C6 Chapter 6

“Party at Kyle’s house on Friday.” Jake announces as he sits down next to us at lunch the next day.

It’s been a good day so far, but that will come to end once school is over, because I have detention yet again.

“So?” I ask, stabbing my salad with a plastic fork.

“Soooo, we’re going, right? And by that I mean, you’re driving, right?” Jake continues, and grins from ear to ear.

“Am I even invited?”

Jasper places a hand around my shoulders. “Yeah, you are. It’s Niall’s birthday and he invited me.”

I almost spit out my salad. “You’re both joking, aren’t you? Why in the world would I go to Niall’s birthday party? And plus, he wouldn’t want me there.”

“He knows if I go, you’re my plus one that goes without saying.” Jasper tells me, as if he’s trying to reassure me.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to go.”

“Yeah, but you’re gonna go.” Jake mocks my tone. “Also, Jason is invited as well.”

My eyebrows meet my hairline. “What? Since when are they best buddies?”

“Since he’s on the team and since Niall invited the whole team?!”

I make a face. “I’m sure Jason won’t wanna go. And if he doesn’t go, then I’m definitely not going.”

“But what if he does go?” Jake asks.

“Then…let’s say I might come.” I answer, knowing very well that if my brother goes, I will go because I feel way too protective over him, which means that I’ll have to make sure everything goes well at his first high school party. But I also know that there’s no way in hell my brother will attend the party, because if Niall’s there, then his sister’s also going to be there.

As if on cue, Jason sits down next to Jake across from me.

“Baby Palmer, we were just talking about you.” Jake says, and Jason looks worried. “You comin’ to the captain’s party, right?”

Jason shrugs. “If everyone’s going, then sure.”

My face falls, and I sigh when I see the way Jasper and Jake are smiling at me.

“Fine, I guess I’ll come too.” I say. “But I’m not getting him a present.”

“I’ll get him something from the both of us.” Jasper tells me, and I don’t bother to object.

“Why is he keeping it at Kyle’s though?” I ask.

Jake’s expression gets serious. “Because Kyle’s got a house, and Niall’s apartment is too small.”

“And how many people are coming?”

“The group on Facebook has seventy-something members, so about sixty will definitely show up.”

I roll my eyes. “A party filled with people who like Niall? Oh, just my cup of tea.”

***

Going to Niall Harrison’s eighteenth birthday wasn’t exactly my ideal Friday night activity (I usually went out with Jake, Sophia, and Jasper), but my brother was also going which meant I couldn’t not go. And I know that he’s mature enough to take care of himself, but I can’t help myself.

I choose a white skirt I got from Jake last year for Christmas, a white crop top, my favorite red Zanotti heels, and a red YSL clutch to hold my phone, money, and cigarette pack. My top reveals my belly piercing that my mother absolutely hates and still thinks I got it just to annoy her, and not because I actually like it.

I look at the watch on my wrist to see that it’s already half past eight, which means I have to pick up Jake, Zayn, and Soph in less than half an hour. And since Jake is the type of person who doesn’t like to miss out at parties and thinks every minute late means a liquor shot less, I can’t allow myself to be late.

“Are you ready?” I ask my brother twenty minutes later as I open the door to his room.

“Yeah.” He says and comes towards me. He looks really nice, with a black button-up and black skinny jeans, so I smile at him as I ask who he’s trying to impress.

He obviously ignores my question and slips into his Vans once we reach the hallway, before I grab my car keys and say goodbye to Rosa.

We get to the party at twenty minutes past nine because the traffic was really slow and I honestly had to idea where Kyle’s house was.

There are quite a few cars parked down the street, so I park a block away.

“What did you get him?” I ask Jasper as we walk towards the house.

“Two grams of weed, obviously. What else could I get him?” he laughs as I roll my eyes, and pulls me closer into him.

There’s loud music coming from inside the two-stoNicki house, and as we walk towards the front door, several people say hi to us. The balcony upstairs is packed and I can hear drunk people already, which that means Jake is probably having an inner crisis right now from missing out on so much.

The door is open so we walk right in, and we’re instantly greeted by a smiling Louis who’s holding onto his red solo cup and shouting a greeting.

He comes to give me a hug, which obviously makes me smile, so I hug him back. It was a bit unexpected, but drunk people tend to be overly friendly all the time, I should know.

“Where’s the birthday boy?” Jasper asks him, but I already spot Niall in the living room, chatting up a girl I know is called Raylynn, who’s also on my cheerleading squad.

I point Niall out to him and he nods, before we make our way towards him. I try to ignore the way his face contorts in disgust when his eyes land on me, but he doesn’t look surprised, which means he was expecting me for sure.

“Hi mate.” Niall greets my boyfriend, obviously ignoring me as they shake hands.

“Happy birthday bro.” Jasper says and hands him the small silver box, which makes Niall smile. Then he points to me. “From the both of us.”

Niall’s eyes fall on me. “I’m sure.”

I sigh and turn around, leaving the two of them there so I can go in the kitchen to get myself a drink. If I drink now, it means that I won’t be able to drive until the next morning, but I couldn’t be bothered to be honest. I just wanted to do shots with my best friends, who were already in the kitchen looking for the good stuff, which was not surprising at all.

“Nicole!” Jake yells when he sees me and quickly motions for me to come closer so we can take the Jäger shots they were currently doing.

“How far behind am I?” I ask Sophia.

