My keys jingled as I unlocked the front door to my house and pushed it open.
"Lily? I'm home!" I shouted into the quiet house, my voice echoing.
My parents were away for the week, we don't really see them often since they move around a lot for work.
I pretty much live alone with my sister but she's your typical party girl. When we're standing side by side, you can just tell which one of us is the social butterfly.
When I didn't hear any response, I fished my phone out of my pocket and dialed her number.
She picked up after the third ring.
"Hey sister," she drawled out.
I scrunched up my nose at the slur in her voice, "Where are you?"
"At Brooke's." She giggled.
I drew the phone away from my ear to check the time before bringing it back to my ear. "Lily, it's only 6," I sighed.
I wasn't even surprised that she was drunk, or high. Ever since we were kids, we all knew she was the wild child and I'm always the one worrying about being held responsible for the trouble she stirs up.
I end up being what you would call "collateral damage".
"You know I don't mind you going to parties," I started, looking up to the ceiling of the empty house, thinking, "because that would be super hypocritical of me."
"But drunk at 6 p.m." I shook my head at her.
"The earlier I start, the earlier I'll finish, am I right or am I right?" She sassed.
I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, 4 a.m. early."
My little sister giggled some more. "You know it."
"Whose party is it this time?" I asked for future reference in case she's not home by morning.
"Joshua's." She answered. I nodded even though she can't see me. I know Joshua, he's in the same soccer team as Alex.
I shook my head at the shithead. "Just stay safe. Call me if you need anything."
"Of course, sissy!" She squealed. "You're the best! Love ya! I'll see you in the morning!"
I sighed when she hung up the phone, leaving me to pray for her soul.
God, don't let shit happen to her. Otherwise, might as well kill me off too before my parents get their hands on me.
I climbed up the stairs to the second floor where my room was. The master bedroom, my parents' room, was on the first floor while my sister's and mine were on the second floor. Luckily, the house was medium-sized so on days like this, it didn't feel as empty and lonely as big house would have made me feel.
I entered my room, dropped my bag by the foot of my bed and grabbed a fresh set of clothes to change into before taking a quick shower.
After my shower, I walked back to my bed, took one look at my school bag, had a flood of thoughts on the amount of assignments I had to to rush back to me and went, "Nope."
I jumped into bed and made myself comfortable. It didn't take much for me to fall asleep and before I knew it, I was waking up to the vibrations of my phone.
I felt around my bedside table for my phone and brought it near my face once I found it. I squinted through the darkness to see my sister's name.
I swiped my finger across the screen and brought the phone to my ear.
"Hello?" My voice came out groggy with sleep and I cleared my throat to try again.
"Emily?" A familiar voice filled the line.
"Um, yeah?" I asked confused, having expected my sister to respond instead of this person.
"It's Taylor, our designated driver ended up drinking and Lily's really wasted. I'm really sorry but can you come pick us up? I don't know who else to call but you." Taylor practically begged.
I could hear the desperation in her voice. The girl sounded exhausted. She was probably the only sober one who's taking care of the other girls.
I forced myself out of the bed. I couldn't be bothered to change so I threw on a hoodie and put on some joggers over the pants I wore to sleep.
"Alright, send me the address and try to stay safe. I'm on my way out the door." I told her as I grabbed my keys and wallet before going out the door.
I slipped on my shoes and jogged to the car as Taylor texted me the address.
"Thanks so much, Em. I'll start gathering everyone so that we can leave the second you get here." Her gratitude was thick in her voice. She sounded like she might burst into tears of happiness. The poor girl must've been through a lot tonight.
"No worries, I'll see you soon, then." I said before ending the phone call.
I read the address she gave me and typed it into the car's GPS before pulling out of the driveway.
It was 2 a.m. so the sky was pretty dark and the streets were almost empty except for a few cars.
I yawned as the remnants of my sleep washed over me. I shook my head and pinched myself before I end up falling asleep behind the wheel.
By some miracle, I safely arrived at where the party was being thrown. I lowered my window and turned off my headlights to greet the guard at the neighborhood checkpoint.
It was one of those elite neighborhoods with houses that looked more like mansions. I greeted the guard and he nodded at me in acknowledgement after checking my profile before letting me in.
As I drove into the neighborhood, it took me quite a few turns before I found the source of the loud music that was shaking up the entire plot of land.
The lines of cars parked along the road snaked all the way around the block and it was just a crazy sight to see. It also made me go, "There's no way in hell am I going to go find a parking space just to go in there to fetch my sister and her friends." So, I gave Taylor a call and let her know I'm outside.
Thankfully, the party was still in full swing and there were no cars driving by so I wasn't blocking anyone's way. The houses in this neighborhood were built quite the distance away from each other so the party wasn't really disturbing the neighbors, which would probably explain why no one has come to shut it down.
Taylor came stumbling out minutes later with a very very drunk Lily and Brooke. She looked flush too but she didn't look as wasted as the other two. At least she was sober enough to walk straight while struggling to prop her two friends up.
I unfastened my seatbelt and got out of the car to help her as she passed my sister to me.
"Emmiee, is that you?" Lily cooed, her hands wandering up to cup my face. She mushed my cheeks together and I wrenched my head out of her grip roughly.
"Get your drunk shit together, Lil. Come on, get in the car." I ordered her as I pushed her into the passenger seat, putting my hand in between her head and the car's roof to make sure she doesn't give herself a minor concussion.
I fastened her seat belt for her and shut the door just as Taylor got in.
The trio stayed silent the entire car ride, all of them passing out after having partied all night. I drove all of them to my house. Taylor and Brooke are used to staying over and they usually just borrow our clothes so all I needed to do was text their parents that they're not getting murdered or left passed out in the streets.
I pulled up in my driveway and woke the girls up. Fortunately, they were starting to sober up so they didn't put up a fight when I pulled their intoxicated asses out of the car and into the house.
I led them all into the guest room and picked Lily up, huffing out a breath at how heavy she weighed before carrying her to her room.
Halfway up the stairs, I contemplated just throwing her down the stairs and leaving her there but I closed my eyes and told myself that would just make all my efforts so far futile.
I held onto the railings and caught my breath before continuing my ascent. This bitch is a heavy ass motherfucker.
After a struggle that made me feel like I've lost a few pounds, I was finally able to drop the unconscious sack of alcohol-induced lil' shit onto her bed.
My breathing was heavy and my hair was sticking to the back of my neck that was damp with sweat.
I wiped my forehead and neck with the back of my hand, my other hand resting on my waist as I stretched my aching back.
My back started cramping up and my mouth popped open as if I was about to scream even though no sound came out. I moved around to relax the muscles before finally letting out a breath of relief when I felt the cramp going away.
I sighed as I took my phone out from my pocket to check the time, not expecting to see a new notification on my screen at this time of the day.
It was from Mom.
Mom: Hi honey, we'll reach home soon so we'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?
My eyes widened as I read her text, looking at my hammered little sister and remembering her equally wasted friends in the guest room. At that moment, I knew we were fucked.
My parents were okay with us going to parties but they didn't appreciate us poisoning ourselves with alcohol while we're at it.
You know how it is, parents.
Can't blame them, though, I'd probably be the same.
I quickly texted Mom back to give her a heads up on the two girls passed out in the guest room.
Me: Lily's friends are staying over in the guest room.
Mom: Okay. Why are you still awake, though? It's 3 a.m.
Me: I took a nap when I got home from school and I just got up. I'll be doing a bit of homework before I go back to sleep.
Mom: Okay, don't stay up for too long. We'll be home soon.
Me: Alright, drive safely.
Mom: ❤️
I locked my phone screen and slipped it back into my pocket. I took one last look at my snoring lil' sister before walking out of her room to get to mine.
I cannot lie to my parents. I simply do not have the capability to lie to them. There is not a single bone in my body that enables me to lie to them. I simply don't have the skills.
So, I entered my room, took off my hoodie and joggers and took my bag off the floor to take out my homework to start doing it.
And this, ladies and gentleman, is my life as the goodie-two-shoes daughter of my parents.