The party was roaring and as I had expected I was a little cold. Everyone from the school was here, or at least all the people I liked somewhat. "Hey Maggie!" I heard someone yell behind me. I turned to see my brother's best friend Thomas standing there. He gave me a hug, but kept it quick. "So your eye is looking better, I can barely see anything. Normally things like that take weeks to heal up." He said.

"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty lucky." I said back, tucking my hair behind my ear, a sure sign of me being nervous.

"Soo.. Why do I never see you around at things like this?"

"Umm, I just don't like things like this normally." I said, turning my head catching Danny and Mackenzi mid makeout. I smiled, giggling a little.

"I do have to say, this is the best music I've heard at a party in a while." He laughed to me.

"Yeah, it's Sammy's! You should tell him." I said.

"Sammy? Is he one of those brothers you hang out with? The one with the longer hair?" He said, genuinely curious.

"Yeah, you've only been in the same grade as his brothers your whole life." I kind of screamed over the music, joking. "I didn't know you liked... well... good music."

"My dad loves it, so I love it. It can be a little difficult talking about that with your friends when they don't get it." He said. I'd never seen him speak like that. I guess you can never judge a book by it's cover. "You want another beer?" He asked me. I nodded meekly, my smile not faltering. He walked away and I watched as he headed towards his alcohol. I was broken out of my thought by a very drunk Carmen and a very drunk Sam.

"YES, YES, please, finally! Go get with him!" Carmen yelled at me. Sammy nodded along.

"Go, Mags. Wee gote thist. Its allllll okieee." Sam said messing up half of his words with slurs. I laughed at them.

"Not today." I said patting Sammy's head and Carmen's hand that was secured around my waste.

"But why not? He HOT!" Carmen said. I thought about it for a second, why not? I looked over to Jake who was curled up on a chair with Hannah on his lap. I wanted to be in her position, but I couldn't just wait while he was with someone else. Maybe I should do it?

"Guys, go go!" I said quickly, but Thomas was back before they could leave. He handed me a new beer that I opened myself. "Okay guys, it was nice talking to you. Now I will see you in the house later. Bye, bye." I said to them like I was talking to a baby.

"You two kids have fun now." Sam said winking at me a very obvious wink. Thomas started laughing and I put my hand over my face so he couldn't see how red my cheeks were.

"How about we go play some games at the table and then go sit by the fire?" He suggested. I nodded, following him.

I was drunk to the max. We played four games of stack cup and I got bitch cupped everytime (the one disadvantage to not going out much). I might have been good at chugging, but that also meant I would get drunk twice as fast. Then we continued to play some ruit, which we somehow won. Thomas took my hand, leading my over to one of adirondack chairs around the fire. Jake had his guitar out, getting ready to play something, while others gathered around. There was only one adirondack chair left, so Thomas and I decided to share it. Normally, if I wasn't so schmacked, I would have just sat on the grass, but my drunk self is ooooooverly friendly that I sat right on his lap. He seemed taken back by it, but once I settled in he was okay. I could feel his breath on my neck as Jake started strumming his guitar. It felt like Jake's breath and I imagined sitting on his lap. I turned my head a little, whipping Thomas with my hair. "Oh my god, I'm sorry!" I said to him touching right near his eye trying to see if I hurt him in anyway.

"It's okay," he laughed, "don't worry about it. But my cheek does hurt a little bit. Kiss and make it better?" He said sweetly, he really was just a nice guy. I looked at him for a second, his green eyes were staring back into mine, his long blond hair sat at his shoulders and asked for me to touch it, and his body felt nice under mine. He was bigger and taller than me, he plays lacrosse. I took his face in my hands and placed my lips where he said it hurt.

"All better?" I said like a nurse talking to a little kid after getting a shot.

"Mmm not yet." He said quietly. He pulled my waste closer to him and put one hand behind my head, guiding it his lips. Soon my lips were on his, they danced together well, but it wasn't like kissing Jake. Jake, Jake, Jake. Stop thinking about Jake! I put my hands in his hair, hearing the group around the fire singing along to whatever Jake was playing. Now Thomas's hair was Jake's, I laid my hands into it, pulling a little. I liked the way it felt. Thomas's hands were now Jake's, moving up and down my sides. His lips were Jake's lips. I imagined Jake under me, the feeling of being so close to him. I drunk enough that anything I imagined could come true, but when I pulled away it was still just Thomas under me. I breathed heavily, looking between his eyes and his lips, he smiled at me. We turned back to face the fire and when we did, everyone started cheering. I looked at everyone, hooting and hollering, but my eyes fell on Jake's. He was deep in thought, studying my face. I wanted to talk to him, kiss him, touch him, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I also didn't want him to lecture me like a brother would about what just happened. To save all the fun parts of my inebriation from disappearing, I got off Thomas's lap, not saying anything and walked into the house.

