Misadventures (Tony Perry's Daughter)

Sober Up and Bury the Empty Cup

I buried my face into Vic's neck as he spun us around in circles. I couldn't stop giggling. Vic stopped spinning and I wrapped my legs tighter around his waist so he wouldn't drop me. Vic used to spin me around like this when I was a child, especially if I was sad, scared, or uneasy. It's been quite a few years since he's done this with me and I didn't really want him to stop. I didn't want to grow up. Vic planted a kiss on my cheek and I could smell the beer on his breath, "I don't want you to get any bigger, baby turtle."

"Me either." I replied.

"Hey Turtle, can Baby Turtle have an alcohol?" Eric from I Prevail asked Dad. Dad shrugged, "If she wants one, yes. But only one."

Vic pulled my legs off of him and set me down on the concrete, "Go get something fruity, like what Niamh has."

I nodded and walked over to the table where all the alcohol was. I didn't want to say no since everyone was rooting for me. Eric handed me a red solo cup, "Cake batter vodka with fruit juice. It tastes like a Starburst."

I took the drink from him and took a small sip. It tasted like sweet heaven. I smiled up at him, "Thank you, Eric."

He smiled at me, "You're welcome Munchkin."

I skipped over to Dad and Vic, who were now sitting on the pavement, both strumming guitars, and sat down in between them. I took a big gulp of my drink and Dad grabbed my arm, "Whoa. If you chug it you could get a buzz. You didn't get straight up vodka, did you?"

I shook my head, "No."

In reality I don't know how much vodka Eric put in it. He wouldn't put too much in it since I'm only fourteen, would he? He's nice enough to not do that. Dad raised an eyebrow and held his hand out. I sighed and handed him my drink. He sniffed it before taking a small sip and handing it back to me, "You're clear."

This party just got started and it already seems like a lot of fun. I wanted to dispose of my drink because I always have this fear I'll get addicted to alcohol or a cop will just appear and take me away if he finds out I've tried alcohol while underage but it tasted like candy and I really wanted to keep it, so I took another swig. 

As the night went on, everyone started to become plastered. Or as everyone in Neck Deep kept saying, 'pissed', which made me laugh more than I thought it could. Fil had been bringing me cups of fruit punch all night because he said he wanted to get on my good side and wanted me to be comfortable with him enough to talk. I still don't get why people want me to talk to them. I'm not cool. I'm not interesting. I'm just a normal fourteen year old girl that homeschools and travels around with her dad's band. 

"In order from CD release, my favorite songs are A Part of Me, Crushing Grief, and Kali Ma." I said to Ben in reply to his question of what my favorite Neck Deep songs are. Dani and Fil whooped from beside me, "In order of CD release? You sound like a nerd."

I nodded, "I make all A's."

I don't know if it's because everyone else is drunk but I couldn't help myself from talking. I felt comfortable. Jaime skipped by us, pausing his weird dance to lean down and grab my hand, "Dance with me, tortuga bebe."

I shook my head and giggled before standing up. Or trying to, at least. I stumbled around a little and fell into Jaime. I must have been sitting for too long. Jaime grabbed me but stumbled himself, "Have you been drinking?"

I shook my head, "No alcohol, just fruit punch. I promise."

Jaime nodded and proceeded to pull me into his arms before trying to dramatically tango around the parking lot. I couldn't stop from laughing and I also couldn't stop from tripping and stumbling. When the both of us tripped and fell to the pavement and I still couldn't stop laughing. Jaime grabbed my cheeks and make my lips pucker up, forcing me to look at him, "Juliet have you been drinking?"

"No." I replied. I only had the one drink that Eric made for me earlier. The rest has been just fruit punch. Jaime narrowed his eyes at me before leaning in and smelling my breath, "Juliet you smell like straight up alcohol. Tell me the truth."

"It ish da truf." I tried to say. Jaime removed his hands from my face and shook his head, "You're drunk and you're telling me you haven't drank any alcohol, even though you smell like you've had an entire bottle?"

I nodded, "I had one drink earlier that Eric made me. Dad even tried it to make sure there wasn't a lot of alcohol in it. I've had nothing but fruit punch after that. I promise."

Jaime sighed and pulled me into a hug, "I don't believe you but I'm too drunk to get onto you. Just go have fun, don't do anything stupid, and DON'T drink anymore."

I nodded in agreeance and made my way over to Dani. He ruffled my hair up, which made me stumble. He raised his eyebrows, "You alright little turtle?"

I shook my head, "Jaime thinks I'm drunk and I haven't drank anything other than that one drink and I can't be drunk."

Dani nodded before picking me up bridal style and carrying me towards the Pierce the Veil tour bus. Fil came up beside us before we entered the bus and looked at Dani, "What're you doin' Dani? She's fourteen."

"Fuck off, mate." Dani said before pushing Fil away and taking me inside the tour bus. He set me down on the couch before going through the cabinets in the kitchen. I watched him as he found a cup and put water in it before handing it to me.

"Why did Fil tell you how old I am?"

Dani sighed before sitting down beside me, "What do most guys like to do with girls when they are drunk?"

I shrugged, "Dance?"

I only knew how my family was when drunk. They liked to dance. Especially Jaime. He would dance with a tree if he could pull it out of the ground. Dani chuckled, "You're so innocent it's adorable. A lot of guys like to take advantage of drunk girls. Fil thought I was wanting to take advantage of you."

"You mean like sex?" I asked as I spit my water back into my cup.

Dani nodded, "Yes."

I looked over at Dani, "You want to have sex with me?!"

Dani shook his head, his eyes wide, "No, no, no. It's nothing like that. When bands tour together we become like family. You're like a little sister. A very innocent little sister that must be protected. I don't know how you became pissed but you are. I only brought you in here so you can have water and crisps to sober up."

I looked down at the cup in my hands, "You wouldn't want to have sex with me? Is something wrong with me? Am I not pretty?"

Dani sighed again before taking the cup from my hands and standing up. He poured the water into the sink before filling the cup with fresh water and handing it back to me, "Juliet, I haven't even thought anything like that about you. You're fourteen, a minor. I promise nothing is wrong with you, you just aren't my age. And yes, you are very pretty. Guys your age know that. Now drink your water."

I leaned back onto the couch and drank the water. I finished the glass and Dani filled it up again before handing it back to me. The bus door opened and Dad dashed in before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into a tight hug, making me spill water on us.

"Daaaaaad." I complained.

He responded by stroking my hair, "My poor baby is drunk. I told you only one drink. How do you feel? Are you going to be sick? How many heads do I have?"

"I only had one drink. I swear. I must have bad alcohol immunity. You have one head. Get off me." I replied.

Dad shook his head before planting a drunken kiss on my forehead, "It's okay, baby, daddy's here."

I looked up at Dani, "Help me."