I spend the week at school, but try to help Everest look for places that are hiring when I have free time. We don't have any luck. The only places are fast food joints and I already know that's not something he would want to do. He already said he wants to move away from working with food.
Come Friday morning, he seems pretty down.
"Might have to stick with this for a while longer," he admits, making a pot of coffee as we stand in the kitchen.
"Sorry, man," I sympathize.
"It's fine," he drones. "I mean, it's whatever. I don't want to think about it anymore."
Everest opens the cupboard and points to the top shelf, silently asking for me to get some mugs down. Honestly, I don't know why we keep them up there because Everest and Gwen drink the most coffee and they're both too short to reach. It seems like a recipe for failure or at the very least an inconvenience. For them, not me really. I don't mind helping.
"You sure?" I ask, grabbing two cups and setting them on the counter in front of him. "I can help you a little more after classes today if you want."
"No...I don't know," Everest hums, filling them both with coffee. "I've been looking all week and I sort of just want a break. We should go out tonight or something. I feel like I could use it."
"Gwen, too?" I ask, taking my cup and sipping on it.
"If she wants," Everest shrugs.
"All right. That'll be fun."
At least I hope it will be fun. It could go either way. I get sloppy when I drink. Gwen can usually keep herself together, but she likes attention and does things other people would probably end up regretting. She doesn't regret things, though. On New Year's Eve she took off her shirt just to show everyone these heart tattoos she'd gotten around her nipples. I still don't know how Everest felt about that. I was too uncomfortable to mention it after it happened.
Everest's funny when he drinks because he doesn't change at all. Even when he's sober, he's chatty and friendly to everyone. The only difference is the flush on his face and sometimes he'll fumble over his words if he has too many.
"Well, I have to get going," I realize after glancing at the clock on the stove. "But I'll be home at six and then we can get ready and go."
"Sounds good," Everest nods. "I have the day off, so I'm going to hang around here and tidy up or something. It's getting sort of messy in here."
"Don't do it all yourself," I tell him, feeling guilty because I know I'm not that great at picking up after myself. "Leave my part and I'll do it tomorrow."
"I really don't mind," he insists. "I'll listen to music and will be done fast."
"All right…" I agree wearily. "Well, I'll see you tonight."
"Have a good day, man," Everest says with a nod.
I set my coffee mug in the sink and make my way through the house to the side door. I packed my bag up last night so I wouldn't have to worry about it this morning, so after bundling up I just grab it off the floor and head out to my car. I've suggested to Gwen about a million times that we carpool, but she always says it's too much of a pain. I think that's dumb because she doesn't have the right car for snow, and has already put several new dents in her bumper since moving here. The whole mess could be avoided if she just took an extra hour out of her week to plan rides with me.
Oh well. It's not my problem.
Friday is a full day for me. Most of my days are full, but Friday always seems to drag on the most. After parking my car in the student lot, I make my way to my first class. Then my second. Then I break for lunch and head to my third. I head back home, feeling worn out.
I'll try to have fun tonight and then get to work tomorrow. I'll have to drink responsibly and have lots of water so I don't get a gnarly hangover. That's the last thing I need during an already packed weekend.
When I get home, Everest greets me and asks how my classes were.
"Good," I say, kicking my shoes off and following him into the kitchen.
"I made pasta," he says. "I thought it'd be good for us to eat something filling before going out. We can get wings or something later on, too."
"Thank you!" I exclaim. "You're a Godsend."
He really is. Before he moved up here I was surviving on pizza and sub sandwiches. Whenever I went home, my mom would tell me I looked malnourished, probably because I was. I was tired all the time and felt awful during hockey practice. Gwen wasn't cooking back then either, so I was completely out of luck. She started around the time Everest moved in, because at one point she was actually trying to impress him instead of just picking on him, and I reaped all of the benefits.
Speaking of Gwen, I'm a little surprised that I beat her home. Fridays are usually an early day for her, but I didn't see her car in the garage when I arrived.
"Don't do it all yourself," I tell him, feeling guilty because I know I'm not that great at picking up after myself. "Leave my part and I'll do it tomorrow."
"I really don't mind," he insists. "I'll listen to music and will be done fast."
"All right…" I agree wearily. "Well, I'll see you tonight."
"Have a good day, man," Everest says with a nod.
I set my coffee mug in the sink and make my way through the house to the side door. I packed my bag up last night so I wouldn't have to worry about it this morning, so after bundling up I just grab it off the floor and head out to my car. I've suggested to Gwen about a million times that we carpool, but she always says it's too much of a pain. I think that's dumb because she doesn't have the right car for snow, and has already put several new dents in her bumper since moving here. The whole mess could be avoided if she just took an extra hour out of her week to plan rides with me.
Oh well. It's not my problem.
Friday is a full day for me. Most of my days are full, but Friday always seems to drag on the most. After parking my car in the student lot, I make my way to my first class. Then my second. Then I break for lunch and head to my third. I head back home, feeling worn out.
I'll try to have fun tonight and then get to work tomorrow. I'll have to drink responsibly and have lots of water so I don't get a gnarly hangover. That's the last thing I need during an already packed weekend.
When I get home, Everest greets me and asks how my classes were.
"Good," I say, kicking my shoes off and following him into the kitchen.
"I made pasta," he says. "I thought it'd be good for us to eat something filling before going out. We can get wings or something later on, too."
"Thank you!" I exclaim. "You're a Godsend."
He really is. Before he moved up here I was surviving on pizza and sub sandwiches. Whenever I went home, my mom would tell me I looked malnourished, probably because I was. I was tired all the time and felt awful during hockey practice. Gwen wasn't cooking back then either, so I was completely out of luck. She started around the time Everest moved in, because at one point she was actually trying to impress him instead of just picking on him, and I reaped all of the benefits.
Speaking of Gwen, I'm a little surprised that I beat her home. Fridays are usually an early day for her, but I didn't see her car in the garage when I arrived.
I won't be driving tonight. None of us will. It's safer this way. I don't mind being DD, but I know Everest and Gwen will want me to drink with them. It's different if we're at a party and there's a ton of other people around, but it will only be the three of us. To be honest, I like that a lot more than any party.
Everest sets his bowl in the sink and disappears to get ready, leaving me alone in the kitchen. I spend a minute trying to review all the assignments I have to finish before Monday, and shortly after Gwen wanders in. She dishes herself some food and snorts at me in amusement, probably because I look dumb and spaced out.
"You good?" she asks, walking past me and into the dining room without waiting for an answer.
"Just thinking about school," I call after her.
"It's Friday," she scoffs. "Compartmentalize."
I know she's right, but that's easier said than done. I'm about to graduate and I need to figure out what I'm doing. Otherwise, my mom will just insist I move home and I really don't want that. I abandon my food and follow Gwen out to the table, sitting down across from her.
"Did you have a good day?" I ask.
"Eh," she shrugs. "At least it's the end of the week."
I feel like once tonight is over, I won't be able to relax. I have a lot I need to get done and I'm not one for procrastinating. It stresses me out even more and makes me feel totally unproductive. I'll try to have a good time tonight though, and not think about all the work I have to do when it's over.
"Tonight should be fun. Don't get too trashed," Gwen adds with a little laugh. "You're good at that."
"Well, I don't really drink all that often," I justify. "My mom was strict."
"So? My parents were kinda strict, too, but I still did what I wanted."
"Okay, keyword: kind of strict," I tell her with a laugh. "I came home drunk one time and that was enough for me to never want to do it again."
"Mm," Gwen hums, sounding unconvinced. She probably thinks I'm just a square, which maybe I am, but it's out of self-preservation.
"He's not kidding," Everest appears from the hallway, finally changed out of the sweats he was wearing earlier. "I remember when that happened," he chuckles.
"See?" I look at Gwen and then back to Everest. "I don't think I've ever been in that much trouble."
"Yeah, me neither." Everest scowls. "Take it easy tonight."
"Yeah, yeah. Gwen was just saying."
Everest nods and cracks a smile. "Just drink a bunch of water."
"I'll try to remember that," I say dully.
These two like to gang up on me sometimes because they both have more experience than me. With drinking, with partying, with life in general. I'm pretty sheltered, but I'm not the only one who acts like a loser after too many drinks. It just takes them a little longer than me.
I'm a funny drunk. I never know my limits. I'll try to take it slow, but it's hard for me to know when I've had enough.
"Are you guys ready to go?" Gwen asks a moment later, giving us both an expectant look. "I'm ready if you are."
She's all done up. Her hair, her makeup, her clothes. She's wearing a shirt with animal print tucked into a tight, black skirt and fishnets.
"Sure," I confirm, "I'll get a ride for us."
I pull out my phone and call a taxi, asking for a pick-up and giving our address. The man on the line tells me to expect someone in the next fifteen minutes, which is pretty good considering it's Friday night. After hanging up, I relay the information and the three of us move to the front hallway to bundle up.
"You're so old school," Gwen pokes fun at me. "Calling a taxi. Why don't you just download Uber?"
"I like this better," I shrug.
After not too long, the driver shows up and the company calls to let me know they're here. Gwen and Everest trudge out into the snow while I hang back and lock the front door behind us. By the time I catch up, Gwen's called shotgun, and Everest and I are trapped in the back.
"Does this mean you're paying?" I joke as I slam the door behind me and buckle my seatbelt.
"You wish," she snorts.
"I can pay," Everest volunteers.
"No, it's okay," I insist. "I'll pay."
Gwen rolls her eyes. "This isn't the only taxi we'll be taking tonight. We can take turns. We don't have to plan it all out now."
"Okay, yeah, that's fair," Everest agrees.
He picks out the first stop. It's a little Irish pub downtown. Everest pays the driver, tipping him and then thanking him as we pile out. Gwen's the first one inside.
"She seems excited," I say.
"Excited to drink," Everest snorts. He doesn't say it like it's a bad thing, just like it's a fact.