~Five Years Ago~
"Pregaming is for losers," Xavier complained.
"That's your concern?" Kori questioned before turning to the rest of the group, "It's not safe. We graduated high school, like, three years ago. Have you already forgotten the 'drinking and driving thing'?"
"Are you upset because you can't drink yet, Kori?" Nova teased, "It's fine. Besides, you're our designated."
"I can't be everyone's designated, Nova," Kori argued, "Everyone can't fit in my car. And some of you like to get grabby when you're drunk."
Xavier huffed quietly. "Are you throwing shade?" he inquired.
"Depends," Kori shrugged, "Did you catch it?"
Xavier glared at her playfully.
"I don't know, Kori," Nova sighed, "I feel like I'm an even better driver after a few drinks."
Kori's look of disbelief was immediate. "We literally watched a video in Driver's Ed disproving that anyone is a better driver when they're drunk," she sighed tiredly, "Jesus Christ, we're gonna die tonight. Or get arrested."
"Could you at least try to sound more concerned about dying?" Xavier laughed, "We're rich, Kori, no one's gonna give us a ticket."
"So, what, are you gonna pay God to not let us die?" Kori deadpanned, "Although I'm not entirely convinced we're going to heaven anymore."
"Relájate princesa," Xavier purred sweetly, "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."
"Aw," Anthem swooned.
"Don't be fooled," Kori dismissed, "He's drunk."
"It's cute, anyway," Anthem shrugged, "Cashmere'd probably pop a blood vessel."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Kori's phone rang.
Cashmere.
Everyone took the noise as a cue to disperse.
Kori sighed heavily before accepting the call. "Yellow?" she answered.
"Pregaming?" Cashmere questioned immediately, "Really?"
"How did-?" Kori started.
"I saw Cole's story," Cashmere interjected, "Pregaming at a bar, Kori? Really?"
Kori sent out a glare to the area, positive that Cole would feel it whether he was looking at her or not. "It wasn't exactly my idea, Cashmere," she deadpanned, "I was outvoted. I'm just here making sure nothing happens to everyone else. Besides, it's a nice bar. Well lit. I can keep an eye on everyone all at once."
"You shouldn't have to," Cashmere argued, "Xavier's the oldest one there. Where is he?"
Kori opened her mouth to respond when she caught sight of Xavier.
He was being accosted by a herd of women.
"Ah, well… he's just being the best Xavier that he can be," Kori replied sheepishly.
Cashmere sighed heavily on his end of the phone. "How many?" he asked knowingly.
"Oh, a whole pack," Kori laughed, "12 by my count."
Cashmere didn't find it very funny, though. "God, he's so irresponsible," he muttered, "I knew I should've gone."
"You had a summit," Kori reminded, "It's alright, Cash. I can handle this without Xavier's help. Wasn't expecting much of it, to begin with."
Suddenly, Xavier could be spied backing away from his entourage. He made his way over to Kori with little trouble which was odd considering how drunk she knew he had to have been. "Que pasa, princesa," he greeted with a grin.
"Boy, your ears must be burning," Kori snorted.
"Why?" Xavier wondered, "Were you talking about little old me?"
"Is that him?" Cashmere questioned, "Put him on the phone."
"Cashmere-," Kori began.
"Put him… on the phone, little sister," Cashmere gritted out.
Kori sighed quietly, shaking her head as she held out the phone for Xavier to take.
Completely unaware of the danger he was in, Xavier took the phone without complaint and put it to his ear. "Hello?" he sang.
Kori couldn't hear exactly what Cashmere was saying but it became apparent that it wasn't too nice.
Xavier's smile gradually fell until he was almost frowning. "Fine," he said eventually. A pause. "Yeah I got it." Another pause. "No sé lo que quieres que diga, te dije que lo tengo," he snapped, "He terminado, ¿de acuerdo?"
He handed the phone back to Kori and went to one of the nearby tables, roughly pulling a chair out from under it and sitting down.
Kori winced before putting the phone back to her ear. "Cashmere-," she tried.
"I have a lot of work to do, Kor," Cashmere interjected, "Gotta lock in. I love you and I'll call a little later to make sure you're doing alright."
