Lavender

Chapter Eight

The alcohol hits me in small waves as I push through the hordes of people in the hallways. I barely miss a drink spilling on me and giggle instead of apologizing. The guy glares at me but is quickly subdued by a random girl coming up to him and kissing him. I cringe and continue making my way through the crowd. Did more people come in the last hour? A thing slice of pain cracks in my head, an ache staking a claim to make my life a living hell in a few hours. I groan and fall into the arms of a guy who immediately gropes my shoulders. I'm quick to push myself to my wobbly feet and walk toward one of the hallways on the first floor. I've never been drunk before, but I think the proper term is tipsy. I have an hour or two to slowly transition into drunkenness, which is just beyond... wonderful. The only other time I drank alcohol Wyatt dragged me to a party one weekend and I'd taken a sip of his beer, spit it out like it was poison, and never drank anything alcoholic again. The taste is disgusting, and the side effects aren't worth it.

While searching for the bathroom on the first floor, I promise myself to never drink ever again. Doesn't everyone always say that when they're hit with the consequences? I actually mean it. This is the first and last time I will ever drink. I only did it to endure a ruthless game with two cruel people. One of which wanted me to kiss another boy knowing I have a boyfriend. Who even does that? I shouldn't be surprised she was supporting infidelity. And of course Holden would start making out with her on the floor in front of a hundred people. With the way they were kissing and touching each other, you would think they had five minutes left together before he had to go off to save the world or something. Thinking about that disastrous couple causes my stomach to whirl and my teeth to grind. I push them out of my mind and the mission to find a bathroom to the front.

My head is pounding, and I move slower than normal down the dimly lit narrow hallway. The first few doors I burst through without even being polite enough to knock on are occupied by couples kissing each other, and I can only imagine what's behind the closed doors. Images start to fill my head and I stop them immediately. I don't want to think about that. Not now, and certainly not ever. I turn down another hallway and find the same problem. Locked doors, doors I regret opening, and closets I want to hide in for the rest of the night while this tipsy trip I'm on fades away. I begin to give up and contemplate calling a cab to take me home, when I finally find a bathroom at the end of the hallway, but there's a girl puking in the tub and another girl holding her hair back. The sober girl apologizes and offers letting me use the toilet, but I wordlessly close the door and lean against the wooden door. This is not fair. Irritated, I kick the door and rub my throbbing head before continuing my mission. I need to pee, and I refuse to waddle all the way back to the dorms to finally do it. I push off the door and head for the stairs.

Once upstairs, I start opening doors like it's crazy. I don't bother knocking, though, at a few doors I wish I had. The moments I walk in on are unforgiving and worsen the nausea. I slap a hand over my mouth and find the bathroom because of a sign stating it is in fact a bathroom, but it's locked. I groan and my eyes flitter over to Holden's bedroom at the end of the hall. Maybe he has a bathroom. I mean, based on the rooms I've rudely stumbled in tonight, his is the largest so maybe he has his own bathroom. I wouldn't be surprised if he intimidated everyone and took the master suite before anyone could challenge him. He is such a prick. I gasp at the insult and giggle to myself. I've never called someone a prick before... it feels kind of nice. I stumble over to his door and push it open. A wave of his scent of cinnamon and vanilla shampoo hits me, and I smile. It's a nice smell. Finding the door to his ensuite I sigh in relief at the sight of a toilet and do my business, wash my hands and face in hopes of waking my sleepy eyes, and fall back onto his bed.

As I stare up at the white ceiling, I replay tonight's events in my head. I came here with the intention of sitting on the couch and keeping my semi-serious promise to Holden but ended up getting tipsy and playing numerous rounds of Truth or Dare, a game I hadn't thought college students still played. I thought I'd throw a ball into a cup or watch people race each other to chug down a whole can of bear, not sit around a circle with people I barely know and divulge sensitive information and take shots and watch two of the most nightmarish people I know dry hump each other on the ground. I wish I'd gotten up when Sophia challenged me to play. I wouldn't be laying on Holden's bed, cradling his pillow to my stomach and breathing in his lovely scent.