Love Aint Always Pretty

Chapter 13: 13 Jīngyì (驚異)

Jīngyì (驚異)

Translation: wonderstruck

Origin: Chinese (Tradition)

I scowl in frustration.

I lost the Rock Paper Scissors game. Now they have to go first. Damn it.

"If I can't shoot it right, don't kill me." I said under my breath.

"If I get too drunk, don't let me in your room again." He said.

I chuckled softly and he gazed at me over his shoulder. "What's inside these cups anyways?"

"Gin and tonic."

Whoa wait. We're actually having a conversation right now. We were actually talking so gently and no voices yelling or any other stuff. Wow.

"Will they get me drunk?" I asked.

"If you're a first timer then yes."

I gulped.

"I'm glad you came tonight though." He said out of the blue but he didn't look at me when he said it.

I pulled my head up to him right after he told me those words. I wanted to ask him why he said that. I wanted to ask him why he wants me to be here tonight. I wanted to thank him and hug him for getting back my coin from Baxter in a brutal way. But I just smiled at myself.

"Let's start!" The announcer said.

Oh god.

I feel my heart pounding very hard and my hands getting even colder right when he said that we were about to start. I just wish I won't get totally wasted and won't get totally freaky. I've never been drunk.

"You wanna go first or not?" Nick asked while he handed me the pingpong ball.

"You go first." I said.

"We haven't had our dare just yet." Penny said out of the blue.

"Oh right. Here, pick from this magic fishbowl." The announcer handed it to Penny while she fished her hand into the sheets of folded papers inside.

God I just wish it won't be dreadful.

Penny starts opening the small piece of paper and she smiles right away when she read it. Finally she showed it to everyone, "Losers will run around the frat house entirely naked."

The entire crowd started howling and cheering after they heard it. I looked over Tracy and she quickly looked scared for me and most especially for Nick. I was shocked. I know Nick was surprised about it too. I can't run around this place naked. I have my goddamn dignity with me.

I can't lose.

I can't lose.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I muffled softly.

"This is exciting." Penny smiles.

Nick groans softly.

"Let the game begin." The announcer said while grinning at me. I think he knows I'm most definitely to lose.

Troy was the first one to throw across our cups and it was a miss! I jumped. Penny stared at him angrily and he quickly said he was sorry about it.

"Go Nick." I cheered for him.

Nick lets the pingpong ball jump from the table carefully slow and it landed right inside the first cup. I squealed happily, Penny gets to drink it since she was the one who didn't play a while ago.

"Your turn." Nick says.

"I just wanna say I'm sorry in advance, okay." I said.

"Just relax. It's just a game." He told me.

"Yeah this is just a game but I don't want these tons of people to see me naked." I said as I exhaled.

I tried to aim for the next nearest cup but then it jumped off to the side and landed out of the table. Penny laughs.

Damn it. "Sorry." I said.

"It's okay. Don't rush." Nick says.

He's supposed to be mad at me cos I missed the shot, but he said it's okay. It's okay? What's wrong with you Nick?

"Nice shot." Penny said sarcastically with a grin.

"I hate her." I growled whisperingly.

Nick laughed deeply on his throat.

Penny aims for the farthest cup and she aimed it. It shot right into the glass. She's good at this! The men were cheering for her and she loves it. Nick grabs the cup and drank it all up. It was finally Troy's turn, he aims for the nearest cup just like what Nick did and it jumped inside.

Damn it. We're definitely going to lose. I reached for the cup and drank it all up but I almost spilled half of it cos the burning sensation on my throat was killing me. When I finished it, I feel like I want to vomit it out right away. I made little soft gawking noises.

The game went on again and Penny missed a shot, Nick shot the ping pong balls to their cup and I think I was the only one on this table that didn't know how to play it. When it was my turn I feel like the pressure was on me because I suck and I'm sure if we'll lose, Nick will kill me, but not literally maybe. I take a grip on the ball and just threw it across the table.

