Authors: Brooklyn Taylor
“TOO LATE! Bottoms up! Bottoms up…” Everyone starting chanting with him and people are pounding on the coffee table to make it sound like rumbling thunder. And here was the peer pressure my parents were telling me about.
Peer pressure at its finest.
So I did the only thing I could think of. I drank the nasty bubbly drink for the twenty seconds and was already starting to feel the effects in my head
. Nasty! Gag
! Why would anyone decide or want to drink this funky… I think I would rather drink rotten milk. No, I know I would.
And on the game went, on and on. Before I knew it, I had drunk three beers not by choice and was getting more and more nauseous by the minute. I needed to find a bathroom, and I needed to find one quick.
I stood up and tripped barely able to keep standing. The room was spinning and I was going to get sick. Uncontrollably sick. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t find my center. I tried to find something to lean against to help stabilize me with no such luck. I was going to be humiliated again just like the first day of school.
I did make it to the bathroom but not to the toilet. I threw up in the sink and felt the urgency to get home not only because I was about to blow chunks all over the place but also to prevent another mortifying event that everyone will see.
Autumn came into the bathroom and tried to wipe my face seeing how truly sick I was.
“I’ll go find Ryan and get him to take us home.”
“Okay, hurry, I feel really bad.”
“Okay.”
My head hurt so badly, and I was so dizzy. I couldn’t stand up anymore so I slid on the floor. I sat for what seems like forever and then laid down knowing fully aware I was lying on a bathroom floor.
Disgusting.
I already smelled like vomit and didn’t know how much worse it could get. I hoped that no one would see me, especially Cannon. Not that he would do anything to help me, just like the first day of school. He probably would laugh or ignore me just like he did that day.
Autumn came back into the bathroom and helped me up to take me to the car. Her “official boyfriend” was getting the car and was going to meet us out front. She put her arm around my waist and had to drag me to the car. I could barely stand on my own two feet much less walk.
We passed everyone still playing the drinking game and not a single person seemed to be concerned of my condition. In fact, Cannon was already sitting next to another girl. The girl I saw him with at the game
. Scavenger
much?
He probably has an endless supply of girls with one in reserves ready to step in.
The house was so full, and I was claustrophobic. It felt like no air was circulating and I was standing in a sauna. After we got out of the living room where we were sitting playing the game, I saw tons of students crowding the front yard and porch now.
“Reese, I forgot my purse. I’ll be right back. Wait right here.” It sounded like she was getting frustrated in her voice as if I planned to get sick. It’s more her fault than mine. She told me to drink it, it would be okay. One drink wouldn’t hurt me. I wanted to snap back at her but felt too sick to. She leaned me against the porch brick.
My head started pounding again like a jack hammer trying to cut through my skull. I felt the vomit rise in my throat again.
Oh God, not again.
I leaned over and vomited all over my feet right where I was standing. Great, just great, as if I hadn’t been mortified enough.
My hair was falling over my face as I was heaving and I felt someone pull it back. At this point, I wasn’t even concerned about puking in my hair. That should tell you how bad I feel.
“Autumn, I am so mad at myself. I can’t believe I drank… that stupid game… Why didn’t you warn me?”
“It’s okay, Reese.” That was definitely not Autumn. I lifted my head up to see… Garrison…
The same Garrison that warned me to be careful. That same Garrison that would have never pressured me to drink. I don’t know maybe he would have but by the way he comforts me I would guess he wouldn’t. The same Garrison I had been dreaming about. I had dreamt that we were walking and holding hands. Of course, in reality, it was him helping me up when I face planted on the first day of school. The very same Garrison that was the only person to help me the first day of school and is now here helping hold my hair back while I vomit. He is my knight in shining armor. The ones you read about, the ones you see in the movies and only hope that you will meet someone who will even pale in comparison.
I held my hand over my face. Crap. How much worse can this get? He sees me at my worst constantly. This was the second time in an embarrassing circumstance.
“When did you get here, Garrison?”
“Just a while ago. I didn’t know you were here.” Yeah he did. He heard Cannon ask me at the football game.
“I was inside. I came with Autumn and we were meeting…”
“Let me guess… douche bag?”
“Why are you calling him that?”
“Let’s just say I know more than you do and I wished you had taken my words of advice.”
“I’ve known him for like… forever. He cares about me. We grew up together.”
“He cares? Then why isn’t he out here holding your hair or making sure you are okay?”
“I don’t know…”
Autumn comes to my rescue and not a minute too soon.
