The Bound Souls

VII. oxymorons

"CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG!" Everyone was chanting it. It was like a mantra that pushed me to the edge and drove me to keep going. The liquid was prickly down my throat, but I forced myself to stop being such a wuss and finally tipped the bottle up, drowning the last of its remains. My head swam and everyone's voices blended together as they cheered and roared like crazy. Everything was in slow motion. Someone clapped me on my shoulder. Suddenly, I was being hoisted on someone else's shoulders. I don't know whose hands held me or whose arms were around me. And the voices started to blend into distant echoes.

I shook my head vigorously and just like that, everything snapped back into clear order. My eyes met Ryan across the crowd giving me an uneasy, worried smile. I told Alan to put me back down and he obliged, giving me space to make my way to Ryan.

"You okay?" He had to raise his voice over the loud music.

"Best I've been in a while!"

We decided to take a break and get something to eat so we headed to the kitchen. The music dimmed down a bit there, and only a few people lingered, including William and Jade. He said something that made her throw her head back and laugh, placing the cup that was once in her hand on the counter after some of it spilled a little on the floor.

"Hey there, wild ones," William teased once he spotted us, "why didn't you tell me beforehand that you were the life of the party?"

I rolled my eyes. "And you didn't tell me you were the life of the kitchen. You haven't left it since we came here."

"William, I told you. I'm fine here. You can go out and have fun and dance with your friends." Jade shoved her hands in her pockets, embarrassedly. Her tight outfit revealed her gorgeous curves, and I suddenly felt a pang of envy. I hadn't realized how blue her eyes actually were. They reminded me of a crisp, spring sky.

"It's alright. I'm the designated driver tonight, remember? And who says I'm not having fun tonight?" I was acutely aware of their touching sides.

"You know what, I know how I can fix this," Ryan said, "mine and William's house is pretty close to here. And Brooks is on the same block. We can leave our car here, walk to our house and crash there. And tomorrow we can drop Jade off. How does that sound?"

"Always the problem-solver, brother," William draped an arm around Ryan's shoulders. He was a bit taller than William, and I couldn't help but study how different they were. Other than the obvious fact that Ryan was black and William was white, their personalities starkly contrasted with each other. Ryan was always the golden boy everyone just couldn't help but love, whereas William had a certain aura around him that hinted he wasn't easy. He was never a troublemaker, but he just had this weird mischevious thing about him that attracted everyone ever since he enrolled into our school. Already, everyone knew him, and all the girls drooled over him.

I was snapped out of my gaze when Jade spoke."I don't know. . . It's a-"

"Oh, come on Jade. Loosen up a bit, it'll be okay," I interrupted her before she can give any more excuses. The night was young and I was ready to go back to the dance floor.