Gimme One Reason.

Matt's POV

Liz had on shorts and her bikini top still, you could see perfectly the bruise that went from the top of her knee to her armpit. It was somewhat horrifying, but it wasn't bothering her much now. It was three in the morning, we were all still out by the fire, and still drinking.

But Liz was surpassing all of us in the drunk category. Most of us had a good buz, if that, if not mostly sober by now, but she was probably eight sheets to the wind at this point. She had probably four mixed drinks and eight beers now.

She was sitting on the ground with McKenna, she wasn't drinking obviously, she was only ten. They were playing, or on Liz's half trying to play, some card game. I don't even know what it was called, all I know was that McKenna was whooping Liz's ass at it.

"I'll bet my soul on the next game I win." Liz smiled, standing to grab another beer "Lemme grab a beer first."

"You don't have a soul." Zack announced "Remember? Long time ago."

"Shut up Baker." Liz flipped him off as she cracked open another beer. Brian handed her a water bottle from the cooler as he grabbed himself and I another beer.

"Hydrate or you'll hate yourself in the morning." He laughed and sat down with Michelle, who was currently texting a very upset Val. "How's captain pissy pants?"

"Pissy." Mich grumbled under her breath "Really pissy. She said it's like being betrayed by family, that all of you went without me in her words." She held her phone to her leg and groaned "And now she's calling me... Val, it's fucking three in the morning-... Well of course." She paused and glared at the ground "No, I'm not handing the phone over, I'm also not telling him to pick his up. Listen, stop calling me. I'll talk when we get home. Stop it, good night." She hung up and threw her phone behind her "She's going to make me kill her I swear."

"About us being here?" Brian asked, raising an eyebrow "Oh, with Matt and Liz."

"Mich, if this is causing an issue between you and her we don't all have to hang out as much." I shrugged "I mean, we can back off a bit."

"No, that's not happening." Michelle rolled her eyes "She needs to grow up and get a life. Yah it's gonna be hard because you two have had this same group since grade school and have been dating so long, but she really needs to get out and get a life."

"I mean... probably." I laughed as she nodded, turning her phone off "So, what's the plan for the rest of the week? Any thing specific planned?"

"Eh," Dad shrugged "Trying not to kill anyone would be a good idea." He laughed "Tomorrow I have to go back to town though for the day for work. Suzy and Kenny are.. staying?"

"Staying." McKenna called out from her spot on the ground with Liz, the card game turning in to Go Fish for Liz's sanity sake.

"Staying, so they'll be here. You guys take the boat, jet ski, whatever. Just don't get hurt. Be safe.. I should actually get to bed though." He stood, stretching "I'll see you all tomorrow night, I'll be out of here before any of you hungover psychos even flutter an eye lid."

"See ya, dad." Brian and McKenna called in unison, Brent was already in bed. Loser.

I watched as Liz and McKenna laughed at each other, fighting over a certain card "They're literally kids." Zack sat next to me and handed me a beer, seeing as I had finished the one Brian brought over earlier "It's good to see her not in pain."

"Yah... that bruise is brutal. She's going to wake up in so much pain.." I laughed as Zack nodded "I feel like we should all get on her level.."

"Tomorrow night, let's at least get partially in to the week before bestowing ultimate hangovers on ourselves." He laughed and tipped his beer back "I mean... Or we could."

"I vote we could." Brian stood up "Who's up for some drinking games? Shots? Absinthe?"

"Oh good Jesus." Michelle laughed "Liz's level or dead, what are we trying to achieve?"

"Either one works." Zack stood up as Brian brought over a few handles of booze, beckoning Liz over.

"Come on, Kenny you need to get to bed, the adults are going to play some drinking games." Brian smirked as McKenna flipped him off before Suzy brought her inside.

We all sat in a circle as Brian poured shots "Ok, so let's play Bus Drive." Zack smiled, handing out cards from a deck. A game I would be way too confused to understand, and one that soon had us all way too belligerent to care what it was about.

~****~

Liz's POV

My head hurt a little, but nothing in comparison to what my body felt like. I groaned and opened my eyes, the sound of water causing me to sit up.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" I shouted, scrambling to keep my balance.

I glanced around at the open water around me, the beach far off from me. I was sitting on a floating lounge chair, half way out in the lake, tied to a buoy. I touched the water, it was freezing. I groaned, I was not trying to swim all the way in. It was easy to do for sure, but the water was chilly. Not trying to freeze my ass off. I glanced up at the sun, it had to be around noon by now. I groaned and looked to the shore, trying to make out bodies.

A few were asleep in chairs but I couldn't see who. "Matt! Zack!" I screamed, waving my hands, feeling my head ache slightly. I needed a fucking beer and to knock out whoever did this.

"Zachary James Baker!!" I screamed louder and repeated it until I saw someone in a chair fall over, waking up.

"Fuck... Liz? LIZ!" It was Zack, he was scrambling around waking Matt and Brian up. Michelle was asleep in a hammock to the side and I'm guessing Jacky went in side because she wasn't on the beach.

"ZACK!" I shouted, waving as everyone turned to the water "FUCKING GET ME OUT OF THIS!" I screamed as they all began laughing "It's not fucking funny, guys! Come on!"

"Hang on!" Brian shouted as Michelle woke up, laughing as she noticed the situation. She had her camera out instantly and was taking picture. I made sure to flip her off in every one. Brian returned with the key to the jet ski and Matt started it up, making his way out to me.

"Get on." He held his hand to me, a smirk playing on his lips as he hoisted me up, "Hold the chair."

"Yah, whatever." I used one hand to hold the chair, and my other arm to hold on to Matt as he slowly brought us in to shore. He hopped off and helped me down, I immediately punched him "You guys suck, you're assholes."

"What? Why?" Zack asked as I smacked his arm, ringing out my shirt.

"Fucking putting me on that!" I shouted.

"You fucking did that yourself!" Matt laughed "We were playing that card game and all of a sudden you saw the chair and thought it would be a grand idea to float on it... Apparently you fell asleep." He laughed "Stupid really, you could have drowned."

"Idiot." Zack laughed "Jesus, what time is it?" He looked at his phone "Fuck it's eleven."

"Ugh, way past beer o'clock." I reached in to the cooler and grabbed a beer as everyone stared at me "Fuckers, you try having the entire side of your body bruised. I ain't trying to feel this shit."

"True." Michelle laughed "I have so many good fucking pictures of that."

"Great." I laughed and rolled my eyes. "So... who's drinking with me?"

"After breakfast." Brian laughed "Come on, I feel like mom's probably made her way to lunch by now."

"Ugh, food... Your mom is legitimately the best cook." Michelle smiled as we all followed Brian in to the house where, yes, Suzy was cooking lunch. Not sure what, but it smelled amazing.