Drowning

Chapter 3:

Brynn was beyond wild and she hadn't even started drinking yet. She hung her head out of my car window, screaming as she flashed every car we drove past. She only paused long enough to text back and forth with some of the guys we had graduated with. She smiled when she found a graduation party a couple of blocks away for us to go to.

"Please! Please! Please!" She begged me to drive us there. Brynn was in rare form tonight. I wasn't sure taking her to a party was the best idea.

Watching Brynn's erratic behavior in the car, I knew I wouldn't have any other option than to play the role of the sober friend tonight to keep her out of trouble. When I partied with Brynn, I always seemed to have to keep an eye on her. Brynn couldn't be trusted to stay away from the alcohol long enough so I could drink too. One of us had to be the responsible one, and it always ended up being me.

I drove down the street and parked a few houses up. Brynn was out of the car and dancing in the street before I was even able to open my car door. She ran around and looped her arm in mine and pulled me up to the house.

We walked in the front door and were immediately handed some drinks. Brynn tossed hers back quickly and then grabbed the one I had in my hand. She swallowed the second drink in one gulp. This was going to be an interesting night if she was going to keep going like this.

The party was very typical of a normal high school party. It looked more like a chill and play video games with a beer scene than a drink until you pass out kind of party. I really wanted to leave even though we just got here.

Brynn moved from my side and went to talk to some guy across the room. I was standing there by myself, looking like a wallflower. He grabbed her arm and led her out into the back yard. She was smiling and laughing at him the whole way. Brynn had found another playmate tonight.

I sat down in a chair and watched some of the guys playing some shooter game for a few minutes. This party was not at all exciting and I was bored out of my mind. If this type of party was Brynn's vision of a good time, then I was definitely reconsidering our friendship.

Loud giggling cut through my boredom and I looked over in the corner of the room. My ex-boyfriend of one year had his new girlfriend sitting on his lap and his tongue was down her throat. Of all the parties I could have ended up at, why did I have to be at the one he came to? There was a lot of bad blood between us and I didn't want to watch him with his hands all over her, reminding me of how pathetic I was. My self-esteem was low enough without the added insult.  I didn't need the reminder.

I got up quietly to sneak past them and went outside to look for Brynn. She was in the backyard behind a bush on her knees in front of the guy she went outside with. Her head was moving up and down over him vigorously. I covered my eyes and turned around to go back inside to wait for her. I didn't need to see what I just saw either. I had known what she was probably doing with that guy, but I didn't need the visual evidence to prove it. Watching my ex canoodling with his new girl felt less awkward than watching what Brynn was doing.

About two hours later, Brynn finally came up for air. She came back in and decided it was time to start flashing the group of guys sitting around the couch playing video games. Her eyes had no focus and rolled back into her head when she pulled the top of her dress down to expose herself. Brynn was trashed.

"Who wants a turn next?" She asked in a slurred voice standing in front of the TV. The guys paused their game and looked at her, smiling. It was time to step in and save my friend from herself.

"C'mon, Brynn, let's go take a walk." I stood up and walked over to her trying to coax her to follow me.

"No...no... walk." She slurred and lowered her head next to my cheek. She proceeded to stick out her tongue and lick my face.

"You did not just do that." I looked at her dumbfounded.  She was completely out of her mind.

Some of the guys on the couch began cheering her on, trying to get her to show them more.  I was done with this nonsense. It was time for us to leave.

As I grabbed her arm to go, I heard the groans of the guys on the couch. One guy even had the audacity to call me a "bitch". I looked back and gave the couch a death glare. Brynn was blackout drunk and needed to go sleep it off.

I couldn't believe any of those guys would think about messing with her when she was this intoxicated. When they saw the serious look on my face, they turned back around to their video games, forgetting about my inebriated best friend. I was lucky that guys our age had a really short attention span or I would be beating them off with sticks to get away.

"That's what I thought." I said through gritted teeth. I turned and flipped them off before walking my best friend out of the front door.

I managed to keep Brynn steady enough to get to my car. She was a lot heavier than she looked, but she didn't put up much of a fight. She was about half a foot taller than I was, and we must have looked like a circus act as she leaned against me. When I got to the driver's seat, I ran through my options. There was no way I could take her to her house and leave her by herself. I wasn't sure what she would do if I left her. She didn't live in the safest neighborhood either and staying there at night always made me uncomfortable. It was pretty much a known rule that you don't go there by yourself after dark. I couldn't take her to my house because my parents were home.

I pulled out my phone and called the one place I knew I could go.

"Hello?" Anna shouted through the speaker. I could barely hear her over the band playing in the background.

"Hey Anna, Brynn drank herself stupid. Can we still come over tonight?"

"Sure, the boys are practicing, but I'll let JD know. We can start the party when you get here." She yelled.

"Be there in about 15 minutes." I told her. I ignored the part about the party, I had designated myself as the responsible one tonight and Brynn was too far gone for me to drink even at JD's place.

JD's house had always been a safe haven for me. His band were my brothers and knew JD would kill them if anything happened to me. He had secretly developed a kind of guard rotation and assigned them to keep an eye on me whenever I was around. After too many drinks one night, and multiple jokes at my expense, the guys decided to call it "Riley duty". They would salute JD when they were assigned to babysit me. I really didn't need a babysitter. My big brother was just paranoid. It was not like I was a bad girl who got into trouble all the time. I had stayed pretty tame even with all the parties I attended with him and his friends. For the most part, anyway.

I drove along, heading towards the house. Brynn stayed silent in the passenger seat. I was afraid she was going to puke all over my car, so I was relieved when she began snoring. I felt so bad for Brynn. She was always looking for the next bit of something to replace what she wasn't getting at home. It made me appreciate my family even more in these moments. It wasn't like she had someone like JD who she could run to when she needed him or would do anything to keep her safe, even if it meant he got in trouble defending her.

When I pulled up to the house, I tried to shake her awake.  She began snoring even louder when I moved her. I realized there was no way I would be able to get her inside without some help. I reached for my phone and texted Anna.

Me: "Can you see if one of the guys can come out to carry her in? She's passed out in my car."

Anna: "Hold on, Aiden's on his way."