Chapter 13

Chapter 12 

 Ryan walked to the table , the drinks were all lined up, first to finish their 5 bottles win

    He and Zach stood at the table , waiting for the signal for them to begin

The club was alive with wild energy—flashing neon lights, deafening music, and the steady hum of voices blending with the bass. Ryan could feel the heat of the moment pressing against his skin as he stood face to face with Zach, his so-called friend who had just challenged his manhood in front of everyone.  

“Ryan, are you sure about this? You know how your mum is going to react to this. Don’t let him get to you,” Lana whispered urgently, gripping his wrist.  

Ryan exhaled, shaking off her concern. “It’s fine. There’s nothing I can’t handle. He wants a challenge? Then he has a challenge on his hands. Normally, I’d back down, but not in front of Taylor.” His eyes flickered toward his ex, who was watching with amusement. His ego wouldn’t let him walk away. “Just promise me you’ll drive me home if things go south.”  

Lana hesitated but nodded. “Fine. But don’t be stupid.”  

Zach laughed, already pumping himself up. “Let’s go then!”  

A crowd gathered around the table as five bottles of strong liquor were lined up for each contestant. The rules were simple—first to finish all five bottles without throwing up wins. The loser? Well, the loser just had to live with the shame.  

Ryan flexed his fingers, glancing at Zach, who was smirking confidently. He’d seen Zach drink before. The guy had the tolerance of a tank, but Ryan wasn’t about to let that intimidate him. He had something to prove.  

"Now!" Zach’s cousin shouted, signaling the start.  

Ryan grabbed his first bottle and tilted his head back, chugging aggressively. The burn of alcohol seared his throat, but he forced it down. He slammed the bottle onto the table and reached for the next.  

Zach, however, was barely fazed. He had already finished his first bottle and was halfway through his second, drinking like it was water.  

The crowd was going wild. "Chug! Chug! Chug!"  

Ryan fought to keep up, but by the time he was finishing his second, Zach was already popping open his third. The alcohol was hitting him hard—his vision blurred slightly, and his body swayed.  

Lana’s voice cut through the noise. “Ryan, stop! You’re going to regret this!”  

But he didn’t listen. He clenched his jaw and forced the third bottle down, coughing as the liquid burned through him. His stomach churned, and the room started spinning.  

Zach, meanwhile, was on his fourth, grinning like the devil. "What’s wrong, Walsh? Mommy’s boy can’t handle his liquor?" he taunted, wiping his mouth.  

Ryan growled and grabbed his fourth bottle, determined. He lifted it to his lips, but his hands were shaking now. The moment the liquid touched his tongue, his stomach twisted violently.  

The room tilted. His head felt like it was underwater.  

Zach was already on his fifth. He grinned as he downed it in one long gulp, slamming the empty bottle onto the table. "And that, my friends, is how you drink!"  

The crowd erupted in cheers.  

Ryan, on the other hand, felt his stomach lurch. He barely had time to turn to the side before he bent over and vomited all over the floor.  

Lana rushed to his side as Zach laughed triumphantly. “Guess I was right. Lightheaded and a mummy’s boy,” Zach sneered.  

Ryan groaned, wiping his mouth. His head pounded. His pride was shattered.  

Lana threw a death glare at Zach before wrapping an arm around Ryan. "Come on, I’m taking you home."  

As sheLana helped him out of the club, but Ryan could still hear Zach's mocking laughter in the background.

Ryan stopped Lana from taking him any further. “I can't go home like this, Lana. At least not tonight. I'm going to misbehave once I get home.”

“What are you suggesting, Ryan? That I take you to my place? You know we've got school tomorrow.”

“I know it sounds dumb. We’ll just tell my mom I had to stay over to make sure you’re okay. I’ll get a TaskRabbit to handle my clothes, and the professor at the school dare not complain if I come in late.”

The alcohol was getting to his head already, and he sounded more drunk the more he spoke.

“All right then, on your feet,” she said as she helped him up. He propped himself against her, trying to steady himself.

“Where are you going, mommy’s boy? Leaving already?” Zach jeered from behind. “That’s right, I thought so too.”

“Just leave it, Ryan. Let’s go,” Lana urged.

Ryan turned and saw Zach kissing Taylor, looking high and mighty. He had low-key been humiliated, and it infuriated him.

Without thinking, he turned around and charged at Zach. Before Zach could react, Ryan landed a punch on his face.

Zach staggered backward from the impact and fell down in an instant.