“We just took a shot. Come on, catch up.” she answers and hands me a shot glass filled with the familiar dark brown liquid. I know eight shots is all is takes for me to get pissed drunk, and five shots are enough for me to be tipsy as fuck, so I down it.

“By the way, we’re staying over tonight because I won’t be able to drive us home.” I announce, and they’re way too excited to get drunk than to actually care or respond.

My little brother joins us in the kitchen when we’re at our forth shot, already laughing loudly and taking the piss out of everyone who dares to cross our path.

“Palmer junior!” Jake yells and quickly puts his arm around his shoulder. “Come take a shot with us!”

Jason looks at me, so I give him a big smile. I know he’s drunk before, and I’ve also seen him pissed out of his mind after his eight grade graduation party when I brought him home, so there’s no reason for him to be ashamed of me.

Jason gladly takes a shot and that’s how I down the fifth for the night.

I don’t really know what happens after that because I take another shot and a Nicki Minaj songs comes on, which makes Jake scream and pull Sophia after himself towards the living room to dance.

My head is already spinning so I tell them to leave me behind, and after Jason makes sure I’m okay, he also leaves to go God knows where.

I lean against the counter and close my eyes for a second, and when I open them, I see Niall coming into the kitchen with an empty cup.

“Am I having a nightmare?” I slur and he looks at me, rolling his eyes.

“You’re kind of dressed up for this occasion.” He states as he walks over to the Vodka bottles to pour some in his cup.

I look down at myself. “I noticed.”

“Wanted to impress me huh?” he asks, turning around once he’s finished with making his cranberry Vodka.

“Are you having a stroke or something?” I ask. “Because you’re being delusional right now.”

“No, I’m just a few drinks away from being completely wasted.”

I nod. “Same. More like two shots away.”

At that, Niall smirks. “Then let’s do them. Come on.”

“Niall Harrison wants to do shots with me? Oh my.” I sarcastically say as I push myself off the counter to stand next to him.

“What do you want?”

I point to the Jägermeister bottle, and he quickly fills four shot glasses with it.

We turn to look at each other as we hold both glasses, before I say:

“To the fact that we managed to annoy each other for three years and counting.”

He laughs and we clink the glasses together before we down them.

I make a face as the liquor makes contact with my taste buds, before I raise the other glass.

“And to the fact that we can only have a normal conversation when we’re pissed.” He says before we down the last shot.

I’ve drunk eight shots now, which means that in a matter of minutes, I’ll be completely pissed, but I don’t really mind. Niall seems tolerable when I’m drunk.

I look at him as he tries to drink the cup in a few gulps, and when he places it down, I already feel like the room is spinning so I start grinning.

“Are you laughing at me?” Niall asks when he sees my drunken smile.

“No. I’m just reaaaally drunk right now. Please make sure I don’t have anything else to drink, otherwise I’ll have to puke.”

Niall looks in the distance, as if he’s contemplating something. “Hmm…seeing Nicki Palmer throw up? Why wouldn’t I want to see that? I might just live stream it on Facebook.”

“You’re an asshole.” I say and try to push him, but I end up wobbling on my five-inch heels. He grips into my arm to steady me.

“Easy there.”

“I want to-let’s find Jasper.”

He sighs and ushers me into the living room, where I look for my boyfriend. I finally find him outside on the back porch with my brother, Niall’s sister, Jake, Kyle, and Sophia.

“Oioiii, Jeeed.” I slur and cling onto him with a big smile.

“Are you drunk?” he asks, and that’s when I notice that they’re sharing a joint.

“Maybe.” I laugh, and then look at my brother to see him talking to Niall’s sister. “Whoaaa, what’s going on there?” I ask, pointing at them.

“You’re pissed. You should lay down.” Jasper suggests, but I wiggle out of his grip.

“So? I get drunk sometimes.”

“No, you get drunk most times and you do stupid shit.” He sighs. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

I frown and step away from him. “You’re not my mother!” then I turn to Niall, just to see that he’s having a bit of trouble with Kyle, who’s also trying to get him to say something coherently and stop acting stupid.

“Niall, come on. Let’s go on an adventure.”

I grab his arm and he doesn’t protest, so we walk back inside together. Raylynn, the girl I saw him talking to when I arrived, comes towards us.

“Hi Ni, would you mind showing me around? Give me a tour of the house?”

I make a face at her. “It’s not even his house!” I yell over the music.

Niall laughs and the girl looks weirdly at us, and then she decides to leave us alone, since she can have a proper conversation with us.

“Why did you do that?” Niall asks, clearly mad. “I could’ve slept with her.”

“Don’t you have Poppy for that?” I retort.

“Yeah but…she couldn’t come tonight, so.”

I shrug. “Did you at least…at least make out with her?” I ask, trying to speak clearly.

“Yeah!”

I look at him, just as I feel vomit in my throat. “Shit. I think I might throw up.”

“Are you saying that because a girl made out with me, or because you actually feel like you have to throw up?”

I look at him, thinking about it. “Both. Lead me to a bathroom.”

He takes me by my wrist and guides me to the downstairs bathroom, but that’s locked, so he tries to get me up the stairs. Which is a difficult thing to do, since I have high heels and I’m way past drunk.

“Get me a stretcher!” I say and crouch down on the stairs, hugging the railing.

He loudly laughs, trying to pull me up. “I don’t have a stretcher.”

“Then find one.”

“Come on.”

I shake my head, clinging even harder onto the railing. “I’m sleeping here.” I state, and close my eyes.

Niall sighs, and kneels down so we’re at the same eyelevel. “Nicki, come on. Get up.”