"Hey, wake up." My eyes flutter open as Kennedy shakes my shoulder. Her touch is like a feather, light, gentle. She's probably scared to piss me off again. "We're here."

Already? I just closed my bloody eyes. Yawning, I stretch out my arms before mindlessly slipping out of the car. The sky is almost dark, remnants of a sunset linger behind the thick clouds. I shouldn't have napped, I feel fucked, like I'm in a haze. Fortunately, it's nothing a little Jameson can't fix. As Kenny says goodbye to her driver, I sneak a swig of whiskey, hoping it'll perk me up, give me some energy.

"Alright, well you kids have fun, okay?" Eddie says through the rolled-down window. "Call me when you want to get picked up."

"We will!" she exclaims, waving at him. "Bye Eddie."

"Bye sweetpea," Eddie sings, starting the car and driving away. I wish Louis, my father's twatty driver was as cool as Eddie. I wouldn't be caught dead drinking in the back of his car. Father would surely have me beheaded.

Kennedy sidles up to me, a hesitant look plastered on her face. "Little groggy?" she asks, gesturing for me to follow her up the driveway to the four-story ivy-leaf-covered mansion. Shit, everything sure is bigger in America. My eyes dart to the grand fountain in the middle of the courtyard, a mermaid emerging from the center, water spurting out of her mouth. So tacky.

"A little, yeah," I admit, rubbing my eyes, distant rave music echoing from inside the house. Oh, and their music sucks. We're off to a great start already. Why am I here again?

Kenny halts by the fountain, biting her lip as she asks cautiously, "Are we good? I didn't-uh...I didn't mean to offend you or anything earlier. I honestly thought you were kidding about teaching me...you know."

I scoff. She's really worried I'm going to go rogue tonight. "I was kidding. Like I'd let you actually ride the Triumph." 

I'm not sure what came over me when that offer escaped my traitorous lips but evidently, I wasn't thinking clearly. Perhaps I'm a sucker for a sob story.

"Oh," she hums, tucking her wavy hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I thought so. Okay, well, are you ready?"

"Whatever," I sigh, swinging my arm over Kennedy's shoulder. This is better than holding her stupid sweaty hand. She's a perfect height for an armrest. I look down at her. "You're very short, you know that?"

Kenedy rolls her eyes, wrapping her arm around my waist, gripping the sides of my jacket as we walk up the concrete stairs towards wooden doors. "I'm five foot five, that's average. Sorry that I'm not a giant."

"You're a goblin, we've already established that," I muse as the front door swings open and three of our classmates run out towards us, curiosity radiating in their eyes. Oh great, the welcoming committee.

"Kenny!" Max screams. Bloody hell, she's loud. "You're here! And you've brought British-boy!"

"British-boy?" I whisper to Kennedy, lifting up an eyebrow. A nickname, interesting. "Is that what you call me?"

"Among other things," she smirks then turns her attention back to her friends. "Leon, Felicity, Max, this is Oliver, my uh- my boyfriend." Leon and Felicity look familiar, I'm fairly certain they're in several of my classes. And everyone knows Maxine, she's hard to miss. Or hear. She might be the only person who actually talks in class, granted, it's usually over the teacher.

"Hey," I nod. I hate introductions. She better not do this all night. By the sounds of all the voices coming from inside, that would take hours.

"My oh my," Felicity coos, crossing her arms, a can of cider hanging from her hand. "He talks!"

"Ignore her, she's on her fourth cooler." Leon rolls his eyes and holds out his hand. "Nice to officially meet you, I think we're all in English together."

"I know," I state passively, giving him a firm shake. I gesture inside the home. "Let's go in, yeah? Unless you'd prefer to stand out here all night. "

"Oh, he's sassy!" Maxine sings, wiggling her eyebrows. "Mama likey." Dear god. They're apparently all sloshed already. Time to play catch-up. "Let's go do shots!"

"Max, can you chill?" Kenny asks, adjusting her position under my arm like I'm weighing her down. I instinctively tighten my muscles to relieve some of the weight. "We just got here. Let us breathe, will you?"

"Fine," Max scoffs. "We'll be upstairs playing cards, feel free to join us after you breathe." Felicity and Leon wave bye to us as they run down the hallway, whispering amongst themselves, about me, no doubt.

"Sorry about that," Kenny murmurs as we push past the throngs of swaying drunk fucks, the stench of weed and alcohol permeating the air. "They're pretty extra sometimes."

"It's fine," I mutter as we stroll further into the house, avoiding the empty cans and garbage on the floor. It's like a circus in here. Just as we reach the living room a voice shouts from behind us.

"Kennedy!"

Kenny untangles herself from my arm, whipping her head around. More people. Brilliant. "Lemar, oh hey," she says, scrunching up her face. "Um...how's it going?"

