Page 83 of Plaything

Running my hand through my hair, I squinted at her—she was very blurry, and the whole room was. “I feel really awful,” I admitted. I didn’t feel sick like I’d seen in movies and shows. I just felt unlike myself. Clumsy and disoriented came to mind. Thinking felt like a challenge rather than something that came naturally.

“Are they still—still playing poker?” I questioned. It was past midnight, and I wanted to go to bed.

Reesia lay on the floor, barely awake, as she slowly blinked. She shrugged, “I can see your panties—fix your dress,” she muttered.

Peering down at myself, I noticed that my dress had hiked up at some point. Feeling no embarrassment that she saw, I adjusted my dress. I felt like such a mess; I needed to go home.

I attempted to walk, but the floor felt like it was trying to swallow me whole. So I crawled.

I stopped by Reesia, “Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m just gonna close my eyes for a second.”

“Do you want me to help you get onto the couch?” I offered.

She shook her head, “Collin will come get me,” she slurred confidently.

“Okay.” I began crawling very slowly in the direction of the stairs. It turned out I was not drunk when I drank wine with Anna. I was just very tipsy because it was nothing like this.

Truth be told, I would never let anyone see me crawling on the floor like this. Even being as drunk as I was, if anyone besides Reesia saw me, I would will myself go walk. This was so unladylike.

I sat on the top step, looking at the stairs that only seemed to lengthen as I stared at them. Making sure to keep one hand on the rail and the other on whichever staircase I was on, I began butt-scooting down them. It was the most efficient and safe way I could think of. Also, I wouldn’t look so ridiculous if anyone saw me.

Six steps—I think—from the bottom, Jamie came into sight as she walked out of the bathroom. She paused momentarily before letting out a teasing chuckle, “Awe, first time?”

I stopped moving, not wanting to be made fun of. “I feel awful,” I said again.

She nodded as she approached me with an outreached hand. “Come on, let’s get you some water,” she insisted.

I took her hand, although the thought of drinking or eating anything made me want to gag. Also, her hand was not the one I wanted to hold, but I wasn’t going to be rude or turn away a helping hand. “Where are my guys?” I asked, noticing the empty dining room.

Jamie was surprisingly muscular, supporting my weight as I stumbled through the house. “They’re outside, but I’ll get them,” she answered.

The cool night air sounded amazing. “Reesia is asleep,” I informed her, wanting to be sure she didn’t get forgotten up there.

We stopped next to the kitchen counter. I stabled myself before she slowly let go of me. “Something tells me you’re not far behind,” she joked as she placed a glass of water in front of me.

Movement outside caught my attention. I squinted my eyes, looking out the sliding glass back door. Wyatt and Dominic were standing and having a conversation with Collin. Niko was laughing at something Vincent said, both gently stumbling with beers in their hands—making me feel a little better. And Aiden...was smoking a cigarette.

I sighed, not knowing how to feel about that. Personally, I would never smoke and thought it was a bad habit. Then again, I wouldn’t look as good as he did while doing it. Part of me wanted to scold and convince him to stop, while the other part couldn’t recall him ever smelling like smoke. Maybe this was rare? Either way, it was none of my business—especially if he’d never made it known to me.

Much like Dominic calling himself Daddy, Aiden made smoking hot when it shouldn’t be.

When Aiden put out the cigarette and made haste to come inside, I realized that he had been looking back at me the entire time. He was trying to hide the smoking from me; it was clear as day on his face. He looked caught before his neutral expression took over again.

He opened the sliding door and quickly made his way over to me. I was beyond grateful to be around him, “Hey,” I attempted not to slur. My attempt was futile as my knee gave, and I stumbled while standing, giving my drunken state away.

He took my purse off my shoulder and hooked it onto his own before wrapping his arm around my waist, keeping me stable. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Tired.”

The rest of my professors, Collin and Vincent, entered the house. Collin took one look at me and went upstairs.

Wyatt grinned, “I tried to warn you about Reesia’s drinks. How many did you have?”

My brain was completely shut down, and thinking of an answer was much more complex than it should have been. “Um,” I rubbed my eyes, feeling the room spin, making me stumble in Aiden’s arms. “Four-ish?” I guessed.

Aiden sighed next to me, while Wyatt and Dominic looked more concerned. Niko was holding back a laugh, and all of their reactions confused me.

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