Fall ❈ Benny Rodriguez

x. far alone

CHAPTER TEN!
FAR ALONE　G-EAZY

THE HAZY ATMOSPHERE in the house nearly choked me the moment I walked inside. It was no wonder Leah had so avidly denied the invitation to this party.

　Admittedly, I had not been to many parties. I had always preferred staying home on my own, spending time with friends. The possibility of interacting with strangers was not appealing. But the house was big and close to the typical image of a teenage party. Bodies littered the space, lounged on couches and pressed in every corner. They were messes of laughter and idiocy.

　Ivy slipped her hand into mine, leaned over to speak in my ear: "We're going upstairs. Kit and Mace are there."

　Despite myself, I laughed, although I could hardly hear it over the music. "Why am I not surprised?"

　She grinned and gave my hand an excited squeeze. A lot of the partygoers were active, so Ivy and I had to squeeze into every crook that we could find. A couple of times, we had to shove our way past. Eventually, we reached the staircase. By then, I was already beginning to sweat. Fortunately, I was wearing a green tank top beneath my green flannel.

　As promised, Mason and Kit were upstairs. It must have been a regular spot, because Ivy seemed to know exactly where she was going. She pushed open a door, and the two boys were seated on the bare floor, atop an oval white rug lined with stitches of pale flowers, puffing at cigarettes.

　"Hey!" Ivy grinned, arms rising above her head upon entrance. The boys smiled when they looked up at us.

　"Hey, ladies," Mace greeted, one eyelid dropping in a wink. His now bubblegum pink hair fell toward his eyes, and his eyes squinted with his growing grin.

　"Finally, now the party can really start." Kit hopped to his feet, half of a cigarette burning between his lips. The whites of his eyes were spidered with red.

　"Not really," I said, pausing to shut the door behind me. "Everyone else still has to get here."

　"Well, while we wait," said Kit, moving to throw an arm around my shoulders, "we can start a little early. Care for some...green?" In a dramatic motion, he pulled half of a joint from his pocket.

　A slow smile turned on my lips. "Okay."

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WHEN the others—Benny, Kat, and Bertram—arrived, I was already feeling quite wonderful. I didn't smoke too much, just in case I needed a bit of sobriety, but Mace was the one to keep the shots coming.

　I had never been much of a fan of alcohol. But cinnamon Fireball had a sort of satisfying taste. I liked the way the cinnamon burned its way down my throat and overcame the taste of alcohol. By the time our personal section of the party was complete, I had downed five shots and felt the effects of being cross-faded.

　Mostly I just felt dizzy. And the galaxy light spinning slowly on the ceiling did nothing to help. The others entered the room to find me spread out atop the rug, and the others forming half of a circle around me. Weird thoughts were flitting across my mind at an insane pace—and they were hilarious.

　Bertram made his way to me instantly; his mouth was pulled into a goofy grin as he fell to sit beside me. "Kay? You all right?"