by D. K Lake
Mitchel goes to say something but before he can I blurt, "I need to pee."
I run out of the room and try to remember where the bathroom is. My head feels horrible, the walls are still moving, and I think I'm still drunk. I use the bathroom and then splash my face with some cold water to try and sort myself out. It helps a little but my mouth is super dry and I feel dehydrated. I open the bathroom door and see a light on down the hallway. I head straight to the kitchen and find a glass and fill it with water and drain it and then I repeat the process again.
I hear someone snoring and I jump and spit bubbles into my water. I look over my shoulder to see the TV flickering and Boston is asleep on the couch with his arm hanging over the side.
Oww. My head hurts.
A light flicks on above my head and I squint and shield my eyes.
"Turn it off! Too bright."
Mitchel laughs and I close my eyes until I hear the light switch flick off again.
"You can open them now." he tells me.
I slowly remove my hands, the light from the TV flickers, and the hallway light is on so I can still see Mitchel without being blinded. He leans back against the counter and crosses his arms.
"What...what am I doing here?" I ask, and finish my water.
"You really don't remember?"
"No. I don't remember anything. And why am I wearing your t-shirt?" I whisper the last part 'cause I can see Boston stirring and I don't want to wake him.
"I had to put yours in the wash."
"Why?"
I blink a few times. Did he take off my t-shirt?
"When we got back here you threw up just outside the front door and you got some on your..."
I rake my hand through my hair hoping it will help me to remember something from last night but it doesn't and instead my fingers get stuck and I realize I have popcorn stuck in my hair.
"You got the munchies after you got high."
My mouth opens and closes again. I don't know what to say. I don't remember any of this.
"Just kiddin' about getting high. But you did get the munchies after you threw up and then you helped yourself to the popcorn."
"Who changed me?"
"I did. Mom was still at work and I didn't think you'd want Boston helping you to get undressed."
"What happened to my jeans and slippers?"
"You threw up on them too. And I didn't think you'd need your slippers to sleep in."
I rub my head. "My head hurts. I need drugs."
"We have coke or weed, or I think JT has some pills in his room."
I give him a pointed look. I'm not in the mood to play games.
"I was just kiddin'...again. Are you still drunk?"
"I don't know. I feel sorta sick and my head is pounding."
"I'll get you some Aspirin."
Mitchel disappears out of the kitchen and I refill my glass. He comes back with Aspirin and as I take it from him I get a bad feeling.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you drug me?"
"What?" he frowns.
"Well, I can't remember shit from last night."
"Yeah, 'cause you drank your own weight in alcohol."
"I remember playing pool with Stephen and I remember drinking with Stephen..." I trail off when I see Mitchel's jaw tense.
I look at his forehead where there is a nasty cut, it's been cleaned but it still needs to be covered. And then little pieces from last night start to come back to me.
"I kissed Stephen." I say, covering my mouth and trying not to throw up.
"Are you going to throw up again?"
I shake my head when the feeling passes.
"You attacked Stephen." I glare at him.
"He put his hand up your shirt like it was a free pass to Disneyland."
"So? You took it off when you...when you kidnapped me!"
"I didn't kidnap you, you came willingly, and you let me undress you. And then you tried to undress me."
"What? Did we...did we do anything last night?"
"No. I managed to distract you with snacks." I cover my face. "You get really hands-on when you've been drinking."
"Why am I here?"
"I don't trust Stephen with you when you're that drunk."
"But I can trust you? You could have done anything to me last night."
"You really think I'm that guy, the type of guy that needs you passed out before I can..." He waves his arm at me and I cross my arms, feeling naked in just a t-shirt, it hardly covers anything, the sleeves have been cut off and I'm showing half my bra through the gaps.
"I don't know what kind of guy you are. One minute you're kissing me, then you're with Phoebe, then you're kidnapping me!"
A phone rings in the living room and Mitchel goes over and answers it.
"Hey....No, he's passed out and I've got Kelse here. You could walk...alright, alright give me ten minutes, start walking anyway." Mitchel hangs up and walks back into the kitchen.
I look away and pull another piece of popcorn out of my hair.
"This stuff is like glue! Who was that on the phone?" I ask.
"JT needs a ride."
"Where's his car?"
"Out front. He went home with someone else. Don't you remember coming back here, Boston was driving?"
"No, I don't remember much. Damn vodka, it's like some kind of mind wiping drug."
I sniff my hair and realize it smells of sick.
"I think I threw up in my hair."
"I tried to hold it back but you kept moving away and trying to dance."
I close my eyes and wish I could go invisible.
"I don't dance."
"No, but drunk Kelse does."
"I am horrified right now."
"Don't be, you weren't that bad...I mean, you were drunk but you're a fun drunk."
I finish my drink. Mitchel walks out of the kitchen and I follow him because I don't know what else to do. He walks back into his bedroom and starts picking up clothes off the floor.
"You're leaving?"
"I have to get JT." Mitchel pulls on a pair of jeans and zips them up and I try not to stare at his half-naked body.
