I Dare Not Ask Who's Been Helping You Fall Asleep

Another party, another fuck up. I was beginning to see that parties had a way of being a cycle, the same thing happening over and over again to the point where nothing made sense and everything was experienced through the senses not with your brain. However, this party was different. For once I didn’t make any mistakes, but I couldn’t say the same thing about Alex…

I swirled the caramel liquid in my red plastic cup, watching as bubbles swished back and forth. Without waiting another second I drained its contents. I threw the cup on the ground and didn’t really care. It was a random house, full of random people that I didn’t know, and I didn’t care if I threw random shit on the ground.

With my back against the wall, I watched as time passed. One minute everyone was sober and talking. Next minute, tipsy and laughing. Third minute, on the floor wasted. It was fascinating really, the way the teenage life at a party went.

“Do you want another?” Jack asked. He had just finished one himself.

I looked up at him and smiled. “Nope. You see I’m trying this thing were I don’t make a complete fool of myself by getting drunk.”

Jack nodded and pretended to seriously let my words soak into him. Then he shook his head, “Well, that was nice while it lasted.” I shoved him to tell him to stop making fun of me. He let out a laugh, “Well, fortunately for me I’m not a lightweight. I’m going to get another cup of beer. I’ll be back before you can even miss me.”

“Whatever, Jack.” He smirked and scurried off toward the booze.

For some reason my intentions to get trashed tonight were no longer existent. It just seemed like a complete waste of time, dignity and irreplaceable brain cells. I started nodding my head to “The Plan to Bomb the Panhandle” by A Day to Remember that was blasting from the stereo.

A girl in her bra and panties ran past screaming. Soon after, a guy with a water gun chased after her laughing his head off. Everything seemed to be extremely funny when you were under the influence of alcohol, but to me everything looked retarded. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all.

Jack came back to me out of breath. I opened my eyes wide wondering how he got drunk so fast. “Guess what, guess what, guess WHAT?” He said excitedly. He yanked on my arm impatiently.

I pulled my arm out of his grasp and crossed them, “Um… you’re drunk?”

He shook his head from side to side sloppily, “Nooooo, I mean yeah, yes kind of, but that’s not what I wanted to tell you!”

I giggled. “What is it then?”

“There. Is. A. Fucking. Trampoline. Outside.” He stretched out each word with importance.

“No. Fucking. Way.” I replied sarcastically.

“Come on!” He yelled.

“No.” I said bluntly.

“Come on.” He said, but softly this time.

“No.” I said with the same answer.

“That’s it.” He hoisted me over his shoulder and carried me outside. I didn’t know he was strong enough; he was so skinny. We made it outside and I immediately felt the chilly night air. With a grunt Jack threw me onto the trampoline and I bounced lightly up and down.

“You’re going to pay for that, Barakat.” I said getting onto my feet.

Jack climbed onto the trampoline and started jumping higher and higher beside me. When he was up in the air he called, “You could pay me back by wrestling me.”

“Uh, you know what? I think I’ll pass.” I began jumping too and soon we were going higher and higher, trying to grab the stars. Jack and I found ourselves jumping up and down like little kids until Jack landed funny causing his knees to buckle. He collapsed onto the black tarp and started holding his knee. Quickly, I stopped to see if he was alright.

I knelt down beside him and placed my hand on his back. “Jack? Are you okay?”

Without warning he wrapped his arms around me and tackled me down to the surface of the trampoline.

“You bitch!” I said laughing. I struggled to get free, but Jack held me down. I decided it would be better to stop struggling. I figured it was always best to just let accept that Jack would always win.

Jack hovered over me. “Now, my lady,” he said. “I’ve got you right where I want you.”

I pushed my hands up against his chest lightly in a fake attempt to push him away. I gave up quickly. “Shut up, Jack and just kiss me.”

He grinned. “That I can do.”

After a few minutes we pulled apart and I had to catch my breath. Jack laid down beside me and held my hand. It would have been really romantic if the sound of someone throwing up in the bushes on the side of the house couldn’t be heard—and if two other people weren’t on the trampoline with us.

Jack turned to lay down on his side, resting on his elbow with his head on his hand. “How awesome would it be to do it on a trampoline?”

I quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled causing his head to fall from its current position. “I’m not drunk like you remember?”

Jack began to protest, “I am not drunk. Here watch.” He got up and started walking on the edge of the trampoline on the metal part.

“Jack don’t! You could fall off,” but I was shocked to see him balancing perfectly fine. He jumped off the edge to where I was still laying.

“See,” he said. He started jumping higher to make me bounce up and down. “I told you that I wasn’t drunk.”

“But then what about earlier?” I pointed out.

Jack jumped up and down and made me look up at him, “When?”

“When you carried me out here.”

He laughed, “Uh, hello giant trampoline to play on! I was hyper, but then again, what else is new? I swear you’re just like my mom, always thinking I’m high or drunk. Look ma, no hands!” Jack flopped onto his butt and bounced back onto his feet again.

He made me so happy I couldn’t stand it.

“How many beers did you have then?” Jack continued to jump making it really difficult to have a conversation with him, but I didn’t really mind. I just liked being around him.

“Only two, which is one more than you, if I remember correctly,” Jack answered. He did a failed attempt at a cartwheel and landed on his butt.

I started giggling once more and made my way over to him, “Jack, do you want to get out of here?”

He got up and started jumping lightly. “Sure, where to?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know, my house maybe. We could watch a movie or something. My mom’s not home.” As always, I thought sadly.

Jack stopped jumping and climbed onto the ground. “Let’s go. This party sucks ass anyways.” I crawled over to the edge of the trampoline and Jack offered a hand to help me down.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” I told him once our feet were on the ground.

We walked through the house past loopy kids who were beginning to feel the effects of alcohol draining off and past the kids passed out on the couch or floor. Someone stumbled down the stairs immediately catching my attention. It was Alex.

I nudged Jack in the arm just as we reached the front door. “Jack, look at Alex. He looks trashed.”
Alex walked slowly towards us.

“Jazzy Jazz and Jack Attack what y’all up to?” I gasped in shock. I had never seen Alex like this.

Jack snapped his fingers in front of Alex’s milky eyes. “Alex, you okay?”

“I’m fine. I was w-with Jasey.” He slurred. “Yup, I’m f-fine.” He repeated, but then paused. “Wait no, not fine. I’m shit.” He laughed, “I mean I feel like shit.”

“Here grab an arm.” Jack indicated to me and took an arm of his own. Together we carried Alex to Jack’s mom’s Honda Civic. Alex lounged across the back seat. We started to drive toward my house.

“What do you think happened to him?” I asked Jack.

“No, idea, but hopefully for him he won’t remember a thing.”