25| Damsel In Distress

Travis stopped the car in front of the school's building and the sound of music blasting from inside forced him to contemplate the decision of attending the bonfire.

"We can still ditch this and go eat a burger." He suggested and earned a smack on his shoulder.

"No you pussy, you can't back out at the last moment. This is senior year and I won't let you spend it locked inside your bedroom." Mario said and hopped out of the car.

"I guess Mario is right. There is no harm in interacting with our classmates." Maya said and Travis angled his neck at her betrayal.

"It's that Zachary who is feeding you such nonsense." He grumbled.

"Nobody is feeding me any nonsense. Being a little social won't hurt. We have to learn these things if we want to join any Ivy League." She said and walked out of the car. "Are you coming or not?"

"Fine." Travis groaned and then walked out of the car, following his friends towards the gate.

As soon as they entered the school ground, the sound of music intensified and Travis prepared himself for a massive headache. Parties weren't his cup of tea, although that has earned him the title of boring many times.

Most of the students were gathered around the massive fire burning in the middle of the ground. A stage was set-up in a corner, occupied by a DJ. Some students were dancing, some were busy chugging food and some were gathered in circles and playing games.

His eyes looked around, eager to see a certain girl with brown hair and brown eyes. His gaze searched through the familiar faces until it settled on Zoey leaning against a guy. There were laughing at something and the sight caused a strange burning in the pit of Travis's belly.

He knew the guy; he was a basketball player and a friend of Ethan and Zachary. He always knew Zoey liked such guys; popular and handsome with personality the size of a pear. She deserved someone better, someone who would connect to a more deeper level to her, someone who won't consider her just a piece of meat but an actual human being.

"Do you need some peanut butter with the jelly?" Mario's voice reached his ears and he turned around in confusion.

"What jelly?" He asked, looking around.

"Jelly. It means you are jealous of that guy, you stupid." Mario shrugged and Travis's eyes narrowed to slits.

"Why the fuck would I be jealous of that guy? He looks dumb." Travis defended.

"Yeah, but you do wish it was you instead of him standing near her. You like her, Travis. It's about time you admit it to her." Mario said, resting his elbow on his shoulder.

"I don't like her. She is a brat and every time I try to think otherwise, she just go out of her way to prove to me that I was right about her." Travis replied in an irritated tone. He still hasn't forgiven her for ruining his grades.

"Maybe that's your type." Mario said and before Travis could smack the back of his head, he had moved towards a group of girl to try his luck.

Travis gave another look to Zoey. She was wearing jeans and a black halter top, her hair tied in a pony tail. She looked beautiful like she always does. It doesn't matter what she wears, she still manages to knock the breath out of Travis' lungs.

The smoke in the air made his throat dry so he made his way to the food corner and poured the fruit punch in a glass. The taste felt unfamiliar, a bit too sharp for a fruity drink. With each sip, he became more adjusted with the taste and when his glass emptied, he felt the need to refill the glass.

•••••••••••

After talking to Zachary's friend Jeff for some time, Zoey made her way back to her friends. He was funny but a little too touchy for her taste. She had tried her best to like him but she couldn't. She didn't understand what was wrong; guys like Jeff were exactly her type. Then why do such guys don't excite her anymore?

"So did you like him?" Zachary asked.

"He is okay." Zoey said and took a sip of the punch. The taste tingled her tongue and she smelled it to see if there was alcohol in it.

Before she could assess, Althea's voice echoed behind her. "Who the hell mixed alcohol in the punch?" She stomped towards them and glowered at Ethan who was smirking proudly.

"What? No party is fun without some booze." He said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You know alcohol is strictly prohibited in school's premises." She glared into his dark eyes.

"That's why it's fun." He said and the next moment, Althea stomped on his foot with the heel of her ankle boot, causing Ethan to wince loudly.

"Fuck you, Ethan. Fuck you." She said angrily.

"What? It's not just my fault. Zachary was involved too." He said and Althea's head turned to Zachary, who retreated immediately to save his own foot.

"Go to hell." Althea growled at both of them and then walked away in anger.

Ethan was the one who followed her out of the ground while the rest of them stayed behind to drink some more. Zoey herself drank few glasses before making her way close to the stage. She was still sober as it takes a lot of alcohol to make her feel inebriated.

On the fast beat of the music, she danced along the other drunk classmates. Her other sense stopped working as the music blasted in her ears. She laughed, and jumped, and danced, and shouted, and screamed, until a hand gripped around her wrist and pulled her away.

"What the fuck, Travis?" She said, trying to free her hand.

"I... I need to t... talk to you." Travis said and loosened the hold on her wrist.

"Talk about what?" She said and followed him out of the crowd.

He was walking a bit unusual, his gait unsteady and his shoulders stooped. Confused, Zoey made her way with him towards the giant tree behind the ground, away from the crowd and the noise.

"I..." Travis muttered, looking completely out of his senses. Zoey assessed his expression and reached the conclusion that he was somewhat drunk.

"Are you drunk?" She asked to confirm.

"N... No. I... I don't drink." He said, swaying backwards and Zoey moved forwards to hold his arm to support him.

"Did you drink the punch?" She asked.

"Y... Yeah." He said and rested his back against the tree, throwing his head backwards.

"It was spiked. Is this the first time you drank something alcoholic?" She asked and cupped his cheeks, shaking his face a little.

"Y... Yeah." He slurred, looking completely disoriented.

"God Travis, you look like you chugged a whole tub of beer. How lightweight are you?" Zoey said in frustration, not knowing what to do.

"I... I need to... I..." He shifted in his position in discomfort.

"You need to what?" Zoey asked, shaking his head once again.

"I need to..." He said and that's when he crunched forwards, spilling some of the liquid over his own shirt and some on Zoey's top. "I need to vomit."

"Figured." Zoey said, making a disgusted face.

"It feels funny." He said, rubbing his stomach.

Sighing, Zoey wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him off the tree. "Come on, pretty boy. You need to leave this party before you make a fool of yourself." She said and dragged him away.

He was too heavy and it was almost impossible for her to drag him but she didn't give up. Doing her best, she supported his body and together, they made their way to the parking lot.

Once she reached her car, she slid him on the passenger seat and made her own way to the driver seat. Her gaze once again met Travis who looked like he was going to really sick in the morning.

"Don't t...tell my mom." He muttered under his breath. "She will be really angry."

"It's okay. She will understand." Zoey said. The stench of vomit has filled the interior of the car.

"N... No. Please. I don't want to hurt her." He shifted in his seat.

"Do you ever do something rebellious?" Zoey asked in annoyance. He shook his head and Zoey rolled his eyes. "Fine. I will take you to my apartment first and sober you up a little."

"Thanks." He whispered.

Leaning towards him, she tied his seatbelt and then stared at his contorted face. "You are a weird guy, Anderson." She said under her breath and then started the car.

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Zoey's outfit

Altheas's outfits

Maya's outfit