“Hey, Garrison. Thanks for helping my girl. She isn’t having a good night.”
“Yeah I see that.”
“Can you help us to Ryan’s car?”
“Sure.”
He wrapped his arm around me and Autumn was on the other side. They dragged me on my tippy toes and got me loaded in the car.
I mumbled, “Thanks, Garrison.”
“You’re welcome, Reese.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
I heard Autumn thank him and then the car door shut.
What a nightmare! Well, I officially went to my first high school party and made a complete fool of myself.
Lovely… Ordinary Reese…
~ ~ ~
When I wake up the next day I’m in a complete panic. I couldn’t remember anything and most importantly I couldn’t remember getting home or texting my mom.
My mouth felt like something had died in it and I was remembering quickly why. Autumn was passed out cold next to me snoring louder than a freight train. We were both fully dressed in what we wore last night.
What is that horrible smell? I look down and see dried vomit on my shirt.
Disgusting!
“Autumn…”
“Damn it, Reese. I’m still tired, let me sleep.”
“Did you text Mom last night?”
“Yes, I did after I dragged your ass in here and picked up your vomit AGAIN all over my floor.”
“Thank God.”
“I feel like a Mack truck hit me. Never again will I drink.”
“Yeah, I would recommend against that too. You were a real mess. Sick as a dog.”
“It all feels like a nightmare to me. Where is my phone?”
She felt around under her pillow and handed it to me.
There were two missed texts.
Cannon: Where did you go?
Garrison: I hope you made it home okay. Text me.
I lay staring at the ceiling thinking of how to respond. I wished I could erase it all.
Cannon didn’t even know I was gone so I sure wasn’t going to worry about texting him back.
Reese: Sorry, Garrison, I didn’t text you last night. I fell asleep after getting sick. I hope you didn’t worry. Thanks for helping Autumn get me to the car. I was a mess. So embarrassing.
Garrison: I’m glad you are okay. Doesn’t look like alcohol agrees with you. I don’t care for it either.
Reese: Ha ha. Very funny! I’ll never drink again. Not that I wanted to last night anyway. Peer pressure and that game.
Garrison: Been there, done that.
Reese: I feel like hell this morning!
Garrison: Hopefully it will pass. Maybe we can hang out one day…
OMG he is asking me to hang out!!!!
Garrison: Or not?
Garrison: Are you alive?
Reese: I would love to hang out sometime! Sorry I had a call.
Liar.
Garrison: TTYL then.
Reese: TTYL. Thanks again for checking on me.
What made him care? And why? But it did feel good. The guy who was supposed to be my date didn’t even notice I left. Not to mention in the time I went to the bathroom to the time Autumn helped me out he had already moved on to another girl. I’m confused…
Chapter 4
Garrison
Reese is a girl that has made me feel emotions I had never felt. Not only happy emotions but bad ones too. Just seeing her and knowing she has a crush on asswipe kills me. He was born a douche bag and only grew into a bigger one. I knew it and he knew it but for whatever reason half the girl population at Comal High thought he was a God. We were finally seniors and he was known for preying on any girls that looked good, seemed innocent and gave him a chance. The more infatuated they were with him the better. I preferred to call them more his victims then his adventures.
I already was running behind and frustrated. I hate to be late to anything. I had to make a stop at the counselor’s office to check in. They knew what was going on at my house and tried to give me support. Ms. Johnson always looked at me with sad eyes. Not necessarily showing pity but that she couldn’t do anything to change the situation.
“How you doing, Garrison?”
“As good as can be expected.”
“Is your mom doing any better?”
“No, ma’am, but I don’t expect her to be. I only have nine months left till I’m off to college. I can hang in there a little while longer.”
“Have you heard from the colleges where you submitted to? If I recall they were all schools in Texas right?”
“Yes, ma’am, they are.”
“Have you heard from anyone yet?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Well, that’s normal. We submitted them a little late having to wait for the transcripts but I’m sure you won’t have any problems getting in. Just stay out of trouble!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I stand up to leave and hear her voice.
“Garrison, please let me know if I can help you in anyway. You are a very bright young man and I want to make sure you succeed.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
It’s nice to know there are some people that care for me.
As I leave the office, I see Reese sitting in the courtyard. She looks beautiful as always. There hasn’t been a day in all the time that I have known her that she hasn’t looked perfect to me. Wait what in the hell… NO! I stare out the window and see Cannon with this arm around her. Even after this weekend? Out of all the guys, she has to like Cannon. The anger and rage is filling my body. There is no way I want her with him. Not my Reese.
