Shelby and Toni

Chapter Seven

**Shelby's POV**

"Wooo!" I yell as I knock back my, I think, eighth shot, this time not even using my chaser. I heard Fatin cheering from across the kitchen and I pumped my arms in the air laughing. I started to stumble back a little when I felt two hands push me back up, I turned and saw Toni standing there with her hands up, ready to catch me again if I fell. 

"Toni!" I yelled and wrapped my arms around her neck as I fell into her, my legs not being able to keep up with the rest of my body. "Where have you been?" I asked. 

"What're you talking about Shelbs, I've been here the whole time," she said, moving her hands from my back to my hips to push me back up. 

"Nooooo, you disappeared for a while," I slurred out, the alcohol coming out in my voice more noticeably. 

"I was just talking with Martha," she explained while jumping up to sit on the kitchen counter.

"Is everything okay?" I replied and Toni just nodded her head at me before turning her attention over to Fatin, who was yelling at the two of us. 

"Hey! Hey Toni! I bet me and Leah could beat you and Shelby in beer-pong or, I guess, vodka-pong," she said before walking over to the kitchen cabinet and grabbing more solo cups. Toni looked over at me with her eyebrows raised. 

"Alright, let's go kick their asses," I said, and Toni laughed and hopped back down off the counter, walking over to the kitchen table where Nora and Dot her setting up the game and Fatin and Leah standing on the other side of the table talking strategy. 

Toni and I walked to the side opposite of Leah and Fatin before Toni turned and looked at me, "are you any good at this game?" She asked. 

"We're about to find out," I said as Rachel came into the room after apparently searching to find ping pong balls. Nora filled the last of the cups with vodka before Fatin cleared her throat. 

"Alright, standard rules, bouncing as well as swatting is allowed, blowing and fingering are allowed," she said. 

"Sorry, what was that?" I interrupted her, which Toni laughed at. 

"If the ball is swirling around in the cup before hitting the vodka, you can try to stick your hand in and flick it out, or you can try to blow it out," Toni explained, "don't worry about it, I'll handle that part." 

"Finally, you get one re-rack, there's no redemption, and of course if both partners make it in, automatic balls back, we good?" Fatin said, looking around for any signs of confusion. Everyone nodded, including me even though I didn't understand most of what she said, and Rachel handed Toni and Fatin both a ball for them to decide who goes first. Toni threw first and sunk it in the cup in the very front, Fatin then threw and the ball bounced off the ring of a cup. Toni grabbed the ball as it bounced off and handed it to me, then caught the ball Fatin threw back to her. 

"Ladies first," Toni said and waited for me to throw the ball, which also bounced off the edge of a cup. 

"Dammit," I said before Toni threw hers and landed it in the same cup as before, this time Fatin grabbing it and drinking it, each cup containing about two shots, before setting it to the side. Fatin then threw, sinking the back left cup which I drank, Leah then threw hers, which started to spin in before Toni stuck her finger in the cup and quickly flicked the ball up. 

"See, like that," she said as she swung the ball out to get the vodka off of it. 

"Yeah, I'll just let you handle that," I replied and Toni laughed and nodded before handing me one of the balls in her hand. The game went back and forth for a while, I think I got two and Toni had gotten three, leaving us with one cup left, Fatin and Leah still having two. I was definitely feeling the alcohol even more now but was too focused on the game to let it distract me. 

It was our turn and Toni let me go first, as she had been, and my ball went slightly to the right of the cup. 

"You got it, Toni," Martha cheered on as Toni lined up the shot, closing one eye. She threw it and with a satisfying thud the ball hit the vodka and Toni and I both yelled and started jumping. I turned to face Toni and jumped up, wrapping my legs around her waist and she caught me, both of us yelling, as well as Martha and Rachel who had been betting on us winning. I hopped down off of Toni and looked over as Leah was drinking the last cup, Fatin swearing like a sailor and knocking empty solo cups off the table. 

Everyone started laughing at Fatin's reaction, including herself, as she went to pick up the mess of cups she just made and threw them away, telling me and Toni good game as she passed us. We all gathered around the counter and started talking about stupid stuff, Toni pulled a chair over from the table and sitting down. 

 After a few minutes, I pushed myself off the counter I was leaning on and plopped myself down across Toni's lap, my legs handing off the side of the chair, she responded by lifting her hands up and looking at me confused.

"Do you want me to grab you a chair?" She asked me to which I shook my head and leaned it against her shoulder.

"I just need to rest my eyes for a minute, is that okay?" I said while closing my eyes, my head starting to hurt from all the vodka I had. 

"Yeah, yeah of course," she said with her hands still awkwardly held up before she just dropped them on either side of the chair. I sat there for a while, in that half-awake half-asleep state, having to open my eyes every so often to keep the room from spinning. I faintly heard Rachel claim she could outlast Nora on a deserted island, which caused an uproar of bickering with the other girls picking sides and joining in, all except for Toni, who was trying not to disturb me as I seemingly slept. I could feel her trying to stifle her laughs as the girls bickered back and forth.

After a few minutes, I started to drift to sleep before I started moving, which made my eyes flutter open, feeling twice as heavy now. I realized Toni had stood up and was carrying me, and eventually sat me down back on the recliner in the living room, before going to walk away. She came back a second later and sat a cup on the side table before laying a blanket over me, then making a move to leave again. I reached up and grabbed her hand, pulling her back towards me. 

Toni reached over and picked the cup back up again, "do you want some water?" She asked and I nodded. She handed me the cup, her hand still hovering in case I dropped it or started to spill it. I took a few sips before handing it back to her. 

"Sit," I said, pulling her hand towards me. 

"You want me to sit with you?" She asked, and I nodded and scooted to make room for her and lifted the blanket up. Toni sat down and laid back, her arms straight down at her sides before I grabbed one and threw it up, moving to rest my head on her shoulder. I felt her hand run through my hair and I rested my arm across her stomach before drifting off to sleep. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------sorry this is so late guys!! day was much busier than expected, but promise I'll post a chapter tomorrow when I get off work and one or two later at night as well, hope you guys are all still enjoying!!