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ೃ⁀➷ 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑
↳ ❝ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 ✰ 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 ¡! ❞
"𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠."

MY EYES FLUTTER open and closed, my head pounding and I lift it off of what feels like a car seat, "What the fuck happened now?" I groan and my words slur, my eyes now shut as I sit in between two people.

I open my eyes, blinking away the blurriness in my eyes as I glance around me, taking in my surroundings with tired eyes to see two people sitting next to me, Steven and Conrad.

"This doesn't look like Noah's room?" I mumble and Steven's expression turns to one of disgust.

"Gross, I do not need to hear about your love life." Steven replies before I look over at him with a hazy glare – then tilting my head to the side, noticing his frown.

I can't help but let my drunk thoughts take over, "Aw, turn that frown upside down sunshine. There's nothing to be sad about." I slur before poking Steven's cheek with my pointer finger and letting out a childish giggle.

I see the confusion flood his expression, "Don't touch me, I'm fine." He grumbles, smacking my finger away from his face causing me to gasp dramatically, clearly still intoxicated.

"You sit on a throne of lies, good sir." I reply in a mocking voice and Conrad pulls a face from beside me.

"Did you just quote Buddy from Elf?" Conrad looks over at me and I giggle once seeing him, "Hey Conrad." I say in a sing-song tone.

"Hey Gwensie" Conrad giggles back and we give each other a high five. He is just as wasted as I am.

"How drunk are you two?" Selena's head then pokes in between the seats which causes me to flinch.

"God you're like a pop up book from hell. Where the hell did you come from?" I look back at Selena with wide eyes, blinking away the blur in my eyes. She tilts her head with an unimpressed expression.

"Quit quoting things from shows, I know you got that from Gilmore Girls." She lets out an exasperated sigh before turning to Steven who is pouting while leaning on his hand.

"Seriously, what's going on with you?" Selena turns to Steven and the boy looks back at her – shaking his head in dismissal, almost waving her off. 

"I'm fine, it's whatever." He mutters and Conrad pipes up, "He's crying because he misses his girlfriend." Steven sends Conrad a glare which earns him, Conrad putting his hands up in false surrender.

I let out another childish laugh – like a toddler who just got their first toy. I shift in my seat in between the two older boys, trying to get comfortable; however, Steven's knee is touching mine and sends a small shiver up my spine.

So in return I nudge his knee, and he just looks at me with his eyebrows raised, "What?" He asks, pulling a face.

I nudge his leg again when he doesn't catch the hint, "What?!" He raises his voice slightly which causes me to roll my eyes.

"Move your knee, you're in my space." I murmur, my eyes unfocusing a bit before I nudge his knee once more.

"I am not in your space," He tilts his head and gives me an unimpressed look.

"Yes you are, you're touching me, which means you're in my bubble." I deadpan and he scoffs.

"Oh, I am not in your bubble!" He rolls his eyes at me and I smack his knee.

"Ow, what the hell?" He gives me a look of disbelief and I roll my eyes.

"You are manspreading." I slur a little bit and he blows raspberries in response, I go to say something more but Selena speaks up.

"Can you two please stop arguing like children? You're making my sanity drop to the negatives and I'm sure I'll grab my keys and rip my eardrums out with them." She interrupts me and gives us both a look, however, Steven then points at me.

"Well, she started it," He turns to Selena and I push his finger down.

"I did not-." I am suddenly interrupted by the sound of Jeremiah's voice from the front.

"Where are we dropping you guys?" Jeremiah pipes up from the driver's seat and Selena sighs to herself.

"Just to Gwen's house, I'll make sure she's okay." Selena slouches back, I only notice now she has been sitting in the trunk of the car the entire time.

"I'm so sorry for the trouble. I know this must be a pain cramming us both in here with all of you guys." She sends an apologetic smile to Jeremiah through the rearview mirror.

"Don't worry about it, Star." Jeremiah replies, waving her off as well as returning her smile. As soon as I hear his response, my face scrunches up in confusion.

