a child weaned on poison

Upon the sudden appearance of his newly acquainted cousin, Sam smiled widely and took a sip of the strange alcohol from his solo cup.  He instantly noticed the red, blood shot eyes she had going on, but shrugged it off as her probably smoking too much weed. It probably just ran in the family, right? “Just pour a shot of some shit and light that baby up,” he said loudly, chuckling softly at her obvious disappointment. “I feel like we always run into one another at parties.”

Sam was someone the Leah had tried her best to decipher from a distance. When you don’t really know someone as closely as you should, it can feel quite draining at first. The similarities between them had caught her off guard since they’d first started being more than just strangers who shared some percentage of the same DNA. It was getting easier now, she’d even say that she enjoyed his company. Someone in her family that she could relate to. “I don’t want to light shit. I’ll burn my eyebrows off, I will,” she gave his laugh a look of playful annoyance. “We do, now that you mention it. Probably some crazy reason like... free booze. Bonding over a mutual interest in drunkenness,” Leah joked, standing beside him and nudging him softly with her hips. 

The room was loud and cold, Mer thought it seemed a little like a prison, but with music and booze, and she could technically leave at any time. Her cup was full of some too fruity juice, and she poured more and more vodka into it every few minutes. “Nah, some asshole decided that was how he was going to open the party.” Meredith shrugged, obviously disappointed to. “We could always just google how to do it, use it to take over the party and everything.”

“My late ass is never here for that shit. Disappointment is running through my veins,” she groaned in a pretentious tone, genuinely questioning whether this party was beneath her. The questioning only lasted a moment as she poured herself a cup of someone else's pre-made margarita. “Oh, yeah, we should definitely hit up Pinterest and take over the world,” Leah scoffed, “I don’t even have a lighter. Some kid with a pink stripe in his hair stole it and I haven’t seen him since. Mer, please tell me something exciting before my eyes literally fall out onto the floor.” The overwhelming sour sweetness as she took a sip forced a wrinkle of her nose and a quick sigh. Sure, she could leave, but then her perfect winged eyeliner would just be a waste.

“i’m about to set that kid’s guitar on fire in a minute,” ria smirked, leaning against the wall. she tried not to get too drunk on nights like these, where she was there more for business than pleasure. it was harder to do good business with blurred vision. still though, she couldn’t sit through this shit without a few in her system, so standing propped up by something had been her way of tricking herself and others that she was more sober than she actually was. whether or not it was working, she didn’t even wonder. “i’ll light your shot with it if you want. pointless, though. it burns all the alcohol off. then you’re taking a weak ass shot.”

“When it comes down to the shot or the guitar, I’m putting my vote for Mr. String Fingers over there. He’s making a meme of himself and it needs to end,” she grimaced, really doing the most to seem relaxed and slumping next to the brunette. She didn’t want any messiness tonight for herself, but the lack of excitement had made her tired. “If it’s not my alcohol that’s burning, I’ll gladly take a weak shot. Satisfy my pyro’ urges and a beverage all at once. Yet, here we are and no flames in sight,” Leah’s voice was hoarse, too much time spent with a cigarette between her lips and not enough spent with people she actually liked. It was the very best that the last of her teenage angst could get at a time like this.

This was happening. He was kissing her and she wasn’t pulling away– quite the opposite, in fact. He wasn’t sure if it was confirmation enough that she reciprocated how he felt, but it was definitely a step forward. If she was going to find out one secret of his from someone else, perhaps he owed her one straight from him. Hand moving to her cheek, he allowed the kiss to deepen, like they were getting used to each other all over again. It was something he was afraid he’d never be able to do, and yet it felt natural in a way, as if it was bound to happen eventually. When she pulled back, he was left breathless; not only because of the kiss, but because her words had him winded.

Guiltily, she tore her watery green eyes away from him when he left her there on the couch. Leah couldn’t help but assume that she might’ve ruined this with words that distracted from the very real moment that had seemingly passed now. This hadn’t been the intention of coming here, to make the very idea of being without him an even more prominent thought. She’d had to accept that he was something that constantly and effortlessly held a place in the back of her mind-- without him wasn’t something she could be. Whether her pride liked it or not, she couldn’t allow herself to leave it like this. No matter how her reflexes yearned for the door and to avoid any more conflict at home. It dawned on her quite quickly that the trouble didn’t matter if Connor was there like he always had been. Her dad had probably already noticed, leaving now seemed like a waste of the inevitable fighting.

“Apparently, they’re “vegan” whatever the hell that means. I didn’t have to pay for them and they’ve got chocolate in them so I guess it works.”

“Vegan’s that one where you don’t eat like anything that casts a shadow,” she joked, straight-faced, before she retracted, “It’s the no animal products thing. So, that chocolate ain’t dairy and stuff.”

“well, i don’t have a choice, do i?” ria held an arm out in question. “unless denny’s doesn’t mind if i take a bottle of jack with me. or the rest of society.”

“Since when are societal norms your concern when doing something?” She gave her brows a wiggle. “Get one of those water bottles you can’t see through, spike your own cola.”

“I feel, I’m actually a forty-year-old posing as a twenty-year-old, there’s just more money in it.”

“I totally guessed that shit. Someone owes me twenty bucks.”

“it’s probably, like, a half-step above pbr, but at this point, i’ll take anything,” she smirked, crossing her arms over her. “we really can’t just go get some fuckin’ pizza or something?”

“Wow, you’re settling? For cheap-ass beer? I’m shocked. Never thought I’d see the day,” contemplating with pouted lips, she considered Ria’s suggestion. “Nothing’s better than breakfast food.”