Friday night. The best day of the week.

Days seemed to blur together and soon enough it was the weekend again, and I found myself at another party. This one was thrown because of someone's birthday, but I couldn't remember whose it was. And I didn't really care, I just wanted to have fun for a little while.

Most people from school were at the house already, just like any other time. I made my way from the front door to the backyard, laughing at all the already drunk kids and trying not to interrupt any of the couples making out. The place was definitely crowded and I bet you could hear the music across the whole street.

The stench of alcohol and smoke instantly filled my lungs as I walked, but surprisingly, I didn't really feel like getting drunk out of my head tonight. There was still way too much in there to lose it and do something stupid. I just had to find another way to have fun, and I did eventually, getting everyone to drink out of a trusty bottle of rum I found on my way to the backyard, where I spotted most of my friends.

It was hilarious to see everyone losing their shit little by little with every shot I gave them, and once the bottle was empty I headed to the booze table set near the backdoor and left it there. I was looking around for another bottled weapon when this old as fuck song everyone knew by heart since middle school started playing. I laughed so hard as I heard everyone cheer and start singing the song at the top of their lungs.

I saw most of my friends dancing and jumping like idiots on the grass field of the backyard, their shoes off, hands thrown in the air, yelling the lyrics to the song. At some point Jenna even jumped into Jaime's back and they were spinning around way out of sync to the music.

"Vic!" I heard Tom yelling at me, doing a crazy motion with his hands. "Hurry up the song is going to end." I laughed and shook my head.

"Yes Vic, come on!" Jenna followed, screaming when Jaime almost dropped her, but regaining balance soon after. "Come dance with us!"

They were so drunk, but they were also my best friends so I ran to the grass and joined them. They cheered upon my arrival and I started jumping around with them and screaming the lyrics at the top of my lungs too.

You know, the way your body feels once you stop worrying about things is actually wonderful. I felt like everything was happening in slow motion, and I wanted this moment to freeze forever. I was having so much fun with my friends, not a single drop of alcohol in my system and no worries about anyone or anything, not for now at least. I guess this is why they call it having the time of your life.

The song was over sooner than I expected, but everyone stayed dancing on the grass to the next song that played. I was still laughing with Tom, or rather at him over his ridiculous dance moves, but that laughter was soon interrupted by a voice that made me want to both run for the hills and stay listening to it all night at the same time.

I turned around and there he was. I hadn't seen him, not acknowledging each other like this, in at least two weeks. And everything I'd been wanting to forget came back just like that. My stomach dropped.

The first thing I noticed was his eyes, they were puffy and bloodshot. At first I thought he was high, but I know Kellin and he wouldn't get into that shit. Then again, maybe I didn't know him that well in the first place, but I was hoping he wouldn't.

"Vic!" He shouted over the music, and that's when I heard the slur in his speech. He was drunk. Of course he was drunk. I guess that's better than getting high. I looked around me quickly and no one was really paying any attention to him, so I didn't say anything and started to turn back around. I wouldn't deal with him, worse if he was drunk. He didn't let me turn completely though, and suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Vic," he said again, this time loud enough for Tom to hear.

"Kellin Quinn! Want to dance on a table with me?" He shouted and laughed at his own joke as if it had been funny in the first place.

"Kellin, go away," I told him in the most serious tome I could muster and took his hands off my shoulders. But he took that chance to hold my hands and my stupid heart started to speed up. What the fuck was he doing?

"No, Vic, I- I have to te- tell you something," he mumbled and I detached my hands harshly. I didn't want to look around again, but I think some people were looking at us and I honestly didn't know what to do.

"Kellin," I warned, but he wouldn't understand me. "You're drunk, we can talk another time." I tried to fake a laugh for everyone to think this was some sort of joke or whatever.

"What's going on?" I heard Jenna ask beside me, she was still laughing with Jaime, but had walked to my side confused at what was happening.

"Nothing, nothing, Kellin was just-" I started to come up with an excuse, but was interrupted by something I never in a million years expected to hear from him, in front of almost the whole school, out loud, there in the open.

"Vic, I love you!"

My stomach sunk. My heart exploded. My head started spinning. The world stopped moving. Did he say... Did he actually say...

I stared at him wide eyed, he was looking at me with those big blue, scared eyes. I was certain we had an audience by now, but all I could focus on was him.

"Wait, what?" I heard Jenna ask, but I ignored her and I think Jaime also said something, but I didn't hear him, I didn't know what to do. Everything in me was buzzing.