"Star? Who the fuck is star? Last time I checked, stars are in the sky and there is no one named Star in this car– Hey! That rhymed." I murmur and Steven chuckles lightly to my left.

"Dude, you're rambling." He mutters to me.

"What?" I look at him with my brows raised and my eyes slightly droopy.

"You're rambling." He states and my mouth opens slightly while I nod.

"Oh. oops." I reply and lean back in my seat, staring at the roof of the car, I could swear I hear Steven chuckling.

I lean my head down on the seat and close my eyes for what seems like hours; however , my tired state is interrupted by the sudden sounds of a police siren wailing from behind the car.

My eyes shoot open immediately that familiar sound, "Oh fuck, the cops." I slouch into my seat and look around with a scared look, my eyes wide and merely bloodshot. Steven just scoffs at me who is next to him and leans against the window.

"Have you kids been drinking?" An officer came up to the window and questions Jeremiah in the driver's seat – shining a flashlight into the car. I give Conrad a guilty side glance knowing the two of us are very intoxicated. I am so going to regret this in the morning.

...

Apparently, Selena and I can't even go back to my house. My mother is out of town for the night on a date with her asshole boyfriend Thomas, and because Selena and I are only 16, we have to stay in the very house the rest of the kids are dropped off to: The summer house.

Yet, at this very moment I don't even care where I am, my legs are tingling and my head is pounding. Seems like the alcohol is catching up to me.

I am sitting on the floor, my back against the side of the bench Conrad is sitting on. My legs are sprawled out on the floor in front of me, my mind feels almost empty, no thoughts just space. I can't help but just stare blankly at my feet – my vision unfocusing every few seconds – I try to move my feet but I can't feel them.

Beside me Selena is standing awkwardly against the wall in the main hallway in the Beck summer house. She has her arms folded across her chest, as we feel the slight breeze from the open door.

Belly is standing in the corner of the room, wrapping herself with a jacket I don't think is hers. It looks too big to be hers. Next to her is Steven. I don't pay attention to him but he was staring down at his feet. Jeremiah is doing the same, leaning his right side of his body against the opposite wall I'm leaning against. Conrad looks done with everything, holding his head in his hand as he massages his temples.

"Officers, thank you," Laurel says politely, her arms wrapped around her small frame. "It won't happen again, I can promise you that much. And I'll make sure the girls get home safely once their parents return."

"Tell Mr. Fisher the chief wants to set up a tee time when he gets back in town," the male officer states, after that I seem to zone out of the conversation – my head feels like it is about to explode and my eyelids feel heavy.

"Absolutely," Laurel nods. "Sorry again for all the trouble. Have a good night, Officers." I hear her say which slowly makes me blink away my blurry vision.  She shuts it carefully behind them, being quick to spin around with a stern look across her face.

"How could you guys be so irresponsible?" She's mainly speaking to the four kids that actually live in the place, so I wasn't necessarily listening but I still caught what she was saying.

"Mom, it wasn't a big deal," Steven complains, stepping forward in front of everyone. I notice how tall he looks from where I am sitting so I look up at him with a bright, tipsy grin on my lips. "Alright, seriously. The cops were just looking to break up the bonfire."

"Not a big deal?" Laurel raises her brows.

"Yes."

"I would say getting picked up by the cops for underage drinking and having someone in the back of the car without a seatbelt is a pretty big deal, Steven," she retorts.

I slowly begin to lose interest in the conversation before I smell something. I sniff once more, I can smell the most pleasant thing ever, marijuana.

"Is it just me, or can I smell sweet, sweet cannabis?" I ask, the biggest beam across my face ever. I kept the tipsy grin on my lips before I received a kick to my leg, "Ow- what the fuck?"

Selena whips the upper half of her body to the side to face me as she pushes her index finger against her lip. I narrow my eyes and stick my tongue out at her before facing back to the Conklin mother and son.

