Zoey POV

I awoke with a pounding headache and the taste of alcohol on my breath.

As I began to sit up, I let out a loud groan. My entire body was heavy and sore, the morning sunshine coming through the windows leading to the balcony causing me to wince.

Struggling to my feet, I walked over to the balcony and pulled the maroon curtains shut, blanketing the room in semi-darkness.

My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and I was able to gain my bearings.

I stood in my bedroom upstairs, no longer wearing my dress from the party, but an old t-shirt of Ian's and a pair of old pajama shorts of mine.

I swallowed and tasted alcohol on my breath again.

Wait! Alcohol? Did I drink last night?

The last thing I could remember was sitting on the couch, eating my slice of cake with Ian next to me.

After that, I drew up a blank.

Suddenly, I heard a groan come from the bed and spotted a body start to sit up.

The body seemed to reach over to the bedside lamp and the room was flooded with light instantly.

I threw my hands up over my eyes and let out a hiss, the light causing me great pain.

A familiar giggle sounded, followed by a groan as another body sat up in the bed.

"Man, turn that damn light out!" Rose shouted, glaring at a still giggling Bri.

Rose's strawberry blonde hair was messy and went all over the place, her grey eyes still heavy with sleep. She wore an old, oversized t-shirt of hers that she always kept in my closet from when we were teenagers and from what I could see with the comforter pulled away, she wore a pair of my old sweat pants.

"Aww, is somebody hung over?" Bri asked, smirking and running her fingers through her long mane of golden tangles.

"What did we do last night?" I whimpered as another pinprick started at my temple.

"Well, the lovely stepbrother of Rose, here, decided it would be a great idea after pretty much everyone left to do shots." Bri sighed, climbing out of the bed, wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt and her underwear. "Seeing as it were your birthday and a reason to celebrate, you were the first one to agree to it, Zoey. Naturally, wanting to celebrate too, I joined. Then Rose, then Tommy, and finally Ian."

As she spoke, flashes of the night before began playing through my mind and everything started coming back to me.

"Come on, guys. Just a few." Johnny slurred, already drunk from his earlier raiding of the liquor cabinet.

"No way, man. Last time I drank, I talked way too much and ended up being convinced by my sister that I could win in a dance battle against Zoey."

"You should have seen the look on your face when I beat you." I giggled, watching Johnny pour about a dozen or more shots of vodka into the shot glasses he lined up across the counter in our spacious kitchen.

"All the more reason to join in, Ian. I'd love to see Zoey kick your ass in a dance battle." He smirked at his best friend, holding a shot glass out to him.

"No, man. Not happening." Ian said firmly, pushing his hand back.

"Party pooper." Johnny pouted, downing the shot instead. Picking up another one, he held it out to me. "Zoey, how about you?"

I eyed the drink cautiously. "I don't know, Johnny. Once I get a taste, I tend to go over board."

"Aw, come on. It's your birthday. Let's celebrate a little." He held the drink right in my face.

Several moments passed of me just staring at the shot glass before I snatched it and downed the liquid inside.

I groaned, feeling the familiar burn of the alcohol going down my throat.

"Whew! That burns." I complained, but grabbed up another shot from the counter as Bri walked into the kitchen with her husband. "Bri, you gotta do one too! I just did."

"Do what?" She inquired and when she saw the shot glass I held out to her she giggled, "Oh gosh! Once again Johnny has convinced someone to do shots with him. Alright, I'll join. It is my best friend's birthday after all."

She grabbed the shot glass in my hand and downed it, sitting the glass back on the counter with a loud clunking sound.

"Ooh! We're doing shots? I'm in." Rose's sweet voice squealed as she spotted everyone in the kitchen and the few full shot glasses left on the counter. She grabbed two glasses up and downed the vodka in both without a single groan or wince, causing my eyes to widen.

"Woah! Since when was little innocent Rose so good at downing shots?" I asked in disbelief.

"Since Johnny convinced me to do them every time he came to visit." She glared her grey eyes at her stepbrother who just grinned, his eyes very glazed and red rimmed.

"Bottoms up." Tommy's English accent remarked, downing a shot too before I even realized he'd picked a glass up.

I looked over to Ian who leaned against the counter.

"Well, you're the only one who hasn't done one. So. . ." I slid a glass towards him, batting my eyelashes at him. "Are you going to join in?"

He shook his head, pushing the glass back towards me. "No thanks. One of us needs to stay sober to make sure you get upstairs okay."

Suddenly I had an idea I knew he couldn't say no to.

"How about this?" I smirked, gesturing to the kitchen table. "I'll take my dress off here and let you drink the shot off my body on the kitchen table?"

He gulped audibly, but shook his head, giving in.

"Okay, okay. I'll do a shot, but not off your body." He smirked and moving closer to me, whispered, "I'll drink shots off your body when we're alone and in your bedroom."

It was my turn to gulp then, my cheeks burning crimson.

"Ahem. Are you doing this with us or not little bro?" Bri cleared her throat and without hesitation, Ian picked the glass up and downed the vodka.

After that, one shot led to two and then to three, four, five, all the way until the fifth was gone.

We were in the living room, giggling over absolute nonsense when I came up with the fabulous idea of having a sleepover with everyone.

I shake my head back and forth, realizing how silly I'd been. I immediately regretted ever moving my head, pinpricks starting at my temples again.

"Ugh! I need an advil." I shuffled over to my bathroom and opened my medicine cabinet, quickly finding the bottle. "Anyone else?"

"Three please!" Rose groaned loudly.

"Lightweight." Bri muttered, coming into the bathroom and sitting on the toilet. "Sorry I had to pee."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled as I shut the door behind me.

Bri and I were so close, we didn't mind if the other was in the bathroom and would come right in if we needed to.

"Here you go." I handed Rose the Advil and a small paper cup of water I'd gotten from the tap.

"Oh, thank you, Zoey! You're a life saver." She told me, swallowing the pills and gulping the water quickly.

I did the same, knowing I'd feel better soon.

* * *

All of us girls sat around the kitchen table, drinking coffee and still in pajamas. Bri, thankfully had put on a pair of cotton shorts and Rose had brushed her hair out.

The boys still seemed to be sleeping in Ian's room. At least, we assumed they were since no movement could be heard inside.

I had been scrolling through one of my social media accounts when I received a new message from an unknown number. Before even opening it, I already felt a sinking feeling in my stomach and panic already rising in my body.

Back on that familiar wild road again. Not long before you end up topless on the front page of a magazine.

The message was less threatening this time, but it still had me frowning.

"You okay?" Bri noticed my frown and had a concerned look on her face.

Before I had a chance to reply, however, the doors to the penthouse opened and in walked the boys, each carrying a white cardboard box.

"We got donuts!" Johnny declared, looking entirely too cheery for someone who consumed as much alcohol as he had the night before.

"Ooh yay!" Bri jumped up first, rushing over and taking the box Tommy carried, bringing it over to the kitchen table.

Before any of us had a chance to get into it, she already was opening the box and pulling out a cream filled long John.

"Mmm! Heaven." She moaned, the cream squirting into her mouth as she bit into the donut.

We all giggled, our minds in the gutter.

"Oh, you pervs!" Bri declared, and grabbing another donut, she ran out of the kitchen. "I'm eating in peace in my room!"

That sent us all into another fit of laughter, Bri glaring before she disappeared around the corner at the top of the stairs.

A/N: Hey guys! So sorry about this chapter being kind of a filler. I just had to get something up here. I hope you guys still like it though. Next week I promise to write a better chapter. See you then!
-Vanessa