Gray Days

Chapter 27B: The Last Colorful Day

27B

Rut.

The day after, Zoey's back in being my Biology tutor and I have to admit, I like her more when she's not tutoring me. Now I don't even remember why I asked her to teach me in the first place. I roll over her bed until I find her lap and rest my head. Gary also finds his way on her lap beside her. "Harry's parents are out of town tonight and he's throwing a party. Everyone's invited. Will you come with me?"

She's writing some notes I'm not going to read in my notebook and I keep telling her they're no use but she's doing it anyway. "You know I don't thrive in parties."

I pout and pull myself up to her face until she shoves me out of the way so she can continue to write. "If you'll come, I'll be serious with Biology. How's that?"

This gets her attention and she looks at me, trying to figure out if I'm telling the truth until she does and finally agrees to come with me. As I drive to Harry's, I keep repeating in my head that I shouldn't drink a lot and make sure what happened last time won't happen again. Ever.

Lancelot greets us by the door who's already and clearly drunk since he's now fully transformed into a medieval knight with a silver bonnet for a helmet, and he welcomes us with medieval pleasantries in a British accent and I don't understand anything but, "Welcome! Welcome!"

"You're drunk, Lance," Zoey laughs.

Gale slides in beside Lancelot and smacks him hard at the back of his head which almost instantly makes him sober. "He's not drunk. He's just being a dork. Oh, and he's now leading a cult, Zoey." Moving to the side, Gale reveals a couple of other guys and girls dressed in ancient garments the same as Lancelot's. She breathes a sigh of relief and immediately takes Zoey by the hand and drags her across the room to probably somewhere quiet. But with the music blasting and banging ike the King Kong, I doubt there's somewhere quiet in about two blocks.

Lancelot goes back to his 'cult' and I stride to the kitchen where Samantha is acting bartender again. "So you're with Zoey now? She doesn't seem like your type." She hands me a bottle.

"She's great." And that's only an understatement because out of everyone I know (except Rigel), she understands.

"I guess the massage is out then," she pouts.

"You know I don't sleep with anyone when I date." I ask for another bottle and she hands me one.

"That's why you shouldn't date."

"You'll find a guy, Sammy, and you'll be a great couple. You'll get all the massage you want and you'll forget I was even here." I give her a no-bullshit smile and excuse myself to find Brad and Harry and the other guys. In the living room, they're playing some sort of game where they drink booze from a small basin facedown and afterwards do a back flip using the couch as a springboard. Talk about insane and we do it best.

"You're next, Rut!" Brad laughs and I laugh and he tries to wipe the excess juice on his face but the guys won't let him so he dashes over the couch and flips facedown on the floor. "I think I broke my nose!" he groans and everybody's just focusing their phones on him and laughing until he made his way to me and shoves me in the center.

"This is new!"

"Hell it's new," Brad shouts over the crowd in pain, cupping his nose.

"The first-aid is in the third cupboard to the left. Someone, anyone, please! Thank you!" Harry and the guys start pouring beer inside the basin and once it's filled halfway, they stop and ready their phones for my turn. "Let's give it up for Finn Anthony Rutledge, y'all!"

Crowds cheer.

I don't know what would Zoey think of this but I'm doing it anyway. I take a deep breath and dive into booze pool and they count about thirteen seconds until I empty the basin and it takes another three seconds to get my eyes clear, then I dash out to the couch and do the flip, standing on my feet without a scratch. Crowds cheer again. Brad is still groaning. "This is definitely going into the page," Harry yells.

I find Zoey and Gale on the stairs on my way to the bathroom and join them when I get back. They're watching the videos Harry posted on our Facebook page until they find and watch mine, then after watching, Zoey looks at me with an expression somewhere in between stupefaction and astonishment and I can only grin with it.

"That was so cool," Gale comments.

I turn to Zoey. "She thinks it's cool."

Zoey shakes her head and goes back to watching another video. This time it's Lancelot. He sucks the booze like it was plain, tap water then without halt, sprints and does the flip, stumbling to his feet, but he exclaims like he's just won an Olympic so I guess he's fine. "Now he's definitely drunk." Gale pockets her phone and goes on to babysit her cousin. "This is why I don't come to parties with him," she grouches and disappears inside the crowd.

Occupying the space Gale left, I wait for Zoey to say something but she doesn't so I lean my chin on her shoulder and when she turns to me, I steal a quick kiss on her lips. She narrows her eyes and asks, "Are you drunk?"

"No." I shake my head. "But I owe you a dance." Straightening my posture, I offer her a hand. "I didn't get a chance to dance with you during your birthday. If me-lady Zoey should be a good lass and have this dance, this lad would have the best night of his life," I do my best imitation of Lancelot and she likes it. I can tell she likes it because she giggles and she has that beautiful smile on her pinkish lips and she takes my hand.

We dance in the basement for what it feels like hours and back in her room, we dance a little more to Ed Sheeran and when we are in bed, I kiss her and hold her close because she is mine and I love her more than I have ever loved anyone.