I gasped.

It landed inside. "Yes!" I cheered.

The crowd cheered with me too. Well, at least they're a bit supportive and Tracy was screaming with me. Penny had to drink it and I was just smiling evilly at her. It was Nick's turn again and hell yes it got inside one cup. When it was my turn to play, it was a miss. I thought it was actually starting for my luck but I guess I was wrong.

As the game continues and I've had five cups already and I feel my world was starting to spin. I think Penny was starting to get tipsy too. She's been starting to set nosy. We were going to win if only Nick had to play but sadly I had to be the one to take the last shot. Each sides only had one cup left on the table which means if I'll miss this shot and they'll take the next one, that means we're going to run around the house naked. Oh god I feel like I'm going to throw up now.

"You can do it." Nick says.

I exhaled heavily.

"Please go in. Please go in." I said to be pingpong ball.

I threw the ball across the table and covered my eyes right away when it left my hand. The crowd starting yelling but I didn't want to look at it.

"You won!!" I pulled my hands away as I hear Tracy screaming.

I yelled. "Oh my god!"

I turned to Nick and he was so happy we won. I wanted to snap a photo of him smiling right now. Please, someone take a photo of him while he's still smiling. "We won Nick! We won!"

Out of the excitement overflowing in me and being carried away by the momentum that is happening, I surprisingly hugged him. I hugged Nick.

I.

Hugged.

Nick.

"You did great." I feel him whispering to my ears. His warm breath on my ear is making my hormones fight.

I quickly pulled myself away I recovered myself from the hug we did. I initiated the hug.

"Sorry. I was just carried away." I said.

I hear Tracy squealing from behind us while she runs towards me. She hugs me tightly and I still couldn't believe I really placed the ball inside the cup. I started jumping with Tracy and I see a sight of relief in Nick's face. Oh my god I can't believe I did it. We won! As I kept on jumping, I feel a bit more and more dizzy but I ignored it.

The night went by and I found myself dancing with Tracy on the dance floor. I think the alcohol is having its effects on me now because I'm feeling so carefree and careless. I was sweating but I was still dancing while I was getting a lot more dizzy. When the DJ said jump, I jumped along with the crowd and did really cared about how I was dancing or who I was dancing on to. I look around and noticed that Tracy wasn't here anymore but I'm still dancing on my own and I'm not worried that I was alone.

"Hey hottie." A man started dancing right in front of me who popped out of nowhere.

"Hi." I said while dancing to myself.

"Here's a drink." He handed me a drink.

"No thanks." I said, remembering that I shouldn't take drinks from people who I don't know here.

"Alright. What's your name babe?"

"Savannah." I said through the music.

"Okay Savannah. I'm Jon. You has a very beautiful name. Please take this shot cmon for me. Do it for me." He says as I feel his hand now holding onto my waist.

I stopped dancing and stared at it, it's colored blue. And I like the color blue but I know I shouldn't drink it.

"Please?" He begs.

"Okay. But just one." I gave in.

I grabbed the drink from his hand and took a gulp from it. "Wuhooo! That's more like it Savannah." He cheers for me while punching his fist on the air.

Gosh this drink was much stronger than the ones I had a while ago at beer pong. It's blazing fire as it runs down on my throat. The cup was now half empty. I was about to puke cos it didn't taste that good. I could feel the strong after taste of the strong alcohol. It's burning my stomach too.

"What is this?" I asked. Feeling grossed.

"Margarita. C'mon babe, finish it."

Out of nowhere, someone from behind me grabbed the cup from my hand all of a sudden. "Hey! That's mine." I said out

I looked around to find Nick staring at the man who offered me the drink. He glares at the cup and stared at me.

"This is tequila." He says.

I didn't know it was tequila. I just drank it cos it's color blue. Nick moved his head to that man who offered me the drink. "Get this drink and get lost."

"Sorry Nick." The other guy said.

I watch the man walk away from us with the cup on his hand.

