Tyler and the Valaholics: The Beginning

Chapter 23

Song of the chapter - 'Happier' by Ed Sheeran

'Sat in the corner of the room, everything's reminding me of you,
Nursing an empty bottle and telling myself you're happier,
Aren't you?'

The results jolt me out of my haze and I gasp too, sighing after a while while the girls next to me embrace each other. All of that for this?

When I finally manage to compose myself, I raise my head to meet Josh's eyes. He bears an uncanny resemblance to a deer caught in a headlight as his eyes dart disbelievingly to the smiling announcers as they near me and shove a microphone in front of my face.

"Valerie, were you hoping to get eliminated or what? Why do you look like that?" one of them asks me with an innocent smile on his face.

I pretend to make a lunge for his neck to strangle him while ha backs away, all the while yelling, "You scared me to bits by saying only three of us would be safe! All of that suspense and dramatic pause for a result like this? Shame on you!"

Josh punches my shoulder lightly, causing me to burst out laughing at the look on his face as if he's struggling with his very muscles not to laugh too. I apologize to the announcers as we head off the stage as they respond with a "None taken."

"Oh my--"

I cut off Josh's explanation by yelling, "Merlin's cerebral cortex!"

Several people passing by stare or snicker at me as they whisper amongst themselves. I roll my eyes at those who think they're far above everyone else to have a good time or go crazy. I don't care if they're making fun of me acting like a lunatic so long as it's giving them a good round of laughter and some well-needed endorphins and serotonin. Turning back to Josh, I'm wondering whether to apologize for 'embarrassing him' when his wide eyes and excited expression catch my attention as I give him a look of puzzlement. What is with him?

"You're a Potterhead too?" he asks me in shock.

"Too? I am a witch, don't tell anyone though," I joke around with him.

"Yeah, right, you're too nice to be a bi--"

"A witch, JJ!" I cut him off by whispering in a mystical voice.

"We'll get back to you calling me JJ later but did someone slip something in your drink or something?"

I cut off his amused chuckles by harshly whispering at him that I'm not joking. He's going to find out who's the better actor now. I swear, the way he's pretending to believe in me is so fake.

"Prove it then, Erie!"

I smile sideways at him as I turn to the table a few feet away from us and pretend to focus intensely on it. I observed it on my way here, the book at the edge had been placed awkwardly and is very wobbly. It's sure to fall soon, I just have to wait for it- oh, there it is! I twirl my right hand as if I was performing a spell and the book falls, right on cue. A proud smile on my face for orchestrating a joke of such grandeur, my humour being something only I find funny, I turn to see a very pale Josh staring at the book like he's just seen a ghost.

"That was real!"

He looks so panicked that I can only keep from laughing out loud by gritting my teeth together. His face has lost all colour and there isn't a whole lot of difference between the shade of the skin on his face and the whitewashed wall behind him, the similarity definitely making for a unique sight. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it again, open and shutting his mouth like someone choking and trying to cough the hindrance out and trying to swallow it continually. I might just milk this out a little more though.

"Shh, don't let out the secret! Muggles aren't supposed to know!"

My dialogue is apparently the last straw while he runs away from me, screaming. He almost crashes into Vanessa a little farther away from me and screams even more at the sight of her before continuing to keep running. Her bewildered expression combined with his reaction is a combination that I absolutely cannot not laugh about. While I struggle to stop laughing so as to regain the ability to breathe properly and wipe away the rivulets of tears flowing down my face, she asks random people what the matter is, making me laugh even more until I'm howling in laughter and clutching my achy stomach.

I don't remember ever laughing so much that my stomach hurt ever since Dad passed away and this feeling is certainly too good to be missed for too long. It gives me a high, and plus, it's also supposed to be healthy so it certainly couldn't hurt. I finally stop laughing enough to stand up from where I fell over laughing and slapped the floor several times, only to have Josh facing me with an absolutely ridiculous expression that can only mean he's confused and burst out laughing again.

"Does she get like this when she eats too much sugar or when she drinks some certain drink?" he cautiously asks Van in a voice that is so ridiculous as a low and imperceptible one that I can't help laughing more.

"Not unless she's drunk though," Van jokingly tells him, winking at me.

Josh's eyes widen as he takes more than a couple of cautious steps away from her, "She gets drunk sometimes?"

"She isn't drunk sometimes," she tells him in a serious tone, implying that she must've caught on my idea.

"That's crazy!" he squeaks like a tiny mouse.

"Okay, okay, this is too much, I'm going to throw up anytime soon from laughing soon!" I yell at them.

Vanessa smiles slightly as Josh looks from her to me and from me to her, confusion running through his blood. He finally catches on and shakes his head at me.

"Erie!" he yells as someone whacks him on the shoulder and reminds him we are still backstage, where we are all supposed to be inaudible.

Sure, we are audible to the people on and off stage, but we aren't audible to deaf people. He mumbles a silent apology and pulls me in a playful chokehold, only for me to start coughing like I have a kilogram of sand obstructing my throat. I cough a lot uncontrollably until I can barely breathe.

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Hey there! Sorry if this chapter is kinda whack, I'm almost asleep and I just had to get this chapter out before I fell asleep. I'm free from the shackles of college for nine precious days. NINE PRECIOUS DAYS!

Also, did I mention that Ed Sheeran's new album is absolutely bomb?! It's so amazing and Galway Girl and Eraser tie as my favourites. What are your favourites?

Anyways, I'll try to update as quickly as I can but now, I've got to go sleep! Love y'all loads!😘😘

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