Kori wanted to press the issue but she knew his conversation with Xavier had not been a fun one and he needed his space. "Alright," she conceded, "Love you. Be safe."
"Love you back," Cashmere replied quickly, hanging up.
Kori brought the phone back down from her ear, staring at it for a moment.
This was not what she'd had in mind when her friends invited her out tonight.
She shook her head to herself, putting her phone back in her pocket and sitting down with Xavier. "... Wanna talk about it?" she inquired.
"Nope," Xavier stated with finality, "I want another drink. Or two. But that would be frowned upon."
He worked to keep the upset expression off of his face.
Kori noticed this and leaned in close to catch his attention. "I won't tell if you don't," she grinned.
Xavier smiled back brightly but ultimately shook his head. "Your brother was right," he sighed, "I'm 24, I have to start being more responsible."
"You are getting pretty old," Kori hummed.
Xavier rolled his eyes in amusement.
The two of them sat in companionable silence for a long moment.
"Cashmere's only stressed because he's had to take up the parental mantle with mom and dad being gone," Kori explained, "He's not really-"
"Play pool with me," Xavier requested suddenly, "Forcing myself to focus on something will help me sober up faster."
Kori had a hurt look in her eyes but quickly brushed it off.
Xavier had already picked up on it, though. "Talking about it right now isn't gonna do me any good, Kori," he sighed, "We'll be alright tomorrow."
Kori nodded and offered him a small smile before taking her phone out of her pocket.
Xavier looked at her confusedly. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"... You said you wanted to play pool, right?" Kori inquired hesitantly.
"Yeah…" Xavier confirmed, "So, why aren't you moving your ass?"
Kori scowled at him before she realized… "Oh, you mean…" she trailed off, gesturing to the pool table a few feet away, "Oh, no, no, no, sweetheart, I don't play regular pool. I thought you meant iMessage games."
Xavier scoffed at that and grabbed her hand, getting up and dragging her over to the pool table that was ducked off toward the back of the establishment.
"Can't we play pinball?" Kori complained.
Xavier only glared at her, forcefully handing her a pool cue.
"Xavier, I don't even know how to play," Kori pointed out.
"Well, that's alright, sweetheart, because I'm gonna teach you," Xavier grinned happily.
"Ugh," Kori groaned, "I just want to be miserable and look after my drunk friends in peace."
Xavier simply waved her off. "Oh, come on, you big baby," he sighed, "It's easy. Just take the pool cue, unrack the balls, and break 'em."
Kori stared at him confusedly. "Break the balls?" she questioned, "What, like a piñata?"
"Jesucristo mi mejor chica perdió sus canicas," Xavier muttered, snickering, "No, sweetheart, we don't literally break them. Think they charge a fine for that." He paused as another bout of laughter overtook him. "No, love, do you see the cue ball?"
"There are 20 balls on this table," Kori deadpanned, "You're gonna have to be a little more speci-"
"Okay, first," Xavier interjected, "There are fifteen balls." A pause. "On this table."
"Oh, grow up," Kori groaned.
Xavier laughed loudly. "Alright," he cackled, "Alright, whew." He had to pause again to catch his breath. "Secondly, the cue ball is the white one. You hit it into the triangle of balls as the first move of the game. Pay attention to which, if any, balls land in the pockets."
"Uh huh, and why does that matter?" Kori asked, "Am I supposed to add the numbers up or something?"
Xavier's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "...No way," he whispered.
Kori stared at him blankly for a long moment before bursting out into a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry," she snickered, "You're just so gullible. I play iMessage pool, Xavier, I never said I don't play pool at all. I know the basic rules."
Xavier glared at her. "Don't scare me like that," he grumbled.
Kori pursed her lips to try to stifle her laughter.
It didn't work too well.
"Just hit the ball, Kori," Xavier muttered.
Kori let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine, fine," she conceded, "Just don't expect any award winning shots out of me."
She thought about the few games of pool she'd seen over the years, trying as hard as she was willing to to mimic the most common hand placement she could remember and lining up her shot. Before she could overthink it, she drew the pool cue back and shot it forward, striking the cue ball, and sending it barreling into the triangle of pool balls. She winced slightly as the pool cue hit her hand, but quickly covered it with a sheepish grin.