"Didn't Tracy tell you not to get drinks from the men around here?" He asked.

"She did. But... I... Ugh, where's Tracy?"

I tried to walk away from him but I almost fell on the floor if Nick didn't catch me. "You're too drunk. You can't stand anymore."

"I'm fine." I lied.

No matter how I squint my eyes, trying to take a clearer view of what was ahead of me, I can't cos everything around me is blurry. It's so blurry and the loud music was even making me feel a little more nauseated. I feel my feet was walking lightly while Nick was helping me. My stomach is churning. I feel myself walking up the stairs.

"I need to vomit." I said.

"You're terrible when you're drunk." I hear him say.

"I guess we're even now." I answered.

We continued walking and I hear a sound of a door opening. I think I'm inside a bathroom, I see a toilet.

"On the sink. Not on the--"

I rushed towards the toilet bowl and knelt before it cos I was about to explode. I don't want to vomit on Nick's shirt cos it's too embarrassing.

"Bowl.." He finishes his sentence.

I was throwing up all the drinks I took and I already feel like my intestines are going out off my mouth. I feel someone pulling my hair back cos it keeps on falling off on my cheeks. Nick was holding my hair up for me. It was a sweet gesture but now isn't really a good time for that.

"You should've let me taken those shots from beer pong." Nick says.

But I just kept on vomiting, ignoring him, until I feel so tired of what I was doing. I still want to vomit cos I know I still have to vomit something but nothing comes out from my mouth. This was embarrassing but I've never tried drinking before. I feel terribly sick.

"Are you done?" I hear him speak.

"Hmmm... I still want to vomit but it's not coming out." I said as I rested my head back on his chest.

"Here's a tissue. Ugh, let me wipe your cheeks for you. Look at me." He said while he was wiping my cheeks.

I'm looking at him and he's actually looking after me. He's wiping my cheeks and he's being so nice. Why is he so nice tonight? I wanna kiss his lips. I wanna know how it feels like kissing him.

I hear the sound of the toilet bowl flushing. "Can you stand and walk?"

"Yeah..." I answered weakly.

He helps me stand and we finally exited the bathroom. I feel myself walking on a very curvy pathway cos I can't seem to walk straight no matter how I try. I keep on leaning on my left and good thing Nick was holding me cos if he's not I would've been sleeping on the floor. I hear a door closing until I feel myself being laid down on a soft mattress. A bed. Oh god a bed. I've been looking for a bed. I just want to sleep. I feel a blanket covering all over me and a pillow was tucked under my head.

"Savannah tell me if you wanna puke okay?" He speaks.

"Okay." I answered.

There was silence in the room. I wanted to sleep now but I just couldn't yet.

"Nick?" I called out.

"Yeah?"

"Is it really you?"

"Yeah. It's me."

"The heartless jerk who came to my room at three in the morning and puked all over my bedroom floor?" I asked.

I hear him laughing softly from afar. I know I sound so silly right now. I just don't know where he was sitting down cos I don't want to move my head around looking for him cos I'm sure I'll just get more dizzy.

"Yeah that's me but not that drunk dude from that night you found outside your door at three in the morning. You're the one who's wasted now." He answers.

I smiled at his answer. "Okay. I'm just making sure it's you."

There was silence once again.

"Nick? Still there?" I called out again.

"Yup. Still here." He answers.

God I sound so desperate for attention but who cares? I'm drunk. He'll understand.

"Don't leave me alone here. Please? I don't want some other men who'll come in here and... will do something to me."

He didn't answer me.

"Nick?" I called out.

"I won't leave you alone. I promise you." he answers.

I smiled. "You're a sweet guy after all. And you know, I just found out the meaning of fracas and you actually fought Baxter to get my coin. That is the sweetest thing you've ever done to me Nick."

"Go to sleep Savannah. You don't know what you're saying anymore." he says.

__________ Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

SFTC:

Last Mile Home - Kings Of Leon