Complicated ✔

Ch. 10 - Shit-Faced Drunk

KATHRYN'S POV

I was following behind everyone else in the group, but there were still a few people behind me, when Glenn walked over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "You alright," he asked looking at me as I rubbed my arm. "Peachy," I mumbled, "besides the fact that I hate needles I'm doing just fine." I looked up and over at him before smiling weakly as I rubbed absentmindedly at my arm where that Jenner guy stuck the needle moments before. "Maybe getting food in your stomach will help you feel better," Glenn said grinning at me as I smiled back and continued to follow our group and Jenner to where the cafeteria like area was in this building. Sitting around a table as we pilled on all kinds of food to eat and Jenner brought out some wine, I took a seat next to Dad while Carl and Lori sat on his other side with Carl in the middle of them. "Hey Dad," I said as Dale was pouring drinks for everyone else but me, "can I have some?"

I watched as everyone around me went silent, knowing I was only 18 and just asked my dad if I could drink some wine with everyone else, they were waiting to see what his reaction would be. He couldn't look to Lori for her opinion because she wasn't my mother so it was all up to him. Glancing around the room before looking back to me, he smiled and nodded his head as he motioned for Dale to fix me a glass. Grinning widely, I turned my attention to Dale as he handed me a half full glass of wine. Telling him my thanks, I turned around and took a sip of it to taste first. With a smile on my face, I brought the glass to my lips to taste it while peering over the top to see everyone was watching and waiting to see what I thought of it. Even Daryl was watching me and waiting. Closing my eyes for the briefest of seconds, I tipped the glass back and allowed some of the liquid to pour into my mouth and over my tongue.

"Well," I heard Glenn ask as I pulled the glass from my mouth. "Can I have a bit more," I said with a grin as I held my glass out to Dale so he could add to what was still in it. All the adults around me laughed while Glenn smiled as he nursed on his own glass of wine. As we continued eating, Dale took it upon himself to refill everyone's wine cups whenever we were getting low, which meant I wasn't running out anytime soon. I could already feel the effects of the wine after about my third glass or so, and as I was lifting it up to my mouth to take another sip my eyes landed on Daryl who was grabbing something to eat off the table. His eyes locked with mine as I rested the glass to my lips before I broke eye contact and looked away as I lifted the glass back and took a healthy swig from it. The conversation going on around me was lost to me as I focused on my food and wine before me, trying to ignore the stares I was getting from Daryl as I continued to drink.

"You know," I heard Dale's voice first as the conversation finally reached my brain, "in Italy children often have a little bit of wine with dinner." "And in France," I piped in smiling as I took another sip and looked to my family beside me, knowing Dale was talking about trying to allow Carl to taste it. I watched as Lori took her glass from Dale before placing her hand over Carl's as she spoke. "Well," she said looking to Carl, "when he is in Italy or France, then he can have some." "C'mon what's it going to hurt," Dad said as he ate on his food before looking up to Lori. I smiled as I knew why he was doing this. It was because he had allowed me to drink with everyone else when if the world was it's normal self I wouldn't be drinking right now. "Let him try it," I said smiling as she turned to look at me. As we all started laughing, she shrugged and pulled her hand away from the top of Carl's glass.

After Dale poured a tiny bit for Carl, we all did what they had done with me, sat and waited to see his reaction. I lifted my own glass up to my lips but didn't tip it back as I sat there with a smile on my face waiting for Carl to taste his own small helping of wine. Glancing around as Carl took his first sip, my eyes landed on Daryl as he sat leaning against a table with a whole bottle of wine in his hand and his eyes staring straight at me. Maybe it was because of all the wine in my system already but I felt a blush creeping up my neck and onto my face faster than normal as I turn my gaze back to my little brother just as he pulled the glass away from his mouth. "Ew," he complained making a face as we all started laughing. "That's my boy," Lori said ruffling his hair as I quickly held my hand out for his glass. "I'll take it," I said with a smile as she handed it over to me.

