Another Wave Has Turned Its Back On Me

I was woken up from my nap in class by the loud bell, telling the students they could leave and go home. I definitely wasn't making a good first impression on my teachers but who was I trying to impress when I only have one year of high school left?

I brought myself to get out of my desk and make my way to the front entrance outside the school, where I lit up yet another Marlboro. By doing this, I received a few dirty looks; nothing I'm not used to. I felt content for a while until someone came from behind me and quickly snatched up my cigarette. 

"The fuck are you doing?" I shouted, annoyed at whoever took the calming device from my hand. To my surprise, I turned to see a smirking Mike with my cigarette in between his lip piercings. 

"Yah know, just hanging around." He replied to my rhetorical question, taking in the smoke and blowing it in my face. 

"You're just the coolest, Mikey. Am I driving you home? Vic told me to come over." He nodded, handing me back my cigarette with two fingers. 

I walked him over to my car and he got in the passengers seat. When I put my keys in, loud music made it's way through my speakers, startling Mike. I just laughed and turned it down the slightest bit, continuing to pull out of the school parking lot. Once I got out, I cursed myself for not remembering where to go to get to the Fuentes' home. 

"I don't even remember how to get to your house.." I mumbled, feeling stupid. 

"Make a left babe. It's okay." Mike laughed at my embarrassment and continued to drum on his lap to the music while giving me directions until we finally reached his house. It was an old, faded white house, with a low metal fence in the front yard and steps leading up to the front door. I smiled to myself. Just as I remembered it. 

"Looks like Vic and Tony beat us here." I stated, seeing their cars already in the small driveway. "Are your parents here?" I was eager to see them since I haven't in so long. They were always there for me when my parents weren't. 

"Nah, dad's always working lately and my mom had a doctors appointment. Then she's going to chill with her old lady friends." We both chuckled and I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't see them, but now I had all the time in the world to hang out with my actual friends. 

I forgot that my dad had no idea where I was so I took out my phone and called him to tell him where I was. I then nodded towards the house and walked up the steps while Mike opened the door for me. 

The inside was just as I remembered it. The living room attached to the small dining room when you first walk in, with a wall separating the kitchen. Downstairs was their parents room and upstairs was Mike's room right next to Vic's, and a bathroom.

Knowing just where to go, I walked up the stairs into Vic's room where I heard an acoustic guitar being strummed and Jaime's contagious laugh. I opened the door and threw myself onto Vic's bed, taking in the familiar smell of the house where Mike soon followed and jumped on me. 

"You're fat. Move!" I wiggled out from under him, poking at his boney sides and turning, just to catch Tony glaring at us from the side of the room, strumming his own acoustic guitar. 

"You guys are just special." Jaime said with a small laugh, showing off his perfect little dimples. I showed him an even bigger smile and then focused my attention on Vic's guitar playing. 

"You're really good. I remember when you used to have a really little guitar and you'd try to play it all the time." I said to him, smiling at the way he strummed it perfectly, moving his fingers to the right strings. 

"Thanks Al. I definitely improved," everyone laughed, "Can we go drink now?"

I chuckled and everyone jumped up, pushing to get downstairs. Thank god my first day of school was a Friday. Jaime threw me on his back and ran down the stairs, giving me a piggyback ride. I laughed the whole way to the kitchen, wrapping my arms around his neck so I wouldn't fall off. 

Mike poured everyone whiskey and coke in plastic cups. Typical. I drank mine immediately, enjoying the familiar numbing of my throat after the alcohol burned it's way down. It was only about a month ago that I started getting into drinking and partying. Around the same time my mom died. I took a shot Tony handed me and felt his eyes on me while I gulped it down.

"You're fucking insane," Tony yelled towards me. I had drank more than him and was only a little tipsy. I barely heard him, considering at this point they began blasting some type of heavy metal music throughout the house. I just laughed at him and took one more shot. 

I had just realized it was almost 10 pm after we started drinking, and I was still unable to drive home. Even if I could, my dad would smell the alcohol on me and threaten therapy on me, again. 

"Uh do you think I could stay over? I don't really feel like getting grounded for coming home shit faced," I said, leaning closer to Vic.

"Of course. And my parents will probably be asking to see you tomorrow anyways." He replied, drunkenly grinning at me. 

After an hour or two of just talking, I found out a lot more about these guys than I would've if they were sober. It was actually pretty entertaining, hearing them tell stories about each other while I also shared stories about Vic and Mike. Apparently Vic had a girlfriend, and did for a few years now. That itself explained to me why he stopped talking to me. Over these few hours, the more I talked to Tony or Mike, the more I got over Vic. 

Jaime acted as almost a brother to me. I just didn't feel the same way towards him as I did towards Tony and Mike. Oh god. Tony AND Mike? What's wrong with me? I've only been here one day and I already like some kid I just met. It's just the alcohol, I tried to tell myself. You'll get over it. 

When Jaime walked home which was only a few houses down, Tony was already passed out on the couch and Vic on the table in the dining room. I was even falling asleep sitting up as Mike watched some kind of cartoon. 

"I'm gonna go sleep upstairs," I said to Mike, who slightly turned his head to look at me. "Night." We both said, and I made my way upstairs to his room. As soon as I opened the door I could smell the weed and cologne. I smirked to myself. He's so obvious.

I crawled into his bed carelessly. I just wanted to pass out already but I couldn't stop thinking. Why did I suddenly care for these people? Vic and Mike stopped caring about me when I needed them most. Why did I even think about Tony and Mike so much? They weren't supposed to mean anything to me. I learned a long time ago not to rely on others for happiness. Or anything else for that matter. I finally gave up and shook the thought of this crazy ass day out of my mind while slowly dropping my heavy eyelids closed.