"Yes, Gwen," Steven shares a brief glance with me on the ground before turning back to his mother, "you can smell cannabis. Were— were you guys smoking tonight?"

"What?" Everyone stares at the woman. Her face goes red slightly from embarrassment. "Keep your voice down. Susannah's asleep on the couch." I don't say this out loud, Steven definitely wasn't yelling, but Laurel was.

"Wh— I wasn't yelling," Steven defends himself, "you— you were—" he cuts himself off when his best friend stepped forward beside him.

"Just so you know, Laurel, I— I didn't drink," Jeremiah claims. "I was the DD. I swear."

"Well, you were driving, so why didn't you make sure you didn't have someone in the back where bags are supposed to go, not people?" she asks, but she doesn't give Jeremiah a chance to answer as she turns to Conrad. "You're the oldest. What the hell's gotten into you?" Then she turns to me on the floor.

"Same with you, Gwen, what happened to you? This isn't like you." I slowly shrink back, I can't help but feel insecure about my drinking habits, even as drunk as I am. Laurel looks up at her daughter. "And when did you leave the house without telling anybody? And what in the world are you wearing?"

"It's Taylor's," Belly clarifies, pushing herself off the wall as she covers her front with the jacket she's wearing self-consciously. "And why am I the only one who's not allowed to go out?"

"It's not that you're not allowed, it's that you should have told us you were going. How did you even get there?"

"I walked," she answers quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"Jesus, you know better than to walk that far down the beach alone late at night!"

"Can you stop treating me like a kid?"

"If you want to be treated like an adult, you need to act like one."

"Then maybe you guys should too," Conrad finally speaks, eyeing the woman from the corner of his eyes. He shrugs casually, as if he knows he stands correct. My eyes widen slightly at his comment, he never stood up to Laurel like this before.

"What does that mean?" Laurel questions, earning another shrug in response. She turns to face the rest of the other four kids. "I hope you realize this night could have ended a lot differently if your family wasn't your family." Then she turns to me. "And you're lucky that you're close friends with this family." I can't help but feel ashamed, I was drunk, unable to feel my legs and getting lectures by Laurel after avoiding her and her family for years.

And then Selena. "Even though it was stupid and dangerous, you're lucky you were in the car with them."

Selena nods instantly, "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."

Everyone's gaze lands on Selena and I was already gazing up at her with doe type eyes. I don't know what she's thinking right now but I hope she's okay.

"We're all sorry, Laur," Jeremiah says, sounding genuine.

"Just..." she seals her eyes for a second, feeling exhausted, "go to bed, guys." She faces me again before the rest leave. "Do you have anywhere to go tonight? You can't return home unless a parent is there."

Selena shakes her head. "No. He's back in New York getting the rest of our things. I just moved here today. I was supposed to stay with Gwen for the night."

"Damn, you're screwed then, because I don't think we're allowed to go back home— Oh no, am I homeless?" My eyes widen and I freak out suddenly, my mind is spiraling and it suddenly hits me that I can't stand.

"No, Gwen, you're not homeless," Selena answers quietly. "C'mon, get up—"

"Oh God, I think I'm dying," I hold her hand over my chest while my other hand pats my thighs. "I can't feel my legs. Oh God, guys, I can't feel my legs. What do I do?" I stare up at my best friend.

I see Selena swallowing thickly, slowly turning back to Laurel. She sighs heavily as she tells her kids once again to go to bed. She walks over to Selena and I. "You'll have to stay here for the night. Thanks for actually being a responsible teenager. Seems we don't get very many of them, do we, Gwen?"

"No, not really," I say still panicking as I answer in a rush. "I'm beginning to question my choices, Laurel." I look down at my legs, poking at my thighs trying to feel something.

"You should be," she says. She rips her eyes away from Gwen and toward me again. "What's your name, honey?"

"Uh—" I accidentally interrupted Selena when I feel my stomach rumble and my chest close up slightly.