Xavier just stared at her.
Kori ignored him, keeping her focus on the table. "I got stripes," she announced, "Your go."
Xavier narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before returning his attention to the pool table. He leaned over the table, placing his hand down, just a few inches in front of the cue ball. He balanced the cue ball between his fingers and took the shot effortlessly. Two solids sank into two separate pockets.
"You cheated," Kori accused.
"How?" Xavier laughed, "You were watching me the whole time."
"I don't know," Kori grumbled, "But, you're drunk. There's no way-"
"Drinking may not make you a better driver," Xavier interjected, "But it sure as hell makes me a better pool player."
Kori rolled her eyes but leaned over the table to line up her shot. 'Whatever', she thought, 'I knew I was gonna lose, anyway.'
She let her shoulders sink as she pulled her arm back for the shot and jerked forward in a semi-smooth motion, hitting the cue ball. She actually bit her tongue, this time, as the pool cue hit her finger, grunting quietly.
If Xavier noticed, he said nothing.
The game went on that way for a while.
Xavier's smooth and sure motions, seemingly enhanced by Kori's choppy, pain inflicting ones. Finally, when Kori was about to lean over to line up her shot Xavier stopped her.
"Alright, cut it out before you amputate your finger," he sighed, putting his own pool cue down and walking over to her.
"I'm doing good," Kori dismissed, "What are you talking about?"
"The bruises on your hand say otherwise," Xavier snorted.
Kori sheepishly put her hand behind her back.
Xavier gave her an unimpressed look.
"Fine, then," Kori huffed, "What am I doing wrong?"
Xavier chuckled at the display of attitude. "I'm not scolding you, princesa," he assured her, "I just don't want you to hurt yourself."
"Sounds like you're bragging to me," Kori muttered, "But, whatever. Help me, then."
Xavier shook his head fondly. "Alright," he began, putting his hands on her hips, "First off, your stance is all wrong."
"I thought stance is subjective to-," Kori started.
"Ah, shh," Xavier interrupted, putting his foot between her legs and kicking at her ankles so they would spread.
Kori yelped as she nearly fell into a split.
"God," Xavier grunted in surprise, catching her by her waist, "What the hell kind of grip is at the bottom of your shoes?"
Kori rolled her eyes and huffed, not bothering to turn around and look at him as she used the edges of the pool table to haul herself up.
Her backside bumped against Xavier's lower stomach as she did so, causing his eyes to widen fractionally.
He cleared his throat and shook his head swiftly.
"Well, what else is wrong with me, Xavier?" Kori questioned impatiently.
"Absolutamente nada, preciosa," Xavier murmured in his mother tongue.
"What?" Kori inquired.
"Nothing," Xavier lied, "Just bend over." A pause. "Fuck. That's not what I-"
"Isn't being drunk supposed to loosen you up?" Kori laughed, "Because it looks like it's making you more of a tight ass." She shook her head and bent with Xavier still at her back. "Now, what?"
Xavier gulped quietly.
He could always instruct from the sidelines.
But what was Xavier Redd if not a glutton for punishment?
'Oh, what the hell?', he shrugged.
He stretched his body over Kori's, his height allowing him to reach over her and take her hands in his.
"Now," he murmured next to her ear, "We fix your hand placement."
If Kori's little shiver boosted his mood, it was no one else's business but his.
He grinned a primal grin as his hands completely covered hers, guiding them exactly where he wanted them. He used both of her hands to settle the tip of the pool cue under her hand and between her fingers comfortably. Once its position was to his liking, he took one of her hands and guided it down the body of the pool cue until it was at level with her hip.
"Beautiful," he whispered, delighting in the barely contained shiver that followed, "Now, draw your elbow back."
Kori did as she was told, swiftly drawing her elbow back, bringing the cue along with it.
Unfortunately, she rose slightly with the motion.
Xavier grunted as her back hit his torso, hands shooting to her hips to steady her. "Gently, preciosa," he commanded softly.
"Right," Kori mumbled sheepishly, "Sorry."
