Chapter 8 #2
Anna laughed. “Well, he’s that too, obviously.” Anna’s gaze flicked past me, and she started to frown. “Speaking of... It looks like one of the twins is already making a drunken ass of himself.”
I turned to see one of the boys stumbling into a table. He had his back to us, so it was impossible to tell if it was Wes or Sawyer. It had to be Sawyer though. Wes was always very sensible when it came to alcohol, and messy drinking seemed to be one of Sawyer’s favorite pastimes.
“Sawyer must have gone a little hard on his pregame,” Anna said. She had come to the same conclusion as I had about which twin it was.
“One of us should really go help him.”
“I guess.” Anna didn’t seem the least bit keen to deal with a drunken Sawyer. I didn’t really blame her. He was a handful enough when sober.
“I’ll go,” I quickly offered. I was only too eager for a distraction after my run-in with Noah. “It’s probably the least I can do after he so gallantly offered to be my rebound.”
Anna laughed. “Yeah, he was totally selfless in that offer too.”
“Totally,” I agreed. “Wish me luck.”
I grabbed a bottle of water and headed over to Sawyer.
He was trying to chat with a girl I recognized from my English class, but I didn’t know her name.
His words were slurred, and he was swaying on his feet.
He kept bumping into the table at his side, causing the glasses and bottles on it to shake dangerously.
The party had barely started, so Anna was probably right in suggesting he’d had too much to drink before he arrived.
“Hey, Sawyer,” I said as I approached. “Can you come outside with me for a sec?”
The girl shot me a grateful smile, and I got the distinct impression I’d come to her rescue. She darted away as he turned to me, and as soon as his sad eyes landed on mine, I realized my mistake.
“You’re not Sawyer,” I murmured.
“Not Sawyer,” Wes slurred in reply.
His eyes were ringed red, and he looked like he’d been crying.
“Wes, you look like hell.”
“I feel like hell,” he agreed. “Sarah broke up with me.”
“Oh no.”
He nodded and let out a sigh as he stared down into the red cup he was holding. He went to take another sip out of it, but I gently removed it from his hand and placed it on the table. I could smell the vodka from here.
“I’m not sure you need to drink any more.”
“You’re probably right. I think I’d rather sleep.” He started to stumble toward one of the sofas, but I grabbed hold of his arm and steered him in the direction of the exit.
“It might be a better idea if we find you an actual bed,” I said.
He nodded and let me guide him out of the boathouse. Cress caught sight of us as we were about to leave and hurried over.
“What’s wrong with Sawyer?” His reputation clearly preceded him as Cress made the same mistake.
“Not Sawyer. Wes,” I confirmed, and her eyes widened with surprise. “Sarah broke up with him. I’m going to get him back to his dorm room. He just needs to sleep it off.”
“Do you want a hand?”
I shook my head. “Nah, he seems pretty steady on his feet. I think I should be able to get him back in one piece. You stay and have fun.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” I was somewhat relieved to leave the party. I hadn’t wanted to go in the first place, and I didn’t feel much like staying after seeing Noah. Every time he came close to me, I felt my resolve to get over him slowly breaking.
“Well, call me if you need some extra help.”
“I will.”
There was a chill in the air as we stepped out into the night, and I hoped it would help sober Wes up. I passed him the bottle of water I was holding. “Here, drink this.”
He happily took the bottle and guzzled it down.
Wes might have been slightly sloppy and sad, but at least he wasn’t a difficult drunk.
He stumbled along the path as we walked, and I was grateful he was able to stay on his feet without much support from me.
He was way too big for me to carry him on my own.
“So, what happened with Sarah?” I asked as we followed the darkened path that wound around the lake back to school, leaving the soft lights of the boatshed behind us.
“Things haven’t been great between us recently,” he started. “We rarely see each other. She wants someone who’s there. And I’m here. So, she dumped me.”
The ache in my chest echoed the confused and anguished tone in his voice. I was far too familiar with the hurt he was enduring.
“Long distance must be hard,” I murmured.
He nodded sadly, but was distracted as he stumbled over a divot in the path. I quickly reached out to steady him, and he grasped tightly onto my arms. As he looked into my eyes, his pain was so visceral and clear to see.
“Why wasn’t I enough?” His voice was raw and filled with emotion.
“For the right girl, you will be,” I replied. “No matter what hurdles or distance are put in your way.”
He let out a hard breath and nodded. He slowly let go of my arms, and we continued back to school in silence.
My words to Wes played on repeat in my mind. If Noah was the right guy for me, then nothing would have stopped us from being together.