Lemar? The host? I give him a careful once-over. Well, he's certainly built like an American football player, tall, wide, yet he's missing the tough factor. Perhaps, it's the Ralph Lauren Polo shirt that's throwing me off.

"Hey, I'm glad you're here," he says with a wide grin, his eyes darting between us. "You must be Oliver, right? Nice to meet you."

"You too," I murmur with a sigh, catching Kenny frowning in my peripheral. What's wrong with her now? She's so bipolar. "Nice house. Lovely fountain."

Lemar throws his head back and surprisingly laughs. "It's hideous, I know. My mom went through a phase." He pauses, meeting Kenny's distrustful eyes. "So a couple of things; drinks are in the kitchen, feel free to help yourself, there are snacks in the dining room, games upstairs, and in the basement, we have RJ spinning." He shifts his attention to me. "Um...if you want to smoke do it outside but don't hang out there, my neighbors are still pissed from last week. Plus, the pool heater is broken. What else? Oh, right, if you break anything make sure to write on the whiteboard."

He's a bloody auctioneer. Or he's on drugs. The little white pasties on the corners of his lips indicate it's the latter. Someone's getting into it a little early. 

"Whiteboard?" I ask.

"Yeah, it's in the living room," Kenny explains, nodding down the hall. "You need to write down what you broke and which room it was in so Lemar can replace it before his parents come back."

"Oh," I hum, uninterested. "You have a system."

"So far it seems to be working," he laughs, his attention focused on the group of giggling girls behind us. "Alright, cool. If you need to crash here there are five guest beds on the top floor. Have fun, okay?"

"Thanks, Lemar," Kennedy says with a dubious smile. "I'll uh- see you around."

"See ya." Lemar pats me on the shoulder and whispers before he leaves, "She's not as bad as they say. Don't be a dick."

What? What where did that come from? 

"Apparently, you're not as bad as people say," I repeat Lemar's words as Kennedy drags me to the marble-slabbed kitchen, various cans of alcohol scattered across the counters.

"Well, that's nice," she scoffs, pulling a mango Whiteclaw from the blue ice bucket and grabbing two chocolate chip cookies off of a wrapped plate. "I guess he hasn't been brainwashed like the rest of the team. I thought he stopped us to be an ass or tell me to leave."

"Why would he be an ass?" I ask, leaning against the kitchen island and pulling out my flask. Hopefully, there's some whiskey laying around for when I need a refill.

Kennedy pops the whole cookie in her mouth, chewing a few times before explaining, "Well, he's on the team with Sawyer and I think they all hate me now or something. I don't know." She shrugs, cracking open the hard seltzer and taking a sip. "I tutored Lemar last year for a bit. He was having problems with history. Maybe he wants free tutoring again."

"Or maybe he just doesn't care what other people say," I offer. Kennedy tosses me a doubtful look. I elaborate, "Not everyone is so easily swayed by public opinion."

"Yeah maybe," she sighs, her eyes scanning our shambolic surroundings, a tiny scowl clipping her rosy lips. "How is everyone so wasted already? It's like 8 pm."

"Only eight?" I ask, checking the time on my phone. This night is going to last forever, I just know it. "Fantastic."

Music fills a beat of silence as Kennedy bites her lip, adjusting the straps on her black dress, light reflecting off of the small diamond pendant around her neck. I wonder who she dressed up for. It certainly wasn't me.

"Do you want to go play beer pong or something?" she asks, evidently tired of the awkward air between us. "Cards?"

"I'd rather just find a couch and sit," I state, averting my lingering gaze. Fuck's sake, they're like two perky magnets. That dress should be illegal. Or at least come with a warning: will turn boys into dogs. "You can do whatever you want though."

"You're just going to sit?" she asks with a slight pout. "Don't be weird, Oliver. At least come upstairs with me. You don't have to play or anything. Just come. We should stick together." She pauses. "Cause, you know, people will notice that we're not-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I grumble. A deal is a deal. "Fine, lead the way."

"Okay!" she exclaims, latching onto my hand and dragging me up the carpeted stairs towards the den. "You should play at least one round of Cards Against Humanity. It's fun, I promise."

"No thank you," I say as we round the corner into the games room and immediately bump into Sawyer and Corrine who both look confused to see us. Oh, here we go. "Fuck."

"Oh, hey," Sawyer says, his body tensing. "You guys came."

"Yup," Kenny says, her grip on my hand tightening as she precariously balances her half-eaten cookie on her White-Claw. "Can you let us pass? We have games to play."

"Why are you even here?" Corrine asks, glaring at Kenny. "Go home, nobody wants you here, loser."

"Why do you care, Corrine? Seriously? Just move." Kenny rolls her eyes when Corrine stands her ground, exuding major diva energy. 

"You should leave," Corrine states, running her hand up and down Sawyer's arm, leaning closer to him, marking her territory. "You're going to ruin everyone's fun. Did you bring your blue slips with you? Hmm?"