She rolled her shoulders before leaning over again, her backside pushing firmly against Xavier once more.
'God, give me strength', he prayed quietly.
Kori, unaware of Xavier's inner plight, focused on perfecting her finger placement on the pool table.
"That's good," Xavier praised, gently guiding the pool cue so that it was once again centered between her fingers like it was supposed to be. He was silent for a moment, surveying her. "How do you feel?"
"Like you take this shit too seriously," Kori laughed, not missing a beat.
Xavier knocked his knee against the back of hers chidingly.
"Stop!" Kori shrieked, "You're gonna mess me up. It feels fine. Would feel even better if I didn't have you trying to meld your body into mine."
"Checking your follow through," Xavier lied dismissively, "Come on, take your shot."
Kori grumbled quietly but otherwise said nothing, inhaling deeply for a quick moment.
Then, in a fluid motion, she drew her elbow back, gently as Xavier had told her, and struck.
Clink. Thud. Thud… thud.
Three balls slid into two corner pockets and one side pocket.
A proud grin slid onto Xavier's face.
"What the fuck…" Kori mumbled quietly. A pause. A sharp exhale. "What the fuck?" she said again, louder.
The breathless statement transformed into uproarious laughter.
"Xavier!" Kori exclaimed, shooting up from the table and turning to face him, "I-..."
She trailed off, suddenly faced with their close proximity.
Xavier hadn't moved an inch from his spot behind her, his hands still on her hips.
Kori swallowed shallowly, opening her mouth to speak.
But no sound came out.
Xavier's eyes were immediately drawn to the movement, almost entranced by the sight of her mouth.
Kori's mind scrambled for an escape.
This could not happen.
"Xavier, it's your tu-"
The words died on her tongue as Xavier surged forward, his mouth covering hers.
Kori's eyes fell shut almost immediately as she reached up, arms clumsily falling around his neck.
Xavier drew her impossibly closer to him, hand slipping around her waist and into the back pocket of her shorts. His other hand slipped behind her to the junction where her thigh and ass met, grasping firmly and hiking her up onto the pool table so he could step between her legs. He brought his hands up to cup her jaw as his tongue slowly plundered her mouth.
Kori's fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as they played with the hair at the nape of Xavier's neck. One of her hands slipped down his side, working its way under his shirt when suddenly…
"Call from Cashmere."
Kori jerked away, her phone announcement like a bucket of ice cold water snatching her back into reality. "Fuck!" she cursed.
Xavier only had a dazed look on his face, seeming even more drunk than when he'd actually been drinking, if that was possible.
"Um… you have g-gloss on your-," Kori stammered, "Cashmere's call-... fuck, I'll be back."
She slid off of the pool table, which proved hard to do with Xavier still in between her legs, and jogged off to a safe enough distance where she could take her call.
"Hello," she answered breathlessly.
"... Is everything alright?" Cashmere asked hesitantly, "You sound… winded."
Kori's eyes went wide. "Uh… yeah, I just, um… I went to my car," she lied, "And there was this… this really big rat. So, I ran."
"...Okay," Cashmere said unsurely, "Well, it's late, so you shouldn't be going outside alone, anyway."
"I'll remember that next time," Kori promised awkwardly.
"...Right," Cashmere mumbled, "So. How's everyone doing?"
Kori blanched at that, peeking around the corner to try to spot the people she'd forgotten she was in charge of. "They're alright," she answered through gritted teeth, "Enjoying the arcade like a bunch of big little kids."
Cashmere laughed at that. "That's good," he hummed, "That's good…" A pause. "How's Xavier?"
Kori swallowed thickly.
A question she actually knew the answer to and she still couldn't answer truthfully.
"He's alright," she assured him, "Honestly, it's like nothing ever happened. He's playing solo pool, trying to sober up."
"Oh, alright…" Cashmere mumbled awkwardly, "Well, I'll probably call again in two hours or so. Closer to when you guys should be heading to Pandemonium."
"Of course," Kori agreed quickly, "Goodbye, big brother."
She hung up before Cashmere could even finish his response, heaving a sigh of relief. She slumped against the wall for a quick moment, thanking God, before standing tall and rounding the corner back to the pool table.
