Hazel realized that she never really looked around that house ever since she started going there. It was a huge place. She took the steps upstairs avoiding the crowds in the lower level because as the night getting later, people getting drunker, they started misbehaving. She wasn’t as sober when she walked into the house either.
The upper ground was quieter. She found out why. They were using it to make out. They were all over the second floor living room, the hallway, even on the way up the stairs. It wasn’t clear if they were in fact couples, some of them probably just met there at the party. Some went in and out of the doors in the hallway which she assume were the bedrooms.
Some of them were even her school friends, the straight-A’s nonetheless. They must’ve been hammered and they didn’t recognize her when she walked pass them.
She turned to the balcony that was looking down the pool area. There was no one there. She finally found her place. She could see the same group that was placing bet on who was going to win the beer bong contest still cheering on their champion. Marlon was mixed in that crowd with Mandy still clinging in his arm and her lips on his face.
She inhaled deeply and took a sip of her drink. She turned her gaze to the horizon where she could see Chestnut’s lights flickering in the dark. Marlon’s house was really high on the hill, she had never seen her town from that angle before. She took another sip of her drink and almost choked on it when a voice startled her.
“There you are! I was looking all over for you! What are you doing here?”
It was Dennis with a bottle of whiskey in his hand and a round tin can on the other.
“I was … looking for a quieter space,” she said.
Dennis’s eyes were droopy. He leaned on the railing and pointed his index finger, “Wise decision … I took the first turn on the funnel and found these treasures,” he lifted his hands. “I thought I should share them with you,” he opened the can and offered Hazel some candies.
“Oh … that’s nice,” Hazel looked at the full can of flavored chewable candies glazed with sugar and took one.
Dennis smiled, his drunken eyes nailed to her face, “They have different flavors, you should try another one … these are really good … imported from the US.”
“Oh,” Hazel nodded. The candy had quite a bitter aftertaste, but she thought she might have tried the wrong one. So she took another one, she didn’t think anything of it but the second one tasted almost the same as the one before.
Dennis took one himself, put the lid back on and put the can in his pocket. “So … Hazel … it’s nice to be alone up here … far from the madding crowd, isn’t it?” he laughed. “These parties can be crazy sometimes … God knows Marlon really loves his parties,” he rested his elbows on the railing and drank his whiskey.
“Does he?” Hazel wasn’t convinced.
Dennis shrugged, “Well … maybe not as much as he used to, after Eli’s death …” he surprised himself and looked at Hazel, “You know about Eli, don’t you?”
“I heard about it … Marlon never really talked about it though.”
“Hmm … yeah … they were really close, I’m surprised he can still function the way he is now after that tragedy.”
They both leaned on the railings looking down at the cheering crowd around the beer bong contest. It was Marlon’s turn.
“He always won the beer bong contest,” Dennis chuckled, “That’s why he always propose to have one at every party.”
Hazel smiled. It sounded like Marlon. “What does the winner get?”
“Drunk as hell,” he laughed, “Nothing really … just a reputation, he’s already got that, sometimes he raised the stake and challenged the other contestants for a swimming contest.”
Hazel raised her brows, “That sounds foolish and dangerous.”
“It is … some jock usually take him up for it, … those jocks can swim better than him but they can’t drink like Marlon … that boy had been stuffing his face with everything since he was 13.”
The crowd shouted in unison, they were banging tables and glasses, Marlon had just finished his turn. From the sound of the cheering, it was obvious he had beaten his own record for how fast he finished the beer.
Marlon raised his arms up like a winner with Mandy’s arms wrapped around his waist. For a brief moment he glanced up to the balcony where Hazel and Dennis were talking and he spotted them.
“So … you knew Marlon since he was 13?”
“Yeah … I was 18 at the time, Eli was 15, but they both had been hanging out with older kids since forever … they grew up fast,” he scoffed.
Hazel nodded, it explains a lot, why Marlon was the way he was. When she nodded, her head felt light. She thought it was from looking down for too long but she never had that problem before. She didn’t want to worry but then her vision started to blur.
She turned to Dennis and found him staring at her with a look he had when they first met by the buffet. She didn’t want to tell him she was feeling light headed.
“Sorry … am I staring?” he realized he was caught, “I meant what I said earlier … you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on … forgive me if I’m a bit stunned.”
She couldn’t care less about what he was saying because she was suddenly struck with heavy sleepiness, and she couldn’t figure out why. She forced a smile, “That’s nice … and flattering …” she managed to say.
“Do you want to go inside and sit somewhere and talk?” he asked.
“No … I’m fine here … here is fine,” she was worried that if she sat down with him, she might fall asleep. She had to stay up on her feet, she thought.
“Tell me more about Marlon and … Eli …” she said. She wanted to keep him talking so he wouldn’t notice she was having trouble keeping her eyes open.
Dennis started talking but all she could hear was muffled sound. She held on to the railing tightly and started to feel like she might not be able to stand up for very long. She felt his hand on her cheek brushing away her hair.
“Are you alright? You look dazed,” he said.
His fingers then trailed down her neck and he whispered something in her ear, “Do you want to lay down? You’re probably a little overwhelmed from all the drinks you had … Marlon’s room is just down the hall … I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
“What?” she wasn’t sure she understood him.
She felt his arm around her waist propping her limp body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned all her body weight onto him. She rested her head against his. She couldn’t fight it anymore. Her body was giving out, her eyes won’t open.
“Okay … you need to lay down honey, I think you’re too drunk to stand up,” he tried to hold on to her but she was getting heavier by the second.
Hazel rubbed her face with one hand, “Wait … I don’t know what’s wrong with me … I’m not drunk … I’m sleepy …” her speech slurred.
Dennis laughed lightly, “Of course you are … it’s okay, just sleep it off for a minute … you’ll be fine … let’s go inside, get you settled in Marlon’s room and then I’ll get you some water.”
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get her eyes open. She felt her foot moving one step at a time, but she would’ve fallen if Dennis wasn’t there. She sensed that she was inside the house again, but after a few steps, there was only black.