Alice

"So Gens working on the machine in the robotics lab?" I ask popping a piece of caramel popcorn into my mouth.

"Pretty much. I bet only so she can suck faces with Nelson." Tracy laughs and eats a strawberry. "Besides, just us in a sleepover sounds nice."

It's been a week since the Nick accident. I got $100 from Kathy though and so did Nick. She gave away $200 for a babysitting job! Nick wasn't lying when he said they are loaded.

I just want Nick to trust me. Even since I saw those bruises he's just shut me out. He won't talk or even look at me at school. Does he think those bruises make him look weak? He's the strongest person I know. What does he want to hide?

"Earth to Alice?" I hear Tracy call waving a hand in front of my face.

I jump and lean back. "Hah. Sorry." I laugh awkwardly.

"Ally you've been super zoned out this whole week. What's going on?" Tracy asks seriously.

I shake my head. "Nothing," I mumble and start to fidget with my anklet as my knees tuck themselves into my chest.

"You can talk to me, Alice," Tracy says placing her hand on my knee and something about the motion feels off.

"Alright well... I saw something... I don't think I was supposed to and... my friend, got mad at me." I admit keeping Nicks name a secret.

"I knew Gen would tell you I cheated on your test in Calculus I can't be-" Tracy glares at her hands and my eyes widen.

"What? This isn't about Gen it's about Ni- Er no one. It's about no one." I stammer and bite my lip.

"This is about Nick, isn't it? I knew you two had something going on! I knew it!" Tracy giggles and claps her hands together.

"No! We have nothing going on I've just been feeling guilty." I clarify and reach for another piece of popcorn but it's all gone so I stand up with the bowl.

"How about we go downstairs and make more popcorn?" I say happily changing the subject.

I walk out of the room and Tracy is quick to follow me.

"Oh don't you change the subject, Alice," Tracy says behind me.

"I'm not changing the subject. How about cheese popcorn instead of caramel popcorn? Want some ice cream?" I ask smiling.

"Oh yeah! Cheese popcorn sounds so good right now and ice cream you know I won't say no to f- hey don't trick me like that!" Tracy says then snaps at me when she realizes what I did. I laugh but Tracy doesn't seem to find it funny.

We make it to the kitchen and see Brodie and Jessie talking.

"Hey girls," Jessie says with a smile. We both say hi back and I can see Brodie is glaring at me from the kitchen table. Ever since I confronted Brodie about lying to Gen and Tracy and purposely ruining our friendship he denied it of course. So we haven't been speaking for a week now and honestly. Best week of my life. Brodie is not the type of person to mess with, clearly because he's done bad things before.

Jessie lets out a loud yawn. "I'm gonna hit the hay. Wake me up if there's an emergency." Jessie says kissing Brodie's cheek then walking over to me and doing the same. She smiles at Tracy before leaving the room.

Tracy and I get to work cooking and Brodie shoves past me and goes upstairs.

I hold my shoulder that he just hit and I see Tracy go to lunge for him but luckily I grab her arm and pull her back just in time.

"Don't. He's not worth it," I tell her and go back to stirring the cheese.

"But you're worth it." Tracy rolls her eyes. She looks around my kitchen and I watch as a smirk slowly crawls up her face.

"What," I ask warily and she smirks at me.

She saunters over to our cabinets and starts to look through them.

"Aha!" She exclaims and skips back over to me holding a bottle of aunt Jessie's wine!

"Tracy no are you crazy? We're 17!" I gasp and she shushes me.

"Just a little I'm sure your aunt won't care. Besides, loosen up a little." She says and pops the cork out.

I frown. "I am loose," I say rolling my shoulders and turning off the stove.

"Then let's see," Tracy smirks once again and goes to the sliding glass door that leads to Jessie's and Brodie's backyard.

"Where are you going?" I ask following nonetheless.

She says nothing and only goes outside and sits on the grass. She crosses her legs and looks up at the moon. After a few seconds of me just standing there and glances over her shoulder and pats the spot next to me.

I reluctantly sit down and watch as she takes a swig from the bottle then hands it to me.

I grasp the olive-colored glass and bring it to my lips.

Should I really do this?

~~

I really did this.

And now the whole bottles empty.

"No, you have a cuter belly button!" Tracy giggles with a snort as she pokes my stomach.

The action causing me to laugh unattractively. I fall backward and my head hits the grass.

It hurts but I'm so drunk I start to laugh.

I exhale slowly when my laughter calms down. I turn my head and wrap my arm around Tracy. "I'm glad we're friends," I say with a smile and look up into her blurry brown eyes.

"Me too. We should... get drunk more often you're fun." Tracy giggles slurring on her words. She wraps her arm around me and lays her head on my shoulder.

"It's 1 in the morning." I giggle.

"Alice?" Tracy asks and I hum in response while picking at the grass.

"Do you like Nick?" Tracy says and I can practically hear the smirk in her voice.

"No." I'm quick to deny but when I say no to that. It hurts. And I can't help but say right after.

"Yes. I do actually, but I don't want to." I admit frustrated. Tracy's eyes close as she listens. "Why not?"

"One second he's mean the next he's all caring I can't keep up. He drives me crazy and his emotions switch so quickly I can't even tell if he feels the same way."

"That's surprising considering that Nick is kind to no one. And I see the way he always stares at you in the back of the class. Nick has always been like that. We went to the same elementary school one time he got in a fight with a kid because he broke his crayon or something. That was in kindergarten. Everyone always knew something was up but too scared to get close. He'd snap the second you were near." Tracy tells me and I listen intently. Nick really was like that..? I mean, I can believe it.

I hear Tracy's head move against the grass as she looks at me. And I look at her.

"What?" I ask but she keeps looking at me.

"But I have an idea I've always wanted to try on someone." She slurred before tucking my hair behind my ear.

What?

She gets closer and I feel her breath against my lips.

She kisses me.

"Woah!" I say pushing her away from me.

Tracy looks at me confused before realizing I don't want to kiss her back.

"Tracy your drunk," I say helping her up.

"I'm sorry!" She cries and I feel bad. Maybe I reacted wrong? But she's my friend why'd she kiss me? Is she into girls? That's okay if she is, I just don't want to ruin our friendship.

"I'm going home." She says before running inside.

My mouth falls open. Then the realization of what just happened hits me.

"Wait, Tracy, I want you to stay!" I yell after her.

I make my way inside but it's hard when I'm still super drunk.

It's dark inside since everyone went to sleep. I run into the trash bin almost knocking it over.

I hear her feet by the front door and I run there.

"Tracy!" I whisper yell after her but slip on the rug. I hear the door slam and know Tracy's gone right before my head it's the ground. Hard.