Nothing.
By the time Wes and I reached the school buildings, he was struggling to walk straight, and I had to prop him up to stop him from stumbling into walls.
We only had a short way to go before we arrived at the boys’ dorm, but Wes was starting to lean on me more and more.
He was big and heavy, and as I tried to keep him upright, I was worried we might not make it much farther.
When we somehow made it to the dorm, I had to keep shushing him as we made our way through the entrance, up the stairs, and along the hallways.
He’d been so quiet for most of our walk back, but he suddenly seemed to have a lot to say.
He was still slurring and had no control over the volume of his voice. He was obviously drunk.
“Sarah had the most beautiful hair,” he mumbled. “It was like the night’s sky.”
“I know. You told me just before—”
“And her eyes. Did I tell you about her eyes?”
“Yes.”
“They were so big and beautiful. I don’t know if you know this about me, Isobel, but I’m an eyes guy. It’s all about the eyes.” His words were tumbling into one another, and it was difficult to make sense of most of what he said. “I wish I could have seen them one last time.”
“Wes, you have to speak quietly, or you’ll wake everyone up,” I said. The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to us. If we were caught, there was no way Wes would be able to act sober enough to avoid getting in trouble.
He ignored me. “Do you think she’s found someone else?”
“I’m sure she hasn’t. From what you’ve told me about her, she doesn’t sound like the kind of girl to cheat.”
“I bet she has,” he said. “She’s so damn beautiful.”
“You can’t torture yourself with guessing,” I replied. “You need to focus on mending your own heart.”
“I wish it were that easy.”
I wished the same thing too.
Somehow, Wes managed to direct me to his room without causing a scene. He’d done little to keep his voice down, so we’d gotten a few funny looks from other guys who were wandering the halls, but thankfully most just ignored us.
Wes fiddled with his swipe card, dropping it on the ground twice before he finally got the door to his room open. I helped him inside, turning on the light as I went.
There were two beds in the room. I knew Wes shared with Sawyer, but his brother was nowhere to be seen. I hadn’t noticed him at the boathouse earlier, but he must have been there somewhere.
The two halves of the room were so different.
One side was a total mess. The bed was unmade, and clothes were strewn across the floor.
The other side was so neat it barely looked lived in.
Of course, Wes stumbled over to the clean side of the room.
It didn’t take a genius to realize Sawyer was the slovenly one of the twins.
He collapsed down onto the bed in a heap and groaned as his head hit the pillow. I went into the bathroom and grabbed him a glass of water.
“I feel like crap,” he moaned as I returned.
I sat on the bed next to him and gently rubbed his back. “I know. And you’ll probably feel even worse tomorrow.”
He turned his head and peered up at me. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”
I shrugged and gave him a smile. “I’m not here to baby you. But I am here to help. Drink this.” He propped himself up, and I handed him the glass.
He only took a couple of sips before he lowered it from his lips. “I think I prefer the vodka better. At least it helps me forget.”
“It’s not exactly a healthy way to move on though, is it?”
Wes shrugged. “It’s probably not much worse than the rebound list Anna gave you.”
I let out a sigh. “No, probably not. I’m not planning to use it though.”
“Why not? There’s nothing wrong with using unhealthy methods for moving on if it works. Do you think Anna would make me a list too?”
“You don’t want a rebound list.”
“Sure, I do. If it helps me forget Sarah ever existed, it sounds like a great idea.”
“It sounds like a terrible idea.”
“No, a terrible idea would be if we were each other’s rebound…”
My heart leaped, and I swallowed to stop myself from reacting too obviously. I didn’t think he was joking.
“You’re right. That’s a terrible idea.”
He smiled. “Okay, so I better not ask to be on your list then?”
“Wes, you don’t want that. You’ve just had too much to drink. Besides, we’re already breakup buddies. We help each other get through breakups, which is a far more important job than a rebound.”
“Breakup buddies,” he repeated. “I like it.” He smiled before his eyes became a little hazier. “I should probably get some sleep.”
“That’s a good idea. Do you need me to get you anything else before I go?”
He shook his head and started to melt back into his bed as his eyes slowly shut. “No, I’m good.” He blinked his eyes open one last time as I stood to leave. “Thanks, Isobel. You’re a really good friend.”
I gave him a warm smile in response. “Have a good sleep, Wes.”
I flicked the light off as I left the room. Poor Wes was going to feel absolutely terrible come tomorrow. I knew what it was like to wake up with a broken heart and a hangover, and I didn’t envy him one bit.