"Kellin," I said when I managed to find my voice.

"I love you V-Vic," he said again, stumbling closer to me. "And, and I'm so-sorry, I-"

"What the fuck is going on?!" I heard another voice and the rest in me that hadn't stopped working dropped at once. Melissa.

I looked at her walk towards us.

"Your boyfriend's a fag!" Someone shouted and my blood boiled.

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled at whoever said that. And that's when I realized the music had stopped completely and everyone was paying attention to what was happening. Great.

"Mel," Kellin slurred when he noticed Melissa getting near him and swayed her way. "Mel, there- there you are. I- I have to tell you some- something... I love Vic-"
It all happened so fast that I didn't even register on time what had occurred, it was only when I saw Kellin laying on the grass holding his cheek that I realized what Melissa had done. I just saw her walk away, but then I reacted.

"He's drunk, Melissa! He doesn't now what he's saying!" I shouted at her immediately. She turned and I could tell she was already crying and it broke my heart. That's exactly what Kellin couldn't understand about this situation and I hated that it came true in the end anyway.

"I don't want to hear anything from either of you ever again." She seethed, turned around and left the backyard.
I heard this murmuring starting to form and I cursed everything I could in my head. Shit.

"Yo Vic, what the hell are you gay?" I heard someone shout and I rolled my eyes with a sigh. I turned to the small crowd that had gathered around us.

"Okay, show's over, go back to the party, you're all drunk anyway." I shouted and everyone actually started to disperse murmuring to each other, except Jenna and Jaime who were still by my side. I didn't know where Tom had gone, but I could still hear that annoying mumble of voices until someone finally started the music again.

"Shit." I shook my head in disbelief.
Kellin was still on the grass. I think he finally passed out. His eyes were closed, his right cheek pink from the impact.
"You're such a dumbass," I whispered while kneeling beside him.

"I think you should get him home," I heard a voice behind me and turned to look at Justin, one of Kellin's friends. "I would, but I've also had my shots, you know."

I nodded and looked back at the unconscious boy.

"Or you know, maybe don't take him home, he told his parents he was staying with me." I glanced at him again, he was rubbing the back of his neck and swaying a bit. "But you're sober right? Can you take care of him?"

I sighed. "Yeah, of course."

"Awesome man, I owe you." He said. "Oh and by the way, he told me everything about you guys and, trust me, he meant it." He added and I looked away from him quickly. I couldn't process anything that was happening right now. I just couldn't.

The party was back to normal in less than a minute, but in that minute Jenna managed to ask a hundred questions about what was going on. So far I'd replied zero. She and Jaime helped me take Kellin over to my car. It was harder than I expected and it was only when he was finally buckled up in my backseat, that I could finally breathe.

"Do you guys need a ride home?" I asked my two friends, who were still kind of drunk may I add.

"Thought you'd never ask," Jenna said while getting inside into the passenger seat. Jaime just made himself comfortable besides Kellin.

"Alright then," I shook my head and started driving, glad to be finally leaving this nightmare.

***

I didn't sleep at all that night. I got home at probably 3 in the morning, somehow managed to get Kellin into my bed and left him there, then went to the couch downstairs, "ready" to sleep everything off. But sleep never came.

It was starting to get light outside and I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. About what he'd said. About this poor girl who was probably completely heartbroken, because of me.

Worst part is that I was willing to live with my own weird-unspecified pain just so that they could be... whatever is they were. But now I guess that didn't exist. Maybe in a way it never did. Just like whatever Kellin and I had didn't really exist to anyone but us. I guess most people already connected the dots and figured out that we saw each other in secret. Maybe I was being called names right this minute by everyone I know. Kellin too. Whatever. I'll just have to live with that. They'll get over it.

I turned to my side and stared at the closed curtains from my living room.

He said he loved me.

He was drunk though.

But that's exactly it.

Drunks don't lie.

I didn't know how to feel. Part of me was over the moon, but the other was just... lost. Though now I could point out that strange feeling I felt during our encounter in the locker room and why for the last couple of days I craved to be around him so much. Why I'd missed him like crazy.

I had fallen for him. Like an idiot.

But so did he, I thought.

I shook it away. He probably won't even remember when he wakes up. Or he'll deny everything. Or he'll just run away and pretend it never happened. And I'll have to be the one to deal with the aftermath.

I sighed again and closed my eyes. I shifted in the couch a little bit more and waited for my exhaustion to take me away.