"Corrine-" Sawyer begins to say but he's cut off by an irritated Kenny.

"No, Corn," she sighs, taking a bite of the chocolate chip cookie. "I didn't. I'm off the clock, okay? You're free to do all the coke you want. Just move, Max is waiting for us."

Before Corrine can snap back, Sawyer asks slowly, "KC?" His eyes harden as he checks out Kennedy, his lip twitching. Seriously? With his girlfriend right there? Sucks to be Corrine. "Where'd you get that cookie?"

"What?" Kennedy asks with a frown. "Uh- the kitchen? Why?"

"Kitchen? Fucking idiot." Sawyer snatches the cookie away, shaking his head, his eyes alarming wide. "These are weed cookies, KC. What were you thinking?"

Oh shit. She's going to be flying shortly.

Kenny freezes. "Wh- what?" she asks in a whimper, her face turning a little white. "You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm not," Sawyer says in an exasperated tone, pocketing the cookie into his beige chinos. "But you only had a bite, so you should be okay."

"That was my second one!" Kenny cries, whipping her head towards me, fear glimmering in her eyes. "Am I going to die? I don't think I should mix weed and booze and-" She stops. "Fuck!"

"Oh my God, you're so stupid," Corrine snickers, covering her mouth, her eyes glowing smugly. Christ, she's maniacal.

"Fuck," Kenny whines, closing her eyes. Is she going to cry? It's just a little weed. "Should I go throw up or something? I don't want to be high!" 

I groan inwardly. She's so helpless sometimes.

"How strong are they?" I ask Sawyer as Kenny wiggles around me and continues to let out worried whimpers. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Oh my God, she's not going to die!" Corrine snaps, rolling her eyes. "She's just being dramatic, as usual."

Sawyer ignores his bitchy girlfriend. "Yeah, I think so," he says slowly. "Zeek made them pretty weak but still, KC's never done edibles before."

Corrine groans. "She'll be fine! Can we go?" She aggressively tugs on Sawyer's arm and pushes past us. "Enjoy your trip, Ken-Ken. I hope it's not a bad one."

"Just watch her," Sawyer adds before heading down the stairs. 

Me? I have to watch her?

"Oliver," Kenny whispers as she turns to face me, her eyes pleading, scared. "Please don't let me jump out the window."

I chuckle at her lack of marijuana knowledge. How uneducated. "Why would you jump out a window?"

"I dunno," she whines, taking a sip of her drink. "People do crazy things when they're high."

"Yeah maybe on meth or something, not weed. You'll just get a little body high, nothing to fret about. Enjoy it. Think positive thoughts."

"That's your advice? Think positive thoughts?!" she exclaims. "I don't have a lot of positive thoughts to think, Oliver!"

"That's slightly depressing but okay..." I hum, marginally concerned for her mental health. "Just go play cards and try not to think about it, yeah? You'll be fine." She whimpers. Oh, God. "I'll make sure to close all the windows for you, yeah?"

"Okay... But if I die tonight, I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life," she warns me. "I swear."

I roll my eyes. "Noted."

"Good!" Kenny straightens out her shoulders and heads towards her friends who are sitting in a circle on the floor, various black and white cards sprawled on the ground around them. Maybe they'll distract her and she won't notice she's high as fuck.

I stride over to the corner of the room and slump down into the orange leather couch, pulling out my headphones and cueing up my reading playlist. If Kennedy doesn't bother me, I can probably get a few chapters of Iron Man finished.

For the next hour, I'm pulled into a world of sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath was a badass. I throw my head back and laugh as I get to the chapter about his wedding. I can't believe he married an upper-crust socialite. To mix a bunch of stuck-up snobs and metalheads together is never a good idea. Iommi's mother even asked him why none of his friends were eating and why they kept going to the bathroom. Not very subtle, lads, but fucking hilarious.

When my flask runs out of whiskey, I look over towards Max, Felicity, and Leon who are laughing uncontrollably, passing around a vape pen. Oh, shit. I abruptly stand up, a small wave of panic washing over me.

"Oi, Max," I call out and she whips her head towards me, her eyes squinted and red. She's a goner.

"Ollie!" she yells, waving her hands in the air. "Stop being such a loner and come play with us! We don't bite!"

"Max," I state, stalking towards her. "Where's Kennedy?"

"Huh..." Max purses her lips and looks around. "I think she went to the bathroom?"

I close my eyes. Bloody hell. "When?"

"I dunno," Max says with a shrug, chugging a PBR. "A while ago, I think?"

"We skipped her turn twice," Felicity hiccups. "She been gone a looooong time. She's losing."

"For fuck sake's," I mutter.

Where the fuck did she go? 

_______________________

OH DANG OLLIE. YOU LOST HER. 

THOUGHTS?

Another Ollie chapter is next!

Kenny when she found out she ate weed cookies: