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Soooo...how's everyone's pandemic going? I genuinely hope you're all well and safe. I'm fine, even though I've been terrible about writing. Clearly not one of those people who uses isolation to be creative! But here's a story I threw together. I love YA novels, so I tried to make this reflect that style - very *angsty* 😊 Thanks for reading!

***

    “El, what time do you want to leave? Or do you just want to corral us whenever you’re ready?” 

    Ellie glanced at the dashboard clock. It wasn’t yet 8 PM – fairly early for arriving at a college party. She pursed her lips, thinking. 

    “Maybe 1:30 at the latest? I have to work tomorrow, but not too early.” 

    “Your wish is our command, Miss Daisy!” cried Jamie, the second of the two boys in the backseat. Ellie had picked up he and his roommate Gael on her way to the frat party on the edge of town. 

    “Miss…” Gael stared at his roommate in confusion, but was interrupted by a deep voice from the front seat. 

    “Miss Daisy was the passenger, dumbass.”

    Jamie laughed easily – it was the end of the semester, and the mood was light – but Ellie shot a sideways glare at her third passenger. 

    As if he sensed Ellie’s ire, Rider Pierce broke into a dazzling grin. “The driver was Morgan Freeman’s character,” he continued, as if his initial statement hadn’t been stark and humorless, “but no one ever remembers the driver’s name!” 

    Jamie grinned. “Dude, no one our age has even seen that movie!” 

    “Axiom still stands,” Rider said confidently, taking a sip out of his flask. “Name one famous movie about a chauffeur where you remember the driver’s name.”

    Gael looked skeptical. “Didn’t that movie with Viggo Mortenson driving Mahershala Ali win an Oscar?” 

    “So did Driving Miss Daisy,” countered Rider, “and you still didn’t tell me the character’s name.” 

    Ellie pulled onto the grass of the expansive frat house lawn, adding to the already-long line of parked cars. “Happy Hogan.” 

    Rider looked amused but unsurprised, and, not for the first time, Ellie was irritated at his ability to be so effortlessly charming. 

    “Dubious,” Rider proclaimed. “Happy was obviously promoted to Tony’s head of security and was in a half-dozen movies. Familiarity is a given.” 

    “So Joseph from Princess Diaries is out, too?” Ellie shot back. 

    “Not unless you want me to let you win.” Rider gave her another smile that, to another girl, would have been disarming. Ellie was both too experienced and too annoyed for it to work on her. 

    Unaware of Ellie’s irritation or unwilling to stick around any longer, Gael and Jamie were already heading up the driveway. “Just come get us if you’re ready to leave before 1:30,” Jamie called over his shoulder. 

    “You don’t have to admit defeat.” Rider smirked and took another swig from his flask. “I’m secure enough in my own rightness to survive without your validation.” 

    “Too bad that security doesn’t extend to surviving in a given situation without booze.” 

    If Rider was as stunned as Ellie by her own vehemence, he didn’t show it. “Drinking at a frat party,” he gushed dramatically. “Whoever heard of such a thing? What a hopeless delinquent am I!”

    “As if you only get drunk at parties,” Ellie snapped. Walking up a frat house driveway wasn’t the place for this conversation, but Rider’s grating nonchalance smashed through Ellie’s hesitance. “You haven’t been willingly sober this whole semester.” 

    This accusation at least earned Ellie a raised eyebrow. “Didn’t know you were such a prohibitionist, Els.” His tone was light, but Ellie knew him well enough to hear a slight tension in his voice. “But as I am a fully legal adult, I’m really not sure why you’re so worried about me.” 

    “You can drink yourself stupid, for all I care.” The words tumbled out of Ellie’s mouth. “I just don’t want you dragging my brother down with you.” 

    Rider stopped abruptly and turned to face Ellie. His eyes glittered like shards of ice, sharp and hard, in his now-stony face. “If literally anyone other than Brett’s sister had said that, I’d’ve punched them.” 

    Ellie didn’t twitch. It’s not that she didn’t believe Rider, but that she’d known him almost her entire life. And in that time, she’d never once back down from a fight with him. “Where’s the lie?” she asked coolly. “You drink yourself into oblivion on a daily basis, and you don’t think your roommate and best friend is gonna be affected?” 

    Rider’s chest swelled with a deep inhale. “Call me a drunk all you want, but you don’t get to imply that I’d hurt your brother. Ever.” 

    Ellie glared back, but at that moment, another car pulled in, blaring music. It was enough to crack the tension and remind them both that they were standing in the middle of a driveway, presumably on their way to enjoy the last party before spring break. 

    As usual, Rider recovered first. He tipped back his flask, finishing whatever he had inside. “You know how much I enjoy our verbal skirmishes, Ellearia, but I promised Jesse a round of beer pong.” He bounced his eyebrows for flourish and turned away. 

    In an instant, Ellie’s flaming indignation fizzled into resignation. What had she been thinking? It’s not like Rider didn’t know about her concerns. And it’s not like she’d made any headway before. 

    “Els!” 

    Straightening her shoulders as if to physically shed the failed argument, Ellie pivoted toward the sound of her name. Yung Min, a girl from her ultimate team, was climbing out of the car that had just parked. Ellie pasted on a smile and joined the group, heading up to the house. 

    A lifelong connoisseur of people-watching, Ellie found that pre-spring break parties were second only to end-of-year parties in the college calendar for sheer joy. Everyone was celebrating getting through midterms or excited for impending beach vacations, lending a distinct air of glee to the gathering. The frat house was huge, and Ellie was sure there were over 300 people in attendance. She wandered through the house, nabbing a soda and greeting friends – both hers and her brother’s. 

***

    Brett, Ellie’s one-year-older brother, was in D.C. for a grad school interview, but it wasn’t wholly unusual for Ellie to be spending time with Rider on her own. Brett and Rider had met in preschool and had been best friends ever since. By virtue of Ellie’s own close relationship with Brett, Rider had become practically a second brother. She certainly fought with Rider more than she did with Brett – Brett was easygoing and nonconfrontational by nature – but she never doubted their loyalty to each other. 

    Despite their closeness, Ellie hadn’t really planned on attending the same university as her brother, but it had the one of the best pre-law programs in the country, so she swallowed the inevitable “little sister tagging along” stereotype. Other than the obvious benefits of sharing rides home for break, Ellie found she liked being close to Brett and Rider. It gave her a built-in but not exclusive social group, and it had been an easy choice to move off-campus to the same apartment complex. Currently, Ellie and her roommate lived across the hall from Brett and Rider. 

    Ellie loved getting to watch her brother and his best friend grow into young men. She relished the rare privilege of having such close relationships for such a long time. But her junior year had taken a turn. 

    It’s not that Rider (or any of them, to be honest) had been a teetotaler before turning 21, but his drinking had skyrocketed his senior year. It wasn’t just drinking more heavily at parties, it was the near-constant presence and use of his flask, bottles of beer, and even water bottles that definitely didn’t contain water in class. 

    When asked – because obviously neither Brett nor Ellie were gonna let such a behavioral change pass without comment – Rider would laugh, insisting that he was fine, that he just wanted to enjoy his senior year. He was comparatively careful; he didn’t make a fool of himself, and he certainly never drove drunk. In fact, most people who interacted with Rider had no idea that he’d rarely been fully sober since summer. 

    The whole situation baffled Ellie. She’d known Rider practically her whole life, and she didn’t believe him for a second when he claimed that his drinking was nothing more than a harmless joyride through his last year of college. But he wasn’t deviating from his party line, and Ellie had grown increasingly frustrated with feeling like she barely knew him anymore. 

***

    A burst of laughter shook Ellie from her thoughts, and she pulled out her phone to check the time. With a slight cringe, she realized that she’d been ruminating for nearly a half hour, barely paying attention to her friends. She was standing in a cluster on the back patio with a few of her ultimate teammates. There were two pong tables set up, and at least two cornhole sets within view. 

    There was a roar from one of the pong tables, and Ellie glanced over to see Rider with his arms raised in victory. She watched as he grabbed a full Solo cup and downed it in one. The crowd cheered in approval. 

    Ellie was still staring when Rider slammed the cup down on the table and looked up. He caught her eye and paused, a flicker disrupting the triumphant look on his face. It was so quick, Ellie thought she must have imagined it though, because by the time she blinked, Rider had broken eye contact and was seemingly searching for a refill. 

    Repeatedly irritated with herself, Ellie decided she needed more deliberate distraction. The Alpha Rho parties were renowned for their variety of activities, so she knew if she searched the house, she’d find something distracting. It took a few minutes, but she found a boisterous room of board games upstairs, and she quickly joined a burgeoning round of Settlers of Catan. 

    The plan worked, and the next few hours flew by. Ellie enjoyed the strategic competition, and there was a convenient cooler in the room to replenish her soda. After a couple of rounds of Catan, a short-rules game of Trivial Pursuit, and a side-splitting session of Cards Against Humanity, Ellie found herself yawning. She checked her phone and saw that it was after 1 AM. 

    Grinning at how much she’d enjoyed herself, Ellie stretched her arms wide and pushed herself to her feet. Swallowing the last of her latest drink, she bid goodbye to her fellow gamers and started to search for her passengers. 

    Gael was easy enough to find on the dance floor, and he led her to Jamie in the kitchen, deep in some discussion about the trade deadline. Neither of them seemed upset by leaving – they were both too intoxicated to drive and were grateful for the free ride home. 

    Finding Rider didn’t take too much longer, given the still-crowded party. He was lounging in a chair on the patio, loosely holding a half-empty bottle. His eyes were noticeably bleary when he looked up, but he smiled easily. 

    “My coachwoman awaits!” he announced to the group. “Looks like my time here is up.” 

    Ellie considered rolling her eyes, but opted for benevolence instead. “Just sharing the facts, my liege,” she said silkily. “I’m leaving now. You’re welcome to take an Uber or something.” 

    “Never,” Rider proclaimed dramatically, pushing himself to his feet. “Your wish is my command, good lady. Just let me…”

    He trailed off and raised his bottle to his lips, finishing the contents in seconds. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, gave an exaggerated bow to the other partygoers, stumbling slightly. 

    This time, Ellie did roll her eyes, heading back through the house. She didn’t bother slowing down to stay in step with Gael and Jamie. Breathing deeply, she tried to tamp down the rising rage, disappointment, and fear. Seeing Rider so obviously drunk, even though she knew he drank almost constantly, brought back every ounce of ire she’d felt when they arrived. She was sick of Rider’s drinking, and she was sick of not being able to help. 

    She heard quick footsteps behind her, but didn’t turn as Rider jogged to her side and draped his arm over her shoulder. 

    “El-bell, don’t-“ 

    “Stop it,” Ellie hissed, shaking his arm off. “Don’t say anything. You sound gross, slurring your words like that.” 

    Rider drew back, and for a second, he almost looked hurt, but that could’ve just been his face transitioning from a grin to a sneer. “Easy there, Carrie Nation. You don’t want to make a scene.” 

    “Right, like I’m the one looking like an idiot here.

    Ellie knew she was being mean. She knew it was futile, and she knew it was fair to Gael and Jamie, who were both quiet as they all reached her car. Ellie didn’t say anything else as she walked around to the driver’s side. 

    She unlocked the doors, miles more tired than she’d been ten minutes ago, but just as she sat down, she heard a yelp from Gael. 

    “I don’t have my phone!” He was still standing next to the car, patting his pockets. “Can I run back inside and look for it? I think I know where it is!”

    Ellie nodded and tried to smile. “Of course. We’ll just wait here.” 

    Gael practically sprinted back toward the house, and Ellie smiled for real at his consideration. Mildly placated, she turned on the radio to cover the would-be awkward silence. 

    Playing along – or just totally unconcerned – Rider asked Jamie his plans for spring break. Ellie could tell he was making an effort not to slur his speech as much, and she was both impressed and disgusted at how well he could play…well, if not sober, then at least not wasted. Naturally gregarious, Rider kept the conversation flowing easily for ten minutes until Gael returned. 

    “Sorry!” Gael panted, sliding into the car. “I thought I’d left it on a window sill by the dance floor, but someone had already moved it to the lost and found, did you know they eve have an official ‘party lost and found’, this place is great!” 

    Ellie had the car in reverse before Gael finished rambling. He and Jamie lived fairly close to the frat house, but she and Rider lived on the other side of town. It wasn’t a huge town, of course, but she was already dreading the 15 minutes she’d have to spend in the car alone with Rider. 

    Gael’s praise set off enough of a discussion of the merits of Alpha parties to fill the brief drive to the first apartment. Ellie pulled up to the boys’ building, and both Jamie and Gael thanked her profusely, wishing them both a wonderful and relaxing spring break. 

    Practically before the back doors even shut, Rider had pulled out his flask. 

    “Christ,” Ellie muttered. “You’re at the point where you can’t go 15 minutes without having a drink?” 

    “Maybe I need a psychoactive substance to get through a ride with you,” Rider shot back, but his voice no longer held any light or teasing tone. 

    “Oh, yeah, a car ride across town with your best friend’s sister, a 50-minute class, watching a college basketball game…your life is just filled with so many difficult events that require alcoholic mollification!” Ellie was baiting him, and she wasn’t at all surprised when he refused to rise to her goading. 

    “Leave it alone, Ellie,” Rider growled and shifted, as if he was trying to move as far away from her as possible. “My body, my choice, right?” 

    Ellie huffed, but didn’t respond. Technically, Rider’s argument was currently correct – he wasn’t hurting anyone else with his drinking. He wasn’t violent, he wasn’t getting arrested, he wasn’t behind on his payments or anything. 

    They sat without speaking for several minutes, but as Ellie pulled onto Main Street, her patience evaporated once more. 

    “No, we’re doing this,” she demanded. “I’ve known you my whole damn life, and you know I’ve never wanted to control you or some bullshit like that.” 

    She glanced over at Rider, but he only shifted again, deliberately looking away from her. 

    “This isn’t…God, Rider, I don’t care if you want to ‘enjoy your senior year’ or whatever, but you’re literally…like, this is alcoholism! Like, you’re entirely dependent on alcohol, and that’s not OK!” 

    She looked over again, and though Rider’s posture definitely signaled discomfort, he still didn’t say anything.                                                     
    “God damnit, Rider.” Ellie squeezed the steering wheel, knuckles white with frustration. “Why don’t you care? How do you not see how unhealthy this is?” 

    Still nothing. Ellie’s voice practically squeaked with vexation. “Rider! I mean it! How-“

    “Let me out.” 

    Rider’s voice was low, but absolutely serious, and Ellie had to fight to keep her eyes on the road rather than staring at him incredulously. 

    “What?”

    “Let me out of the car, Ellie.” Rider was angry, urgent, and Ellie nearly screamed. 

    “Are you out of your mind? We’re in the middle of Main Street! I can’t just pull up to the sidewalk, and I’m not gonna let you-“ 

    But apparently, a stop sign was more than enough for Rider, because he’d unbuckled his seatbelt and leapt from the car as soon as Ellie slowed down. 

    “Rider!” she shrieked, staring after him, then looking around frantically to see where she could pull over. It was almost 1:30 in the morning, and really, no one else was around, so she made a quick right and pulled into the empty bank parking lot, ranting before she even put the car in park. 

    “What the actual fuck, Rider? You can’t just jump out of a moving car because you don’t like the conversation, you dumb, selfish-“

    Ellie cut herself off again as she rounded the corner and saw Rider standing stock-still in the middle of the sidewalk, an obvious patch of darkness spreading down the front of his pants. 
    
    “What are you…” Ellie’s rant energy forced the words out of her mouth before she could stop them, even though she knew exactly what was happening. The old-fashioned street lamps were dim, but more than illuminated the wetness. After a few seconds, a trickling sound pattered on the quiet street. 

    The sound seemed to go on for far too long, amplified by the otherwise complete silence. Rider stood bent slightly at the waist, as if he’d been punched in the stomach. 

    Ellie didn’t know how long they both stood there, her staring at him and him staring at the ground, before she finally spoke.

    “Why didn’t you say something?” 

    “I did say something,” he mumbled. “I told you to let me out.” 

    “In the middle of an argument!” Ellie exclaimed. “You didn’t say you had to pee!” 

    Rider twitched. “Sorry I didn’t broadcast my every thought. Didn’t feel like giving you more ammo for your anti-alcohol crusade.” 

    The illogic of that statement didn’t need a response, so Ellie just stared at him, perplexed as to how she’d gone from enjoying Cards Against Humanity an hour ago to standing in the middle of downtown, fighting with a 22-year-old man who had just wet himself on the sidewalk.  

    “I’ll walk home.” 

    Such a ridiculous claim was enough to jar Ellie from her dismay. “Cool. I’m coming with you.” 

    Ellie expected at least irritation in response to her answer, but when Rider met her gaze, he just looked tired. “Els, don’t be stup-“ 

    “You know what would be stupid?” Ellie interrupted. “Letting my brother’s best friend, who is quantifiably and admittedly drunk, walk two and a half miles home after midnight.” She stopped herself from adding “in wet pants.” 

    “And what do you care?” Rider snarled, his eyes flashing. “It’s not like there’s anyone around for me to drag down with me.” 

    Ellie flinched at his sudden vehemence, but then clenched her jaw. “For fuck’s sake, Rider, don’t be petulant,” she snapped. “You know I didn’t mean that, but I’ll say it for you anyway. Of course I fucking care about you. I care about your drinking because you’re my brother’s best friend and you’re like a fucking brother to me, and I’m so indescribably sick of watching you hurt yourself!” 

    “I’m not hurting myself,” Rider grumbled. 

    “Right, sure,” Ellie scoffed. “There’s totally nothing wrong with pissing yourself in the middle of Main Street. You’re totally fine with that.” 

    “It doesn’t hurt,” Rider said, but his near-whining voice did nothing to bolster his claim. 

    Ellie raised her eyebrows. “Might not now, but it will if you walk home. That’ll chafe like a bitch after 2 blocks.” 

    Rider didn’t say anything right away, but he also didn’t immediately start walking away, which Ellie took as a promising sign. “Come on, man,” she said in a slightly gentler tone. “It’s a ten-minute drive.” 

    There was another pause, and Rider looked down. “I’m not getting in your car like this.” 

    “Ri, she’s a 2003 Camry. She’s seen worse,” Ellie insisted wryly. “You know she’s seen worse.” 

    Ellie could see Rider’s chest rise and fall as he seemed to consider his options. 
    
    “Look, I’m sure I’ve got some old grocery bags or an Amazon box or something that you can sit on.” 

    She watched Rider’s eyebrows draw in, a sure-fire signal of his stubbornness, but his reply was quiet. 

    “Fine.” 

    Internally, she nearly melted with relief, but physically, Ellie just nodded and turned back to the car, letting Rider follow her. True to her word, she reached in the backseat and pulled some random plastic bags from the floor to put in the passenger seat. Rider dipped his head as he sat down, his shoulders visibly tense. 

    Ellie silently thanked God that the radio was still on when she started the car, because she knew there would be no more talking. The rest of the drive passed quickly, and their apartment building was quiet when they got back. 

    Rider walked slightly ahead of Ellie up the stairs, then paused at his door. 

    “You’re gonna tell Brett?” 

    He wasn’t facing her, but he hadn’t opened the door. 

    “Yes.” Ellie saw no point in lying.  

    Rider just nodded, and Ellie saw a flash of the boy she grew up with, the one who would joke around in class, but never argue when given detention. Rider, more than anyone, had taught Ellie to own up to her mistakes and accept the consequences. 

    “Do you want me to clean your car?” Rider stayed half-facing his own door, but at least he wasn’t snapping anymore. 

    “It’s fine.” Ellie shrugged. “I mean, you can Febreze it if you really want to, but it’s really fine.” 

    Rider nodded again. He opened the door and flipped on the light. Ellie stared, unsure of what to do next. 

    “You’ll…” she said suddenly, before he could close the door. “You’ll get Brett from the airport tomorrow? Because I’ll be at work.” 

    This time, Rider turned around, the corner of his mouth lifted into the barest of smiles. “I know,” he promised. “I’ve got his flight information.” 

    Feeling oddly relieved, Ellie opened her own door. “OK. Just checking. Night.” 

    Rider looked at her tenderly as he closed the door. “Night, Els.”  
 

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On 5/23/2020 at 2:00 AM, Melificentfan said:

That was a cute story I really enjoyed reading it 

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

On 5/23/2020 at 5:51 AM, KarenParker said:

This is amazing! I would so read a part 2... maybe with Rider having to pee while picking Brett up from airport? Your work is amazing btw, I never stop enjoying it!

I do have a *vague* idea for continuing this. Like I said, very angsty - but it might depend more on what kind of self-discipline I can rustle up to write it! 

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