“What the hell, Ryan! Can’t you just chill out?” Taylor, his ex-girlfriend, yelled out.

       ItIt was late at night, and Sophia was almost done packing up her clothes and supplies. Surprisingly, it had taken her less time than she had initially thought. She had timed herself, determined to finish quickly so she could get some rest before her first day at school.

As she folded the last piece of clothing and placed it carefully inside her suitcase, she heard the doorknob turn. The familiar creak of the door made her pause—Justine was back from her date. Sophia quickly glanced at the time on her phone; it was a few minutes past ten. Not too late, she thought, but early enough that Justine’s night probably hadn’t gone as eventful as she’d expected.

Curious, Sophia sat up and watched as Justine entered the room, still wearing the red dress. It looked slightly crinkled now, as though she had been sitting for a long time. Her expression was unreadable, and she let out a deep sigh as she kicked off her shoes.

Sophia raised an eyebrow. “So? How was it?” she asked, setting her suitcase aside.

Justine hesitated for a moment before flopping down on the bed. “It was… fine,” she replied vaguely, running a hand through her hair.

“Just fine?” Sophia pressed, leaning forward. “Come on, I need details. Was he nice? Did he make you laugh? Did he try anything weird?”

Justine chuckled softly, shaking her head. “No, he was nice. Polite. We had a good conversation, but…” She trailed off, her eyes flickering toward the ceiling.

“But?”

“I don’t know. I just didn’t feel anything special,” Justine admitted, turning on her side to face Sophia. “I mean, he’s cute and all, but I don’t think there’s a spark. You know?”

Sophia sighed dramatically. “That’s a shame. I was hoping you’d come back giddy and lovestruck. Guess I’ll have to keep living my boring life through romance novels.”

“But it’s normal for such to happen on a first date. The connection will come over time. Plus, you are going to be working together, aren’t you?”

Justine laughed, finally sitting up. “Well, guess you are right ,it might work out well She stretched, then glanced at Sophia’s packed bags. “You’re all set for tomorrow?”  

“Yeah, finally.” Sophia glanced at the clock again. “I should probably get some sleep. Big day ahead.”  

I "I went to the store and decided to get some supplies. Luckily for me, it was the exact amount I had in my savings account," Sophia said.

"Supplies such as?" Justine asked. "You could have told me you needed some money. You really need to talk to me about these things more often. You can use the money saved up to get other things you'll need."

"It's fine, cousin. Also, I want to talk to you—something happened at the store."

"What happened?" Justine immediately became defensive. "Did any pervert try to touch you? Describe the person's face right now, and I'll go give them a beatdown!" She said this in hurried tones without catching a breath.

Sophia chuckled softly. "Relax, please. Nothing of that sort happened. What I want to tell you about is me getting a 20% discount."

"Oh? Well, that doesn't sound like something to be troubled over. But I do have questions, like how is that even possible?" Justine eased up a little.

"It's the same way I have questions for you too," Sophia replied. "At the store, a guy named Matt was the one who attended to me. He was at the counter and sold everything to me at a 20% discount."

"Oh," Justine frowned a little. "That explains it then. But what did he want with you to offer you that much?"

"With me?" Sophia raised an eyebrow. "I think you should rephrase that question to ‘What did he want me to tell you?’ It clearly has nothing to do with me but everything to do with me being your cousin. Well, he said that it's been a while since you both hung out, you've not been returning his calls, and he was really sorry—whatever that is about."

"Please, I'm not interested in hearing such or anything for that matter," Justine sneered.

"Justine, don't be like that. He seemed nice to me, and I also promised to get you to call him. What happened between you two anyway?"

"Like I said, cousin, I'm not interested in talking about anything, and he can only dream of me calling him. You should go get some rest, Sophia."

"But Justine, I really don't want to bother you, but at least call him. I don't want to seem like I didn't put in a word. At least just do this for me," Sophia made a sad face, pressuring her cousin.

"Okay, fine, I'll do it, but not today. You should go get some rest."

"Thank you so much! Well, you too should also rest, Justine. You must be very tired—you've been out all day, from following me to school to going on this date."

Justine nodded in agreement. "You're right there. Let me go get a shower then, I'm so exhausted," she said as she stood up and walked toward the bathroom. "Oh, and by the way, how did you like the pizza? It was amazing, right?"

"Yes, it was! You should do it more often—it saves a lot of cooking stress."

Justine rolled her eyes playfully before disappearing into the bathroom.

Soph

ia sighed, lying back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.