She is mine!
Well… no actually she isn’t. I need to cool down. Reese is not mine. She has no clue as to how I feel about her.
I see her get up and walk towards the door and I hightail it out of there. I can’t deal with this right now.
Reese
I get up from my seat in the courtyard to head into the school when Cannon came up to me apologizing, trying to put his arm around me to show me attention.
Really?
I can’t forgive him so quickly after how he acted at the party. I’m starting to see through the
B.S.
that he is trying to convince me of. I’m beginning to think everything Garrison said was true.
Sitting at the lunch table I realize I hadn’t seen Garrison yet today. I wonder where he has been. I wanted to thank him personally for helping to take care of me at the hideous party. I was a mess. He has now seen me at my worst twice and still wants to talk to me. That says something about him for sure!
Garrison was still someone I could not get my mind off of. He was a drummer and seemed so passionate. If I knew I was anywhere close to Garrison, I had to take a look to see him even if I pretended not to. He always had on his t-shirts, that fit his chest firmly, blue jeans and chucks. His shirt was never tucked in. His sloppiness looked like it was planned almost a perfect constructed style with probably little effort on his part. After observing him any chance I got I came to recognize he would wear a certain sweatshirt more often than not. I couldn't help but hope just maybe one day I could wear it when I was cold to smell him. I had gotten a whiff of his scent several times now, and he had a distinct smell that only belonged to him.
Garrison was a loner. I knew he had friends because he was never alone but he was comfortable just being. He didn’t seem to have something to prove like Cannon did. Cannon was always putting on a show in case someone was looking and he had to impress his audience. Garrison on the other hand, seemed to care less about what others thought and seemed to zone out with this headphones in his ears tapping on whatever he was holding or on the table. Garrison didn’t seem to care what others thought of him whereas Cannon was always the leader. The “hey, look at me” guy.
I don’t know how I could like two polar opposites.
Garrison
I spend two Saturdays a month doing what no other teen has to do. I check in at noon, have to fill out paperwork (the same paperwork every time I am here), show three proofs of ID and wait, wait, and wait in a cold, white room until my dad is called down. I observe all the other people waiting their turn to see their loved ones. I notice the security doors have glass that has been busted no doubt from a fight or a struggle. Being here was unpredictable. Sometimes it went as it should by the book others a fight would break out causing the whole place to go on lockdown.
Talking about being paranoid about your surroundings, when you were at a Federal Corrections Institution AKA prison, you watched everything around you.
I come here strictly out of obligation and honestly as a promise to my aunt. She is my father’s sister and sends money to him to get the essentials out of duty to her mother. She had promised her she would always make sure he was taken care of. She has never been here to see him as she says, ‘She might slap him.’ I know it hurts her that he has made these choices. Me, it doesn’t hurt me to see my father here in his tan prison uniform with a number identifying who he was. On the contrary, I don’t hurt for him. I am pissed at him. I don’t understand it and never will. How many teens can say their dad was a drug dealer? He dealt all kinds of illegal drugs right out of our home. He grew and cooked them up right in our kitchen. You would be shocked to know how many people bought from him. Once I saw a face I never forgot it. I could sit at a football game and point out the various students or parents that did business with my father.
To me, at sixteen, I understood it all. Why couldn’t adults? My father and I pretty much had the same conversation every time I came to visit. After they call my name saying I could see my dad, I would go and sit in a large room filled with other loved ones. They cried over missing their relative in prison, but for me I was here out of obligation not love or the void of my father. I can’t miss something I have never had. Believe it or not my life is easier with him here, behind bars.
“Hi, son.”
“Hi, Dad.”
I sat in silence with lots of thoughts in my head but not really any that I cared to get out. You can’t cause a scene like that in a place like this. I’ve seen plenty of fights here, and it is not like a fight at school. These were criminals serving time in federal prison, and I can pretty much sum up their respect for the place. Zero! They would get away with what they could.
There were a few times Dad wanted me to contact or send a letter to one of his friends, but I refused. If it had anything to do with drugs I wasn’t going to have any part of it.
“I know your only coming here since your aunt is sending you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“How is school?”
“Fine.”
“How is the drumming?”
He would ask me these questions as if he really cared. Yeah right.
“Good.”
“How is your mom?”
“How do you think she is?”
I would stand up ready to leave. He would stand to try to hug me, and I would pull away right before the prison guard would order him to step away. Definitely, not an ordinary Saturday.