Gone.

Chapter 8: Catching Up

"Guysss!" our producer, Michael, said, slurring his words and staggering over to us, holding a red solo cup in the air with one hand and pointing at us with the other. I watched his feet trying to keep him upright, a smile crossing my face as I noticed his bloodshot eyes covered by his drooping lids. It smelled like booze and sweaty bodies, the faint smell of marijuana dancing at the edges of my nostrils as Pat went past me, pulling Michael into a bear hug. He grabbed the cup out of his hand, slamming it back and tossing it to the ground, Michael cheering him on. 

I stood at the door for a second, noticing the other bodies walking around the large dining room table, marble floors reflecting the soft light with shadows dancing across it. Heads were bobbing, music vibrating my stomach from an unknown source while Austin and Leo went headfirst into the crowd, slapping other's backs as they went by with a friendly greeting. I took a deep breath, begging my feet to move forward as more people started to file in, tanned girls in short dresses holding hands with boys in jeans and button-up shirts. 

I found my surroundings moving, glancing down at my feet as they propelled me forward, looking around for familiar faces. The bass continued to make a beat in my skull, my eyes feeling like they were moving in sync with it. I had reached the bar set up on the outskirts of the kitchen, the bartender dressed in all black, expertly twirling liquor bottles before pouring their contents into shot glasses placed carefully across the surface, lit up like a constellation. 

I held up a finger to him, watching him continue with twirling the bottle, his arm raised above his head while the liquor perfectly caught in the glass on the counter. A girl at the end of the bar started clapping, making no noise over the music. I noticed that the shot glasses were clattering against the surface, the bumping of the bass making them jump in time with the rhythm, some of them dancing across the surface slightly, their contents threatening to spill over the sides. 

I nodded my head at him as he slid the glass to me, noticing how slick the side of the glass was with leftover liquor. I tilted my head back, feeling the familiar burn of the alcohol as it slid down my throat, and I reminded myself that I only needed a few more to feel like I actually fit in here. 

You don't belong here though. You do remember that, right?

"I'll have what she's having!" I heard a familiar voice say, leaning completely over the counter to the bartender in front of him, his elbows resting against the surface. He turned his head up to look at me, a smile plastered across his face while his eyelids hung dangerously low. His cheeks were flushed, intoxication apparent on his face while he ran his tongue across his bottom lip, waiting for the bartender. 

"What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning down and shouting over the music. He was amused by this, his smile growing even larger before taking the shot, his eye widening while he set the glass down. 

"Listen," he said, putting an arm around my shoulders, "I am very famous."

I could hear the sarcasm in his voice, the alcohol from his breath raising goosebumps on my arms and before I could stop it, a small smile crossed my face, the bartender sliding another shot of liquor across the top, his hands never stopping. 

"Is that right?" I shouted again, sarcastically, grabbing for the shot and taking it, his arm still around my shoulders. I felt them tense, the warmth of his arm radiating into my upper arms and neck, tingling the skin that he was now touching. I bit my lip, trying to hold in the smile that was still trying to work it's way across my face while I looked up at him. 

"There's that smile!" he said, cupping my chin in his hand, his forefinger and thumb on opposite sides of my mouth, squeezing roughly until my lips were similar to that of a fish. His eyes were bright, despite the heaviness of his eyelids, and full of life. He looked happy, flashing his smile to others, lazily looking around.