This is so weird. I hardly know him but it feels like I have known him for years. I feel at home here, I feel safe here, everything just feels right when I'm with him, but then I remember he lied to me and had been making out with Phoebe up against the brick walls at school.
"You can drop me at Nessie's house on your way to wherever it is you're going."
"You're staying here." he tells me, pulling on his Vans.
"No. I can't stay here."
"Why not? You have before."
"Because I don't want to be here this time. And I can't believe you put me in your bed."
"You weren't complaining earlier. You begged me to stay with you. You wouldn't even go to the bathroom without me."
OMG. I grab whatever clothes I can find but then I remember this isn't my room and all my clothes are in the wash, but I spot my school bag near the bed. I open my bag and pull out my pajama bottoms and pull them on.
"Kelse, seriously, you can stay here tonight."
"No thank you. If you want someone to keep your bed warm you can call Phoebe."
Mitchel groans and sits on the bed as he pulls on a sweatshirt.
"I broke up with her. I don't like her." he sighs.
"Then why did you go out with her?"
Mitchel groans again like he's had enough of this conversation but we haven't even started.
"I don't want Phoebe." He stands up.
"I don't care what you want. I just want you to drop me off at Nessie's."
"No. You're staying here."
"You know how bad that sounds? I'm being held here against my will."
"Kelsey, it's three in the morning, Nessie will be in bed by now."
"It's fine, I can just message her."
"Good luck with that."
"Where's my phone?" I ask, looking around.
"I took
it away from you."
"Well, I want it back." I hold out my hand.
"Only if you promise to behave."
"What?"
Mitchel opens his nightstand drawer and pulls out my phone.
"I doubt she'll answer, she got a bit fed up with you last night."
"I didn't see Nessie last night."
"I know, but you wouldn't stop sending her messages and interrupting date night. And you called Cole a rapist and it didn't go down very well."
I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to remember this.
"Does she hate me?"
"No. I told her you were drunk off your ass and you didn't know what you were saying. But I had to confiscate your phone when you started taking photos of me in the shower and trying to share them on Facebook."
"Sh-shower?"
"You threw up on me as well but you wouldn't let me leave you alone so I sat you on the toilet seat while I took a quick shower."
My eyes zone in on the phone in his hand, wondering if there are still photos. And why do I want to look at them so badly? I snatch my phone away.
"Please just stay here for the rest of the night. You can use the shower if you want, wash the rest of the popcorn out." he says, picking another piece out of my hair.
"How long will you be?"
"Not long. There are clean towels in the cupboard opposite my room and you can use whatever you want in there."
"What about your mom? I don't want to wake her."
"You won't, she's still at work."
I sit on the edge of the bed.
"Mitchel, why am I here? I mean, why am I really here?"
Mitchel walks over to me and sits next to me. I turn to him and he picks up my hand.
"Because I don't trust Stephen or anyone else with you, especially when you're tanked up on vodka."
I look at my small hand sitting in his, his fingers are longer than mine but my hand fits perfectly in his.
I know I should be thanking him. I was a wreck last night, goodness knows what might have happened if he hadn't of taken me with him.
I look up at his face and touch the cut on his head.
"You should put a Band-Aid on this. You don't want to get any dirt in it and get it infected."
I look in his eyes to find them looking back at me.
"Thank you." I say quietly.
"For what?"
"Rescuing me from the party and stopping me from doing anything I would regret."
"Always." he says, pressing a kiss to my head, and my heart flutters at the contact, it's so intimate the way he kisses me like that.
Mitchel's phone starts ringing and he checks the caller ID.
"I have to go. Promise me you will definitely be here when I get back?" I nod. "Kelse, promise me."
"Ok, ok, I promise I'll be here when you get back. I'm going to take a shower while you're gone, I need to wash my hair."
"Alright. I'll see you in a bit."
He leaves the room and I pick up my bag and carry it into the hallway and find a towel and then I lock myself in the bathroom.
Once the door is closed I look through my phone and see the multiple messages I sent to Nessie last night telling her all sorts of random stuff, like how I threw up on myself and could she give me directions to the bathroom. I am never drinking again.
Curiosity gets the better of me and I look through my photos and find pictures of Mitchel. In the shower. Naked! My mouth falls open as I flick through the photos, quickly deleting them. I swear I am never drinking again. I turn into a crazy, horny, very energetic version of myself.
I turn the shower on and let it warm up while I sort my clean clothes out. I only have a t-shirt and a clean pair of panties, but I sort of want to keep Mitchel's t-shirt on even though it doesn't have sleeves and shows off half my ribcage.
I climb into the tub and stand under the shower and help myself to the products, lathering myself in some kind of mint body wash that smells amazing and must be what Mitchel uses to wash with.
After I'm clean, hair washed and conditioned as well, I climb out and dry myself off, and brush my teeth while I sort my hair out. I get dressed and tidy all my stuff up and open the bathroom door and hear voices in the kitchen. I leave my bag inside Mitchel's room and wander down the hallway.
