Page 75 of Damnation
“Holy cow, you pissed him off good this time.”
The slurred commentary makes me leap to my feet. I glance around, hastily wiping away my tears, but I can’t see anyone.
“Back here, Little Gem.”
I frown. There’s only one person who insists on calling me that. I lean over the stone wall. Lying there on the ground, weakly curled up into a ball, is Vince.
“What the hell are you doing down there, Vince?” I ask, my voice cracking as I sniffle.
“I was looking for a place where I could fall apart in peace. The problem arose when I could no longer get up under my own power. So I stayed here. It’s not so bad… There’s the stars…the leaves on the trees, dancing like feathers in the wind…the autumnal breeze shriveling my balls. And then everything started spinning, and it felt like I was on one of those rides for kids. You know the ones, with the little horses that look at you with crazy eyes?”
“Tell me, on a scale from zero to alcoholic coma, how much did you drink?”
“Less than you might imagine.”
“You wouldn’t know it from looking at you.”
“That’s because I can’t hold my liquor.”
“It does seem that way,” I answer. “Wait for me, I’m coming over.”
“Where are you expecting me to go?” I hear him grumble as I hop over the wall to meet him.
I kneel down at his side and examine him. “If you know you can’t handle alcohol, why did let yourself get like this?”
“Do you know the Brooks twins?” he begins in a thick voice, his eyes slowly opening and closing.
I nod. Who doesn’t know them? With their olive complexions, green eyes, and long wavy black hair, they’re probably the most sought-after girls at Oregon State.
“Well, they promised to spend an entire weekend with whoever could do a keg stand for the longest.”
I raise my eyebrows. “That’s it?”
He frowns and looks at me like I’m an alien. “I’m sorry, did younot understand what I said? An entire weekend. With them. With the Brooks twins.”
I shake my head in resignation. “You’re an idiot. You all are, in fact. You let yourselves get duped.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“None of you were ever going to spend the weekend with them,” I say simply, pulling some of the dried leaves out of his hair.
“But, they said…they…”
“Mm-hmm” I nod, humoring him. “They always say. And then you, you knuckle-dragging troglodytes with sawdust for brains, you always fall for it.”
“Ah, I’m still too drunk to keep up with you, Little Gem, but I think you’re right. They made fools of us.” He chuckles, rubbing his face.
We stay silent for a while, sinking into the quiet that surrounds us. Beyond the wall, the sounds of the party are far away. All we can hear is the wind in the trees and the faint sound of blink-182’s “First Date” coming from the frat house. The damp night air forces me to roll the sleeves of Thomas’s sweatshirt down until they drape over my fingers. I wrap myself in the soft, heavy fabric. Then, my thoughts turn right back to Thomas and that hateful burning feeling starts up in my eyes again. I’d like to leave because the urge to cry is getting overwhelming, but I don’t feel good about leaving Vince alone, especially under these circumstances.
He taps me on the arm with his index finger, and when I turn to look at him, his eyes are still half closed. “You wanna talk about it? I’m drunk but I’m still a really good listener.”
I’m so worn out that it takes me a few seconds to even understand what he’s talking about. “There’s not much to say.”
“I know that lunkheaded clown too well to give much weight to the things he says when he’s angry.”
I shrug, letting out a shaky sigh. “I’m trying not to, but it’s too hard sometimes.”
“Did you argue about a guy? That Logan dude?”