I poured his remaining wine into my glass before I sat it down and took another sip of mine as the adults all started talking again. "That taste nasty," I heard Carl say as everyone was still laughing. "Yeah well just stick to the soda pop there bud," Shane said as I caught sight of Daryl moving and coming to stand in direct line of my eye sight as he began grabbing more food, bottle still in hand. "Not you Glenn," Daryl said before his eyes landed on me, "or you Kathryn." I nearly choked on the wine I had in my mouth when he mentioned my name. "What," I heard Glenn say as I looked to him to see he looked stunned to be called out. "Keep drinking you two," Daryl said grinning at us, "I wanna see how red y'alls face can get." I didn't need the alcohol for my face to go red. It was already going there with just the look he sent to Glenn and myself after that. I quickly lowered my eyes before just taking my glass and completely tipping it back to down the rest of the wine I had.

After dinner, while everyone else was getting ready for bed and taking showers, Glenn and I decided we'd share a room. His reasoning being that my dad probably wouldn't approve of me sharing with someone like Daryl and there was no way in Hell I would share with Shane. So Glenn said I'd get the couch in the room and he'd take the floor. After my hot shower, I decided to go exploring, but not before grabbing a half empty bottle of wine. Dad wasn't going to stop me, we were safer here than anywhere else and I needed to unwind a bit and right now this was the best way. The last time I remember getting like this, was last summer when I just got out of school. As I was continuing to think about that summer, I tipped back my wine bottle only to find it was empty, damn. Finding the nearest trashcan, I tossed the empty bottle in before I began staggering my way down the hall as I tried to find mine and Glenn's room that we were sharing.

I didn't realize how much time had passed since I went exploring. Staggering down the hallway, the full effect of all that alcohol that I drank earlier was hitting me. These halls seemed to be never ending as I finally found the rooms where everyone was turning in for the night but they all looked the same and I couldn't remember which room it was that Glenn and I were sharing. I stumbled aimlessly as I looked for any signs that'd point me in the right direction towards the room I needed to go to so I could sleep. Finally having enough of wandering around, I just picked the first closed door I came to and opened it, only to fall flat on my face on the floor a few steps inside. Honestly too drunk to attempt to get up, and too tired as well, I just made myself comfortable on the floor before instantly allowing the darkness to consume me. I didn't even care if this was the wrong room to be in to begin with, I just wanted to sleep the alcohol away.

DARYL'S POV

After everyone showered and went to their own rooms, I was sitting in mine on the couch with a bottle of wine in hand as I waited to finally pass out when the sound of my door being shoved open and someone walking in startled me. Looking over I noticed it was that girl, Kathryn, as she fell to the floor but made no attempt to get to her feet. She seemed quite content with sleeping on the floor in a room she wasn't even supposed to be in. Within a few minutes, the sound of light snoring was coming from where she lay still on the floor. Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to the bottle in hand, taking a hefty swig from it before setting it almost empty bottle down on the table near the couch I was stretched out on. Glancing over at her once more, I quickly turned to lay on my side with my back to her. If she wanted to sleep on the floor let her.

I had every intention of falling asleep, even with her on the floor in my room but I couldn't. I kept getting the annoying nagging feeling that it was my fault that she kept drinking until she was drunk like this. But still she could've stopped, even after the teasing I did to her and Glenn. Hell her own father said she could drink with the rest of us so why not egg it on and see what would happen. Sighing, I finally rolled over and placed my hands behind my head as I looked over at her still sleeping form on the floor. I groaned out as I finally decided to just get up and place her on the couch, I'd take the floor instead. Walking over to her, I carefully picked her up in my arms and as I walked over to the couch, she curled up closer to me. Placing her on the couch, I watched as she got comfortable before I turned and walked over to my door, closing it before making myself a spot to sleep on the floor with this strange girl filling my thoughts as sleep finally took over.