"So it's done?" Mitchel asks.
"Yup." JT replies.
"I can't believe she gave it up so easily." Boston adds.
I move closer but stay in the hallway, eavesdropping.
"So you're going to leave her alone now, right?" Mitchel asks.
"Not yet." JT responds.
"What do you mean not yet?" Mitchel says with frustration in his voice.
"It's only over when Stephen gets his proof, and I have big plans for the final reveal." JT says.
"You can't be serious? Just show Stephen and get the money, end of. I don't want them hanging out with us anymore." Mitchel mutters.
"Patience, little brother."
"Whatever. But don't expect me to be nice to any of them. I'm with Kelsey now, so until you do whatever it is you're planning to do, I won't be a part of it anymore."
"Spoilsport."
"No, I just don't like them, and neither do you. I don't get why you don't just show Stephen the video and get it over with, collect your money, and then we can forget about this stupid bet." Bet? Video?
"I need to piss." Boston announces and I don't have time to hide.
"Kelsey is in the bathroom." Mitchel tells him as he walks around the corner and stops dead in front of me.
"Uh...no she's not, she's right here." Boston says and Mitchel walks around the corner and looks as though he's been caught red-handed. I cross my arms and glare at him. I've had enough of being lied to.
"What bet?" I say.
JT steps out of the kitchen and pats his brother on the shoulder.
"I'll see you in the morning, night Kelsey. Boston, hurry up and take a piss I need to shower. I want to wash this skanky perfume off me." JT mutters as he walks down the hallway with Boston.
"What bet, Mitchel?"
Mitchel quickly grabs my arm and pulls me into his bedroom and shuts the door, then he leans back against the door just staring at me.
"Start speaking or I'm leaving." I cross my arms.
"It's not what you think."
"You have no idea what I'm thinking, the word 'bet' is running through my head. And who don't you want hanging around with you anymore?" I start to yell.
Mitchel pushes the hair off his face and lets out a deep breath.
"Mitchel. Tell me. Now. Or I'm gone!"
"Ok, I'll tell you everything...just come and sit down."
He leads me over to the bed but I pull my hand away from him. He sits on the edge and looks up at me.
"I never liked Phoebe."
"Ok?"
"It was just a stupid bet. That night at Stephen's when we were all playing truth or dare,"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"It came down to JT and me...but we've never been good at games, we both want to win and neither one of us can back down...usually." He stops and cracks his knuckles.
"Keep going."
"Well, instead of a dare, JT came up with this great idea of turning it into a bet...the first one to win gets the money."
"The truth or dare money?"
"Yes, that money."
"So what was the bet? Does it have something to do with me?" I pull at my hair, feeling anxious.
"No, it has nothing to do with you. It was JT's idea that whoever stayed with the girl for the longest wins the money."
"Girl? You went out with Phoebe to win some stupid bet?"
"Short answer, yes."
I close my eyes and take a moment to process this.
"Kelse, you gotta believe me, I never liked her, I just couldn't say no to JT."
"I can't believe you...I mean, do you even like me or is this part of some bet as well to see how many times you can get me into your bed?"
"I don't really know. You're so confusing."
"I broke up with Phoebe because I didn't want her. How is that confusing? I like you, that's why I didn't go through with it."
"If you like me you should have just told me all this from the start and not got involved with Phoebe."
I grab my roller skates.
"What are you doing?"
"Leaving."
"It's the middle of the night."
"I don't care what time it is. I don't want to be here, with you."
Mitchel stalks over to me and snatches my roller skates away.
"Fine, I'll just walk then...in slippers." I don't get far, Mitchel darts in front of me and blocks the door. "Seriously? You're going to keep me in here?"
"Yes. I am. I know you don't really want to go. You're just upset and a little drunk still-"
"Upset? You hurt me. And me being the idiot I am let you play with my feelings, just like you did with Phoebe."
"You don't even like Phoebe."
"No, but I felt like you were all laughing at me at school."
"I was never laughing at you, neither was JT. We both wanted them to stop laughing and picking on you and Nessie."
"Well, I was doing fine before you came along. Since you've been here you've made things worse. Amber and Phoebe have made me a target, and I've been grounded and suspended and it's all linked to you and your brother. You need to stay away from me!"
I reach for the door handle but he grabs my arm.
"No." he says firmly.
"No?"
"No. I'm not letting you leave. So you better get comfortable for the rest of the night."
"You're joking, right?"
"No. I'm dead serious."
"Why can't you just let me go?"
"'Cause I can't."
"Can't?"
"I won't."
"All you have to do is move out of my way so I can leave and tomorrow we can pretend we don't know each."
"I don't want to stay away from you."
"You don't have a say in this."
"Kelse, please."
"No. I should have listened to my own advice and stayed away from you and your brother in the first place, then maybe I wouldn't be in this mess. I certainly wouldn't be grounded or suspended from school."