"Oh, God, the whole fucking universe is spinning," I lean forward, my hands gripping onto my stomach suddenly. Laurel curses under her breath as she quickly rushes to the kitchen to grab a bag or something. Selena crouches down beside me as Laurel hurries back into the hallway with a plastic bag. I immediately grab onto it , and Selena takes a hold of my hair while I throw up whatever contents are within my stomach. I cringe at myself, trying to keep more down but I can't control it.

I throw up for a solid three minutes yet it feels like forever. Laurel goes back to the kitchen to get some water for – what I will assume – is for me.

After the throwing up ends after what feels like an eternity, I feel tears brim my eyes as I look at Selena. "I'm being so fucking for real right now, I think I drank something with poison in it."

Selena raises her eyebrows skeptically at me, "You haven't been poisoned, Gwen," She comforts me, running her  fingers soothingly through my curls. "You'll be fine. You just need to sleep it off."

"Dude, I can't feel my legs at all— what do I do?" My eyes brim with more tears, the frustration and almost desperation evident in my voice. I am scared, I don't know what is happening to me.

I let the tears fall down my cheeks, putting my face in my hands. Selena has been trying to comfort me for what feels like forever now, showing her concern for me and Laurel doing the same.

After ten minutes of me crying, Selena tells Laurel that she can go back to bed and that she can handle me. It took a lot of persuasion, but it works. Selena ends up having to cradle me in her own arms to calm me down, and it works – I let myself fall asleep easily, the crying making my eyes heavier than they were.

I am sleeping peacefully, I am not focused on anything else but my own breathing and the void of my eyelids. Yet my blissful state is interrupted by my thoughts, why on earth is my mouth so dry? I feel a pillow underneath my head and a feeling of coziness on my legs, a blanket.

I slowly stir awake, my eyes drifting all over the place, drooping heavily, "God, did I run a marathon or something?" I ask rhetorically. "Why is my mouth so dry? I don't fucking know—" I mumble and pause as my eyes land on Jeremiah and Selena as the two stare down at me. "Oh, hi Jeremiah." I let a wide, sweet and droopy smile on my lips again.

"Hi, Gwen," he replies, a polite smile on his lips too.

"Do you mind being a good golden retriever and fetching me some water?" I ask with puppy eyes, pouting her bottom lip. My mind is now off of everything else and I am focusing on the current situation.

He shares a glance with Selena, and they both break out into chuckles before he nods, already walking away to get what the glass of water, "At your service, m'lady," he salutes.

"You, Jeremiah Fisher are a pure soul!" I slur slightly, whisper-yelling as I remember that everyone else is asleep and I hear him chuckle lightly from the kitchen.

My head still feels heavy but I can't help but feel happy, the group is back.

Selena sits back down onto the laminate flooring, crossing her legs and places her hand on my shoulder, rubbing it shortly. I watch as Jeremiah walks back into the hallway with a glass of water for me. I carefully push myself up as I take the glass from his hands and bring it to my lips.

"Aren't you a gentleman?" Selena jokes and I can't help but snort, the water going up my nose. I let out a cough and I gently whack her arm with the back of my arm. Jeremiah laughs at the both of us.

"Well, I should be going off to bed now since it's two a.m," he informs us. I set the glass of water down beside me as I lay back down and wrap myself in the blanket. "Sleep well, Ladies."

"You too, Cerulean," Selena replies as he turns to walk up the stairs.

"Yeah, goodnight, Doggy," I slurs, giggling at my own comment.

I set my head down on the pillow and close my eyes again, falling back to sleep on the flooring.

Oh my god.

𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘
𝗂𝗆 𝗈𝗇 𝖺 𝗋𝗈𝗅𝗅. 𝗀𝗐𝖾𝗇 𝗂𝗌 𝖽𝗋𝗎𝗇𝗄 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗁𝖾𝗋, 𝖺𝗅𝗌𝗈 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇??

𝗍𝖺𝗀𝗌: eltheria m1stywrites (comment if you wanna be tagged)