but I just laughed at her.

            “It’s fun!” I tried to pull her down with me, but she jumped back and shook her head. Stacy knew I was just having a good time. She knew about drinking and parties and needing to forget about fights with psycho leeches. But Dawn was just getting more annoyed, and I could tell she was about to lose it.

            “You said that Andrew left, remember? So I’m going to get you home.” Dawn explained through gritted teeth.

            “But he’s coming back!” I told her.

            “Well, I don’t see him, and we’re not leaving you here, and you need to go now!”

            “No, he’ll be right back!”

            Dawn stomped into the snow and hauled me to my feet. “Asia, please don’t be difficult, okay? We’re just trying to help you.”

            Stacy grabbed my other arm and held me up. “Yeah, you really need to just cool it.”

            A car pulled up to the curb and Andrew jumped out. Thank God for small favors, right? Stacy sighed, but Dawn was still in freak-out mode.

            “You just left?” She stared him down.

            “What happened?”

            “Well, she’s drunk and she hates Danella, so what do you think?”

            “I told her I’d be right back, and to stay still.”

            “Are you still taking her home? Because she really can’t stay here.”

            “Yeah, I got it. Thanks for getting her out of there.”

            “Sorry I snapped at you.”

            Stacy followed Dawn to her car as Andrew began walking me to his. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” she called, disappearing behind the white Alero.

            “Bye, everyone!” I shouted.

           

            “Did you get them?” I asked when we were driving home.

            Andrew didn’t take his eyes off the road, but his ears kind of twitched, like a dog when you say a word it recognizes. “Yeah, I did. What, uh…what did you want them for?”

            I leaned over and sloppily kissed his cheek. “Yeah, okay. We’ll do it that way.” If he wanted to play dumb, I could play dumb.

            “It’s that you’re kind of, you know, you’ve had a lot to drink, and maybe you don’t want them at all,” he suggested.

            “No, I’m pretty sure I do.” Why did everyone always assume I didn’t know what I was talking about? I knew what I was doing. “Hey, what kind of wine do you want? White or red? I like the fruitier ones, but what do you like?”

            “I haven’t had much wine, actually. What would you recommend?” he asked.

         “Well, I like Beaujolais, so we can try that first. My parents have a lot, though. You’ll have options.”

Author's Note

This chapter is the reason I'll most likely be rewriting the whole story into the present-tense. Thoughts?