I was searching for that bottle of José from earlier, but I couldn't find it and that sucker stuck out. I looked in the freezer just in case, but nope, it wasn't there either. I heard new music coming from inside the house, it sounded like something Josh would play. I tiptoed into the family room and sure enough there was Josh dancing around the room with everyone except Hannah and Jake. He was holding the bottle of tequila like it was an offering to some sort of gods. "Hey Joshua, maybe you should save some of that for me?" I said in a questioning tone to him. We gathered around the coffee table as Go Your Own Way came on. Ugh, he knew I loved Fleetwood Mac. We took out the little red solo cup shot glasses and Danny went to get limes and salt as I poured the liquor. "Alright, you guys know what to do?" I said to them. They all nodded excitedly. "Alrighhhhht, let's do this." We started throwing back shots and before you knew it I was tumbling, well everyone else was too. We danced around the table as my song came on. I started jumping, mostly flailing around.

"Wake up Maggie, I think I got something to say to you. It's late September and I really should be back at school. I know I keep you amused, but I feel I'm being used. Oh Maggie, I couldn't have tried any more. You led me away from home, just to save you from being alone. You stole my heart, and that's what really hurts." We sang. Some point in the middle of that, everyone was leaving and Jake and Hannah came into the room. I looked at them sat on the couch, neither of them looked drunk, but you could tell Jake was. His eyes seemed more distant and lost. I danced around to them and took a hold of his arm pulling him up. He seemed confused until I started dancing and singing again. "Or steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool. Or find myself of rock n' roll band that needs a helping hand. Oh Maggie, I wish I'd never seen your face. You made a first class fool out of me, but I'm as blind as a fool can be. You stole my heart, but I love ya, anyway." I laughed as everyone circled around me, until Josh came from behind me and picked me up, just to lay me back on the ground.

"Come on, why can't we keep dancing." I said, crossing my arms on the floor.

"It's 4 AM Mags, time to not make the house rumbled." Danny said.

"Rude." I looked over and saw that Sammy was already passed out on the Bubba's bed (poor pup would probably just take his bed) with Carmen, who was playing with his hair. Danny was awake, but his eyes were closing with Kenz by his side, who was out like a light. Hannah laid on the couch, her breathing heavy, snores almost escaped her. It was just Josh, Jake, and I still awake. I had all this energy, but I wasn't sure what to do with it. "Pssst. Pssst." They both turned to me and I acted out going upstairs on the roof. We all went upstairs and got on the roof, looking at the stars. Josh left for a minute, coming back with a pack of cigarettes and his Altoids can that held everything you could dream of for rolling joints. I took one of the cigarettes, lighting it with his yellow lighter. I inhaled, enjoying the taste. Jake nudged me and I passed it over to him. Josh was busy rolling for us. "It's kind of cold out here." I said giggling and just a little dizzy.

"I can get you a sweater." Jake said standing up. I nodded and he went back in.

"Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'm pretty?" I said, knowing I would regret anything I did tonight tomorrow morning. He shrugged,

"I already told you." He said.

"But do you think I look pretty tonight? Do you like this shirt?" I asked while playing with the one string holding it together. He looked at me as I did, coughing a little.

"Yeah, I do." He looked me directly in the eyes.

"What do you?" Jake said as he walked out onto the roof with a sweater in hand, his sweater.

"I was just wondering if he liked this top, how about you? Do you like this shirt?" I said. His reaction was similar to Josh's, except instead of a cough, he shift his body a little. They both looked at me, not sure what I was going to do.

"Yeah, I think it looked good." Jake said. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm just not sure if it's right for me." I said, knowing well that the shirt did look good on me, but my mind was working in weird ways tonight. "Do you guys feel alive tonight? I feel like I can do anything." I lifted my hands to the air and looked up at the moon, spinning to the music in the speaker Josh had outside. I turned my back to the boys and pulled the string of my shirt, letting it fall off of me. The air from the crisp fall evening brushed against my bare top, no bra, nothing. "I just feel so good, you know?" I tilted my head over my shoulder to look at them. Both of their eyes were glued to me. "Come on guys, it'll be fun." I didn't even know what I was trying to coax them into doing. I turned to face them. Jake shot up and put his hands in the sweater he'd brought out. Josh's face was blank and Jake's was concerned. "Jake, no. I just want to have fun and be a kid. Let me be free." I said as I tried to unbutton my pants.

"You don't have to be free like this Mags, we can find other ways. You're drunk and you don't know what you're doing." Something snapped inside of me.

"Stop acting like my brother! You're not my brother. You're supposed to be my best friends, but you don't let me do what I want to do." I said to both of them. "You," I said putting my index finger on Jake's chest, "are NOT my brother, you never will be, stop acting like you can change things." Jake's face looked pained, Josh looked confused, and I had no idea what I was saying.

— Author's Note —

Two chapter in one day because this story has a thousand views! That's pretty crazy. Just wanted to say thanks for reading and continue to spread the peace and love!