lonerism ; jschlatt (lunch club au)

three

moving through the crowd again i tried to make my way towards the living room, pushing forcefully against oblivious individuals as they danced around me. one thing i had learnt from these things was that the lounge room was the best option if you wanted to get away from the madness. it sat on the edge of it all and was often left empty for any hopeless drunk who needed a place to lay before waking up and starting their cycle of disorder all over again.

my eyes had adjusted after the kitchen, so i started my search between the mess of bodies until i caught sight of the lounge. i was practically shoving my way through everybody, finding myself more desperate to make it though as my destination became closer with each slow step.

just when i was close enough to truly break free, i felt a hand firmly grasp my shoulder, turning me around in a way that made me almost lose my footing on the wet floor. i looked up and was startled to find myself face to face with noah.

i quickly observed his state: sweat gleaming on his brow, unbalanced stance and a grip on his drink that told me it was the most important thing to him in that moment. he was incredibly drunk and i was about to hear the full blast of his slurred lecture.

"dude, where the fuck have you been?"

his angry tone struck me as hard as a punch to the face, my mind was already buzzing as i tried to think.

"i uhh.." words died in my throat, unable to make it out of my mouth, "i've just been busy."

i had a feeling i would be saying that a lot tonight.

noah scoffed, "yeah, i'm sure you were big guy."

before i could respond and help my case, he moved into the crowd and disappeared as fast as he had emerged, leaving me with the same stinging guilt that i thought i had left in the kitchen with ted.

lights continued to flash around me and the music suddenly felt incredibly loud, making my head spin as tried to breathe and push through the maze of dancers that shoved me in every direction.

when i made it to the lounge room, i was rewarded with a slight coolness in the air. it was refreshing after being trapped in a room felt like a sauna. running my hands through my hair i tried to ignore the sweat that had accumulated there and walked to the lounge where i, to my surprise, was greeted with travis.

he was already fast asleep, face down with a hand limp next to a large pack of drinks that inevitably waited for him when he awoke.

i took one from the pack and opened it with a crack as i sat down next to him, drinking it quickly to give myself something to do before i could overthink my situation more than i already have. there was no way i could last these parties sober, i knew that much.

pulsating lights made my head strain so i just stared at the drink in my hand when travis made rolled over and mumbled something unintelligible before falling back asleep.

noah and travis weren't always like this. this fascination for getting drunk and parties became the centre of their own little worlds as everything else suddenly became of second importance, myself included.

they were totally different people than the ones i had met three years ago.

all of them were.