She stopped in her tracks when her eyes landed on a sight that punched the air out of her chest.
And not in a good way.
Xavier was sitting in the spot they'd just been in, together… kissing another woman.
"What the fuck…"
A once celebratory phrase turned sour.
Kori robotically turned back around, wandering aimlessly until she found the bar. She sat down stiffly, the bartender appearing in front of her within seconds.
"Another cranberry juice, love?" he asked.
"Not quite," Kori replied dryly, "I want a Zombie and a Jungle Juice."
"Going straight for the hard stuff, huh?" the bartender mused, "Are you even old enough to-"
He was interrupted by Kori haphazardly tossing a wad of cash onto the bar.
"Make it snappy," she drawled.
The man eyed her suspiciously before disappearing into the back room behind the bar. He came back, moments later with two drinks. "Want a white line with that?" he deadpanned.
Kori glared at him, picking up one of the glasses and downing it in several gulps, no pauses in between. She regretted it immediately, puffing her cheeks up as she considered just throwing the concoction back up.
"Zombies aren't really ordered for the spectacular taste, doll," the bartender informed.
He eyed her for a moment before turning to walk away.
"You're not gonna take the money?" Kori forced out through her coughing fit.
The bartender gave her a knowing smile. "You cough up that much money to get your hands on this shit?" he began, "You're working through hell and nobody should stand in the way of you coping with it."
Kori hummed in response, tongue clicking as she struggled to get accustomed to the foreign taste in her mouth.
The bartender was silent for a moment, considering, before he spoke again. "You were fine 15 minutes ago," he stated, "What happened? Find out somebody died?"
"Oh, there's still time," Kori snorted quietly, taking a sip of the drink she had left and wincing. She stood from her seat at the bar. "You're not taking my bribe but at least take 100. I'm taking this glass with me and I'm gonna need you to call an uber for the people I came with whenever they get…"
"Too much?" the bartender inquired, "I got Lyft on speed dial. But I'm not sure you should leave on your own."
"It's either I leave now, free and intoxicated, or I leave later in handcuffs," Kori shrugged, dropping 200 dollars on the bar instead of the 100 she'd originally offered.
She put the rest of the money in her bag and walked off.
Seconds later, she returned to the bar, grabbing the glass she'd forgotten with a sheepish smile on her face. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she dismissed, waving him off haphazardly as she… crashed, for lack of a better word, through the door.
She brought the drink to her lips once more, taking a long sip, before continuing her walk to her car. She paused for a moment, staring at the keys hooked to her hip, then looking at her car, then looking at how it seemed like the ground was… tilting?
"Nope," she decided, turning around and heading down the sidewalk.
She stumbled as she went, making a silent agreement with herself to only drink when she hit and turned a corner.
Now, how much she drunk when she hit each corner?
Well, nobody said anything about that.
And when the images of Xavier came back?
Well, she just drank a little more
She tripped over her own feet every now and then as she traveled the surprisingly empty streets. By the time she hit her sixth corner, she was all out of Jungle Juice.
"Goddamn it!" she groaned irritatedly, throwing the glass down on the sidewalk.
She winced as the glass exploded and hit her ankles but ignored the sensation and kept walking.
Just when she thought the night couldn't get any worse, she spotted a group of three men further up the sidewalk. "Son of a bitch," she muttered.
She took a deep breath, willing herself to keep walking but, of course, one of them had to say something.
"Hey, gorgeous, what are you doing out here all alone?"
"Minding my business," Kori retorted, never pausing in her strides.
"Now, that's not nice," the man pouted mockingly, stepping in her path, "I just asked an innocent question."
"And I gave you an innocent answer," Kori drawled, "Now, fuck off."
She moved to step around the man but he, once again, put himself in her path.
"Why don't you come with us?" one of the man's friends offered sweetly, "It's not safe for a lady to be out here on her own, no matter how nasty her attitude is."
"If you think my attitude is nasty, you should see my right hook," Kori sneered, "Now, get lost before your consciousness does."
She was about to attempt to cross the street when a motorcycle pulled over to the sidewalk.
The person took their helmet off to reveal…