Page 85 of Nobody in Particular

Wordlessly, I wrench my eyes away from them and go to Danni.

She’s squeezing her eyes closed, and breathing heavily. “Rose,” she whispers. “I just want to go home. Can you take me home, please?”

“To school?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“Of course.” Grunting, I help her sit up, and she takes a second to catch her breath, looking up at me pitifully.

“We have to go past people at the party,” she says.

“Yes.”

“Don’t leave me, though. Please?”

My stomach sinks. I place a hand on the side of her face, wishing I could take back leaving her in the first place. “Never again.”

It takes Theodore and me working together to get Danni down the stairs, but after that she’s able to walk by herself, if shakily. As far as I can see, no one at the party even notices us.

“Are you mad at me?” Danni asks when we pass the front gate.

I hug my hands around my chest and shiver against the wet wind. “Of course not. Not at all.”

“You got so angry. I’ve never seen you angry.” She stumbles as she narrowly misses a tree on the sidewalk, and I shoot out a hand to steady her.

“You’re extremely drunk, and you didn’t want to kiss her,” I say. “She’s lucky I wasn’t there when she did it. We might have seen how angry I can really get.”

Danni giggles. Oh, she thinks I’m joking.

“You,” she says, turning her face to me, “are my favorite person. Do you know that? My favorite person in the world.”

I wipe away a rivulet of rain running down her cheek with my thumb. “Walk faster,” I say, hiding my smile. “It’s freezing.”

When we reach Bramppath I place a finger to my lips and hold tightly to Danni as we steal through the courtyard. Despite the fact that half the school is at the party, officially, we’re not meant to be out nearly this late. Although I’m sure the headmaster is resigned to the fact that the party would be running late, and he can’t exactly suspend half the student body, I don’t intend to find out what happens if he catches Danni and me alone, laid on a platter to be made examples of.

As soon as we make it to the top of the staircase, with Theodore’s help once more, Cora, my residential assistant, pokes her head around her door to check on the source of all the creaking. I remember Harriet mentioning earlier she gave Cora her phone, whichmeans Cora is responsible for both floors tonight. I anticipate she’ll have a busy night ahead of her.

“God, she’s in a right state isn’t she?” she says, nodding at Danni, who lets out an impatient sigh. It would seem Cora isgreatlyinconveniencing her. The same Cora who is helpfully pretending not to notice the fact that we’ve clearly returned after a night of underage drinking, well past curfew.

“Danni,” I scold. “Shh.”

“Iambeing quiet. You’re… the… being loud.”

“Oh dear.” Cora grins.

I give Cora my best pleading look. “Do you mind if I look after her tonight?” I ask. It’s absolutely pushing our luck, given sleepovers are strictly forbidden, but I can’tnotask. Frankly, even if Cora says no, I’ll simply sneak into Danni’s room the moment she’s vanished; however, I would like her permission all the same.

Cora holds up her hands. “Hey, it’s one less person for me to worry about. Just don’t let her choke on her vomit.”

Once we’re inside my room, I help Danni out of her jacket, then she collapses on my bed. I gently take her shoes off, and then cover her with the blanket before retrieving a bottle of water for her from my mini-fridge. “Drink as much as you can,” I urge her. “You’ll thank me in the morning.”

She gives it a try, but keeps missing her mouth with the water, which drips right down her neck to pool on the sheets. With a disgusted scoff, she passes the bottle back to me.

I kneel in front of the bed and methodically stroke her hair. I remember the sensation of being far too drunk well; the nausea as the world tips and keeps tipping. The roaring in my ears, and the unquenchable dryness in my mouth.

“Take deep breaths,” I say. “How are you feeling?”

“Ugh.”

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