As Sam sits near Artie for a second during his performance of "Red Solo Cup" he thinks he smells actual alcohol. He wants to say something right then and there, but he doesn't want to make a scene. Instead, he waits until everyone else leaves. He figures that he can get ahold of Artie later, but Sam notices that Artie is having problems getting out the doorframe. He keeps running into the doorframe.
"Artie, are you okay man?" Sam asks as he comes up behind him.
"Of course, yo! I'm always okay. Never any problems here," Artie says.
Sam notices that there's a definite slur in Artie's voice. When Artie turns to face him, his eyes are kind of glassy.
"Artie, come over here," Sam says, walking to where the seats are.
He nods to himself and rolls over Sam. They end up a little too close because Artie doesn't put the brakes on until it's a little late.
"What's up white boy?" Artie says.
Sam can definitely smell alcohol on his breath.
"I'm kind of worried about you Artie. Are you drunk?" Sam asks.
"Of course I'm drunk, Sam. I pretty much always come to school drunk," Artie says. "You don't have to worry about me though. I'm okay."
"Why are you drinking so much?" Sam asks.
Artie shakes his head.
"I don't like to talk about it. I just like feeling better. This feels better," Artie says.
"Artie you can't keep doing this. Running away from your problems doesn't work. You need help," Sam says.
"I don't want to. This is easy," Artie says.
He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a thermos. Sam recognizes it. Last time he saw it, they all drank Bloody Marys before throwing up in front of the whole school. Artie takes a sip of whatever he's got stored in there this time.
"See? Easy!" Artie says.
Sam snatches the thermos away from Artie and sets it to the side. The drunk boy lunges forward, and Sam catches him. Artie starts to slip, so Sam pulls him into his lap. Strangely, Sam finds it rather comfortable to have Artie so close. He just wishes the circumstances were better.
"Do you really want to be like this forever?" Sam asks.
Artie shakes his head and curls into Sam's chest. The blonde awkwardly holds him.
"No," Artie says quietly. "But what else can I do? No one cares about me. My parents ignore me, my girlfriends both cheated on me, and all my friends have better things to do than hang out with me. People don't care and it hurts so much, but the alcohol makes it all okay."
Sam realizes he's stroking Artie's hair.
"You're wrong, Artie. I'm back. So someone definitely cares. I care about you a lot. You were my best friend when I left and the person I was most excited to see when I found out I was coming back. I'm scared though. So much alcohol can't be good for you. Maybe we can find a local AA meeting or something. Get you sober and feeling better. If you don't want to go alone I'll take you. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you," Sam says.
He realizes that Artie is sniffing and wiping his eyes.
"Are you okay?" Sam says in alarm.
Artie nods.
"Now I really am okay," he says. "Wait-"
Artie leans over to throw up a little bit. Sam scoots his legs over to the side so he doesn't get thrown up on. When he's done, Artie leans back into Sam.
"Now I feel better. Somebody cares. That's really all I wanted. When no one did, the alcohol made it hurt less. I figured there were worse things I could turn to," Artie says.
Sam shudders as he thinks about what other things Artie may have contemplated.
"But Sam?"
"Yes Artie?"
"Can we stay here for a little while? I don't want to go to class right now"
Sam thinks about how it's his first day back and how he's supposed to be sitting in English class right now. He realizes that even if it was the end of the day and he could be rushing home right now, he would say yes to Artie's request.
"We can stay here for as long as you want." Sam says.
"Thank you Sammy," Artie mummers, slowly falling asleeps.
When Sam looks down at the boy in his arms, he notices how peaceful and calm Artie looks. He brushes Artie's bangs to the side before he realizes how natural it feels to be touching his face. Sam spends the rest of the afternoon pondering why holding Artie in his arms feels so damn right.