"Hey, Gil, wait up!" I slammed the passenger side door shut and sprinted across the parking lot until i was even with him. He had waited for me.

You're such a slowpoke, Mattie." he laughed.

I slugged him on the arm jokingly as we walked towards the bar's front door. I would never show it, but I was really nervous. I had always been a bit of a rule follower, never really being the rebellious type. And now, here I was, walking into a bar. I wanted to go home. "Hey, Gil..." I said, but he had already gone inside. I held my breath like it would do something and pushed the door open. The smell of alcohol wafted past me and I could hear people laughing inside. The lighting was dim and the place seemed kind of homely, were it not for the raving drunkards and alcoholics spending their Christmas Eve alone and drowning their misery in beer. I felt like they were all watching me as I walked inside. I was fourteen. I didn't even look close to twenty-one. I caught up to Gil and we both slid into a booth with his friends.

"You ever had beer before, Mattie?" one asked me.

"Only my friends call me Mattie." I muttered.

"Oh come on, we're friends, right?"

"I don't even know your name..."

"Whatever. So, have you ever had beer before?"

"Um... No, I haven't..." I silently cursed myself for letting my voice waver, I didn't want to look weak in front of Gil. "Have you drunk before, Gil?" I asked, attempting to turn the attention away from myself.

"Kesese. Of course I have! I'm from Germany after all, my parents let me drink beer once a year at Oktoberfest and they have a stash at our house year round. They don't know I know about it. Ludwig knows I take stuff from it, but we have an agreement; he doesn't tell Mutti and Vati that I take their beer, I don't tell them about his BDSM collection." Everyone started laughing, including me, though I don't exactly get why. Maybe it was the happy smile Gil got whenever somebody laughed at his jokes. I liked it. I liked to think he smiled especially wide for me, but it was just my imagination again. It would always be my imagination.

"Guess I'm alone in the 'first time drinker' category then." I giggled.

"Hey!" One of Gil's friends exclaimed, "Let's have a drinking contest!"

"I don't really-" I began, but he cut me off.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" I nodded slowly and he grinned. "Epic. Hey you, sexy waitress over there!" He ordered a few bottles of Coors Light for us and got us each one shot glass. The point was to go around the table and each person takes a drink until they couldn't anymore. I went first, staring dubiously at the glass in front of me and Gil filled it.

"Go on, Mattie!" I sighed and down the glass in one big gulp. I shuddered slightly and it went down my throat, I wasn't big on the taste. I knew at that moment that I would fail miserably. And I did. All the others easily made ten without flinching, while I had to drop out at three already feel slightly woozy. Gil was going on fifteen, then twenty, twenty-three, the alcohol didn't seem to faze him at all. I felt oddly proud to be his friend at the moment for some reason. My heart fluttered at the confident look on his face, he looked so ho- stop. Just stop thinking that stuff about your friend! I pushed the feeling away and turned my attention back to the contest, Gil gave in around thirty-five or so. He laughed at some joke I'd missed. He seemed to be having fun with his friends and didn't seem to notice that I wasn't. I didn't want to ruin their time though, so I pretended to laugh along with them.

I excused myself to go to the bathroom and sat in a stall, trying to stop myself from crying. It looked like I was just a part of the background again, even to the person I cared about most. I wished I had brought Kumalina, just to hold him. I needed something to hold at the moment, just to keep it together. I left the stall and went up to the sink, splashing some water on my face to get rid of the traces of tears on my cheeks. I heard the door opened and looked up, I could see Gilbert standing behind me in the mirror. "What's up, Gil?" I asked.

"I really like you, Matthew." I felt my cheeks heat up and I turned around to face him.

"Wh-wha...?" I stuttered as he walked towards me. He was stumbling. I think he was drunk.

"Would you go out with me?"

"I-I-I don't..." I heard giggling outside the door and my heart snapped. It was a joke. They'd probably dared him to do it, and he'd probably agreed cause he'd had too much to drink. He didn't really like me. It was just a cruel prank. I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes and I shoved angrily past Gilbert and out of the bathroom. I think I hit one of the guys in the face with the door. I hope the crack I heard was his nose breaking. "You're all fucking shitheads!" I called over my shoulder as I ran out the front door into the parking-lot. I reached Gil's car and angrily fumbled around in my pocket for the keys to get inside and lock Gil out before remembering that Gil was the one who had the keys in the first place. I debated over walking home, but didn't feel it was worth the effort, so I slumped down on the asphalt next to the car. I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my forehead on them. Some Christmas Eve this was turning out to be.

I looked up at the sound of a bell going off. It rang eleven times. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. 11pm. December 24th.


So. Chapter two. I'm happy with it. Yes. Yes I am. Anyways, warning the next chapter has non-con in it... so yeah. I am supposedly required to say that or something. I don't even know. Reviews are appreciated and flamers will be tracked down and sold to the Russians. X3