Make Believe

Three.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." I held the phone against my ear, walking along the dark street.

It had been two weeks since the boys had moved in, and my friends had invited me out to a bar. Finn was sick so he couldn't come with me, but it was good to be without him for a while.

Nonetheless, he was on the phone to me, asking about the night. "Are you going to drink?" His grainy voice buzzed from the phone.

"Obviously." I rolled my eyes.

"Are you going to get drunk?" He asked.

"Absolutely wasted." I laughed.

"For real? Maybe I should come meet you-"

"I'm joking." I said as I approached the bar. "Look, I've gotta go."

We said our goodbyes, and I quickly checked my reflection in the window of the bar. I wore a black dress, which slithered tight to my curves, black high heels (which I hated) and had my dark hair slightly curled.

I took a deep breath and walked in. My friends were in the corner: Lia and Mark.

"Lola!" They called, already on a table filled with drinks. Smiling, I walked over and sat with them. I could tell that they had already been drinking.

"Hey, guys." I grinned weakly. "You didn't wait for me, then."

"Nah." Lia shook her long, brown hair as she shoved a huge glass of something across the table. "That's yours."

Frowning at the pink, fruity drink, I took a sip and shuddered. It was so full of alcohol that I already felt a little sick. I knew that Finn worried when I went out with my friends without him, because he knew that I had a habit of drinking too much when I was with them.

"Down it." Lia dared me.

"Yeah, do it!" Mark chuckled. "I'll down my beer at the same time."

Taking a nervous gulp of air, I lifted the heavy drink. Usually, I liked to portray myself as brave and careless, but I wasn't in the mood to get wasted. I looked up at the two faces looking expectantly at me. "Okay, okay."

Lia counted us in and we downed the poisonous drinks. Mark chugged his expertly, but I was left choking and spluttering.

I shook my head and laughed, running my hand through my hair. "You guys lead me astray, you know that, right?"

"Let's order more drinks." Lia decided. "I'm going to get a cocktail or something."

I started deciding what I wanted: nothing too strong. "Can you get me-"

"Oh, Lola. I know what I'm getting you." Lia laughed and stood up, disappearing from the table. I forced my lips into a smile, and I rested my chin in my hands.

..................

I don't know how long we stayed there. All I know is that we were kicked out and we sat outside on the doorstep, laughing and joking.

Lia's neatly powdered face turned green and she vomited all over the sidewalk. Mark cleaned her up and picked her up, draping her arm around his shoulder.

"Alright, Lola. You're wasted. Please stay sitting here, and I'm going to take Lia home. Alright?"

The world was spinning slightly, and I reached my hand out to touch the ground. It was a lot further away than I had expected.

"Lola! Are you listening?" Mark sounded angry.

"Ah! Yep, definitely. Do what you want. I'll stay right here." I noticed that my voice was slurred, and I rolled my eyes at myself. "Fucking waster, am I right?"

Mark frowned at me and walked off, helping Lia walk in a straight line.

I sat there for what felt like ages, singing to myself until a blurred figure appeared in my view. "Hey, I got Mark's text. You okay?" The familiar voice spoke to me like a baby.

"Finn!" I threw my arms around his neck.

"Where are Mark and Lia?" he asked.

"They went home." I told him.

"They just left you here? It's fucking dark and you're so vulnerable." He turned his hands into fists. "I'm going to fucking kill Mark when I next see him."

I looked down at the ground, sighing. "Where's my other shoe?"

"What?" He smirked at me. "I don't know. You must have lost it. Come on, Cinderella, let's take you home."

Finn picked me up bridal-style and started walking. I started talking, not knowing what I was saying. When we reached the car, I started singing a song. "Finn, Finn, you are so kind. I think you're awesome and I want to eat pie."

"What is wrong with you?" Finn was cracking up.

"That was actually so good! I'm so proud of myself!" I giggled as Finn started the engine.

He drove until we reached home, and he helped me inside and I lay on the sofa. I heard someone burst out laughing. Finn sat next to me and put my head in his lap. "She's off her face." Finn told Ross.

Ross smirked at me. "Hi Lola. You okay?"

"Fucking okay?" I couldn't tell how loud I was being. "I'm brilliant!"

I felt a big hand reach across and start playing with my hair. Finn's fingers gently stroked my forehead, and I closed my eyes. "This always makes her fall asleep." Finn told Ross. "Come on, Ross, go to bed. You've had a good laugh at her."

Muffled voices said 'goodnight' and I let myself drift into a deep sleep.