Six Feet Under the Stars

Needless to say, I was sullen for the rest of the party.

My bad temper wasn't tamed by the alcohol I poured myself from the makeshift bar on top of the television set. I concocted a hasty White Russian without the cream, pouring in much more vodka than was necessary to mix the drink. The bite of the liquor felt oddly soothing and I kicked the glass off in record time. Before walking away, I poured about two inches of vodka in my cup to tide me over. Then I commandeered the rest of the bottle just in case.

I figured if I was lucky I'd get drunk and forget Alex kissing that random girl back in the kitchen. However, that was all I could focus on the more I drank. It just seemed like everything he had told me was bullshit and I didn't trust any of the memories I had with him. My brain was sure as hell was glad that I didn't sleep with him though my libido strongly disagreed.

"Melanie, did you kick the whole bottle of Russian Standard off by yourself?" asked Jack who took a seat next to me with an ear-splitting grin. He punched a pillow into a more comfortable shape and leaned back on the deformed mass of fluff.

"No, it was almost gone when I got to it."

"Really? Because I just watched you down nearly the whole thing." He called my bluff with a sly twinkle in his eyes. "Alex was right about you being able to handle your liquor. I tip my hat to you." In respect, Jack bowed his head to me.

The alcohol hazed my thoughts a bit and I was dimly aware that I should be mad at Alex for what he did, "Who cares about him?"

Jack knocked on my forehead. "Hello? You do."

Dramatically, I shook my head. "Nope. Not anymore."

"You're drunk."

"I'm-- I'm not." I stammered while in the middle of replying.

"Sure, you aren't." He rolled his eyes while smiling. It was a strange combination of facial features that made my head spin like a merry-go-round.

"She kissed Alex." I mumbled, full of drunken confessions.

"Who are you talking about?" Jack asked playing along with what he thought was a joke.

"I don't know. Some ginger haired girl." As I tried to stand, my legs gave up on me and I ended up slumping forward in my seat.

Jack slowly pushed me upright again. "Woah, take it easy there."

"You're so nice." I told him in a daze. "Why are you so nice?"

"It comes naturally." Jack teased and I fumbled for his hand to keep me grounded on Earth and twisted my fingers in between his, feeling like a small child. "You know, that much vodka isn't supposed to be consumed in one sitting. It's not a contest. How are you feeling anyway?"

"Great." I threw my hands in the air, taking Jack's hand with one of mine. "I want to dance." Greedily, I watched the people swaying to and fro and wished to be a part of things. It looked so fun from the sidelines.

"Not a good idea." Jack warned as I began to rise from my chair. He stood next to me and steadied my body whose knees were wobbling uncontrollably, seeking some form of balance. "You look green. Here, come on."

With a gentle arm supporting my weight, Jack led me through the chaos and over to the bathroom door. He turned the knob with his free elbow and kicked the way open. The couple that had been in there earlier fooling around were still laying in the tub, half-clothed. The woman giggled as the man whispered something dirty in her ear.

"You're going to have to get out of here; we got a puker." That's all the two needed to hear before shuffling out of the doorway and hastily drawing pants up their backsides. I laughed loudly at the scene, finding it absolutely hilarious that there were naked people in the bathtub.

I used Jack's arm for support, "I am not going to puke."

"Try to make it into the toilet or the trash can." He instructed not believing my protests.

All of a sudden I did feel rather sick. The world seemed to be tilting upside down. Lurching forward, I grabbed my stomach and moaned in protest shutting my eyes. "Make the spinning stop."

Jack laughed and clamped my skull between his hands applying some light pressure. "Any better?"

"Maybe." I replied, quite unsure.

"Here, let's sit down." Slowly, we fell messily to the ground and sat next to each other with the toilet bowl hovering in between us like a third member invading the duo. The rug between my fingers had long soft strands that felt lovely gliding across my fingertips.

After a moment, I stated the obvious. "This sucks."

"What'll suck is the hangover you're going to get tomorrow. Remind me to make you my special breakfast. It's one hundred percent guaranteed to cure a hangover."

I lazy smile tugged at my lips, "What is it?"

"Scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese on a buttered bagel. All the grease just soaks up the alcohol in your system. It's the best; trust me. It has helped me through many tough mornings."

My stomach rumbled. "That sounds good right now."

"Don't get over eager; that's what got you in this situation already." Jack said.

"Okay." I agreed happily, resigned to try the breakfast creation in the morning. Or maybe just whenever I woke up from sleeping. Things felt so dreamy sitting on a bathroom rug and having a drunken conversation with Jack.

Comfortingly, his hands traced circles on my back in an almost motherly way. Jack scooted closer to me and kept his arm around me while he idly skimmed his fingers up and down my bare arms. With a yawn, I rested my head on his shoulder and sank into his body. "This is nice." I murmured.

"As nice as me?" He joked referencing what I had said earlier.

"I'm not sure." I laughed dizzily. "Are you going to leave if I throw up?"

"No, I'll stay here."

"Really?" I questioned skeptically.

"Scout's honor." Jack crossed over his heart.

My eyelids felt droopy and I batted them to keep myself awake. For the second time, my brain expelled the worry at the forefront of my mind. "She really kissed him."

"And you really kissed him too."

"That's different." I waved a hand in the air and almost whacked Jack in the face. "We kissed each other. And he said such nice things. Just so nice."

"People fuck up." Jack shrugged and seemed content to give me some advice. "Alex is no different. Maybe you should talk to him about what you saw before jumping to any conclusions. It'll drive you crazy."

"Alex shouldn't fuck up."

Jack laughed in response to my scowl, "That's optimistic thinking." A knock sounded in a musical rhythm on the door. "Who's there?"

"Doctor Seuss."

"Well, shit. Make yourself at home."

A chuckle drifted through the cracked door and grew louder as it opened wider, "Do you know anyone who would have a--?" Rian cut off his question when he caught site of me resting in Jack's arms.

"Drunk." Jack explained.

I began huffily, "I am not--."

"That makes sense." Rian said speaking over my protests that were falling on deaf ears. "Alex has been looking for her around the party. Said she never came back after he kicked your ass at beer pong."

"He did not kick my ass. I let him win." He looked comically outraged. As Rian left the small room while rolling his eyes, Jack turned to me, "Do you think you're good enough to head back into the party? I'm sure Alex wants to talk to you."

"I don't want to see him. I just want to sleep." My head throbbed uncomfortingly.

"There's no place here for that. We're leaving in a few hours anyway, really early in the morning to avoid any city traffic. Catch up on sleep while we're driving."

The vodka was making me cranky. "But I'm so tired. Maybe there's a spot out there I could lay down on and just close my eyes."

"You'll get trampled by drunken frat boys."

"I'll take my chances." I mumbled half inaudibly.

Jack sighed in mock frustration and helped me up on my feet. "You can rest over in my room but no ransacking my drawers for underwear to sell to fans on eBay."

I giggled sounding halfway out of my mind. "Okay. No boxers."

Shaking his head, Jack kindly led me back through the mass of people and out of the door. We didn't run into Alex along the way so I distantly wondered how much he was actually searching for me. Jack opened the door to a messy room identical to Alex's. The bed was already unmade and I plopped gratefully onto the rumpled sheets which smelled reminiscent of Jack's aftershave.

The only parting words Jack gave me sounded solemn as they resonated through the foreign room. "Just try to sleep it off."