Chapter Twenty-One:

Drinking Like A Champion

The club was packed and in full swing when Shelton arrived with Celina. She was apprehensive about going out; she didn't feel like doing much more than throwing herself a pity party, but Shelton convinced her that a few drinks and a night of fun and dancing would take her mind off the situation that had erupted between her, Mark and Michelle, even if for only a little while. Even though she didn't want to, she let Shelton win out in the end. She didn't come around on the idea until she was in the car, halfway to the club.

Her devastation and depression was heart-wrenching to Shelton. He was angry with Mark for walking out on Celina. All week, Celina had gone between bouts of extreme silence to fits of uncontrollable sobbing. Mark walking away from Celina didn't seem like something Mark would do. He wondered exactly what Michelle had threatened him with to keep him away from Celina.

He was pretty sure that Michelle McCool was faking her pregnancy. The entire situation smelled fishy to him, and he knew damn well it wasn't sitting right with Celina, either. Michelle was looking to hurt Celina because she was jealous. This was the coldest, cruelest route she could have taken for all parties involved. Shelton hoped Mark figured out the truth soon, before it was too late to salvage his long-standing friendship. He wondered how Michelle intended on faking her way through the morning sickness and through the growing belly. He was pretty sure she could get by in the moodswing department, because as far as he was concerned, the woman was insane.

Shelton looked over at Celina, who stood beside him in the doorway of the club. She was dressed in a strapless black mini-dress with a layered and pleated bottom. Her hair looked immaculate, her makeup neutral. One look at her and Shelton never would have guessed that she had spent the last week in his guest room bawling her eyes out against her pillow. She looked beautiful. He felt a surge of pride, being able to say that a beautiful woman like Celina Cooper was on his arm tonight...even if it was only just as a friend.

"This way," he said softly in her ear. With a reassuring hand on her spine, he led her through the crowd of people and towards the bar at the edge of the club. Jacob, the bartender on shift, spotted Shelton. They were old friends from high school. The two of them had both been on the amateur wrestling team.

"Shelty, hey!" he shouted over the music. "What's up, man?"

"Not too much. I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine. Celina, this is Jacob. I went to school with him. Jacob, this is Celina Cooper." She extended her hand and Jacob shook it.

"I recognize you from somewhere. You work with Shelton, right?"

"Yeah. I'm still pretty new," she answered. He nodded.

"Sure, sure I recognize you - you're that girl with the B.O.D."

"B.O.D.?"

"Brothers of Destruction," Shelton told her. She formed a silent "Ah" with her mouth and nodded. Shelton's face sank. Within fifteen minutes of arriving, Mark's name had already been brought up. He was starting to contemplate whether taking her out was a good idea. After an initial moment of doubt, he decided it was for the best that she got out of the house, where she had just stayed in a room crying and moving about like she was a zombie, like she was lost and her entire livelihood had been ripped away from her.

"What can I get you guys to drink?"

"The usual for me, Jacob..." Shelton looked over at Celina. "What do you feel like?"

"I could really use a shot of tequila. Patron." Jacob nodded and set about making their drinks. Shelton shot her a look.

"Starting off a little heavy, aren't we, Celina?"

"With the month I've had - you'd better fucking believe it." Jacob handed them their drinks. Shelton took a sip of his rum and Coke as Celina slammed back her shot of tequila. She grimaced, slamming the glass down on the wooden counter top of the bar. Celina wasn't stupid; she knew getting drunk was a short-term solution to the big problem she was facing, but after everything that had been happening with her, she thought she owed it to herself to get good and loaded. She ordered another shot. Shelton knew he had to keep himself at least half-sober so he could keep an eye on her. Tonight was about her, about letting her have her fun and getting her mind off Mark and the stress that was weighing her down both mentally and physically.

The night wore on and Shelton found out that Celina could hold a seemingly unnatural amount of alcohol, watching in astonishment as she shot back round after round of tequila. The more she drank, the more she loosened up and became more candid and open with Shelton. It had been so long since she had drank any sort of alcohol. She used to drink before she went onstage all the time; something to take the edge off when the leering men were clamoring for blood on the other side of the curtain. While she drank heavily, Shelton nursed his first drink, taking little sips to keep her pacified that he was still drinking with her, but staying sober enough to drive home and take care of her when the night was over.

"I didn't think you could put back that much tequila, Celina," he said to her, incredulous at the shot glasses that cluttered their little table at the back of the club. She laughed, her laughter cut off by a case of the hiccups.

"This is nothing. I'm a Texan, Shelton. I think it's in my blood," she slurred. She heard "One Word" by Kelly Osbourne start up in the club and she grabbed Shelton's arm. "Let's go dance! I love this song! I used to dance to it all the time!" she shouted excitedly. Shelton couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face as he got up and let her lead him onto the dance floor, into the sea of people. He was relieved she was enjoying herself; Mark and Michelle's names hadn't come up in over an hour. She was drunk enough that she felt happy and carefree. It was all he wanted. She deserved better.

Her movements were fluid. Shelton tried to keep his thoughts away from Celina's days as a dancer, but as she swayed back and forth before him in her mini-dress, his mind kept wandering.

Halfway through their fourth song on the dance floor, she burst into tears. He hugged her. "Celina, baby, what's the matter?"

"I miss Mark," she cried. Her body shook with violent sobs. Shelton hugged her tightly. "I just...I don't know..."

"Hey. Hey. It's going to be okay. I told you not to worry, Celina. The truth will come out soon. I promise. It always does."

"Shelton, I want to go home." She burrowed her head into his chest. "I feel really sick all of a sudden."

Shelton nodded, and with a gentle hand around her wrist, began to lead her off the dance floor and towards the exit. When they had made it into the parking lot, she began to cough. He stopped behind her, holding her hair back as she threw up. He rubbed her back with his free hand soothingly as she sobbed between heaves. More and more, he thought taking her out was a bad idea. He led her to the car and opened the door for her, rolling down the window and making sure she was comfortable before he closed the door. He got into the driver's seat, surprised to find she was almost asleep. He was surprised the tequila didn't hit her sooner.

"Shelton?"

He turned to her. She was sitting up straighter, shaking the cobwebs out. "Yeah, Celina?"

"I appreciate what you were trying to do tonight..." She began to cough again. She turned, opening the car door and got sick. Shelton shook his head; she was definitely going to feel the hangover in the morning. In spite of the entire situation, he found himself smiling. He wondered if she was going to remember how much she'd had to drink. He couldn't recall the last time he saw one of the guys put away that much tequila, let alone a Diva.

When she finished heaving, she closed the door and laid back in her seat, closing her eyes. Shelton started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, driving back towards the house. She was fast asleep in the passenger's seat, the cold air whipping her hair around her face. Her body moved softly with each bump in the road.

When he pulled into his driveway, he left her sleeping in the car momentarily to unlock the front door. Upon his return, he found she hadn't even opened her eyes, seemingly unaware that the car had even stopped moving. He thought about waking her up, but he realized she needed the sleep. But he was concerned that she would get sick in her sleep and choke. He took off her seat-belt and got her out of the car, carrying her over his shoulder, bumping the car door shut with his hip. Shelton carried her up the driveway and into the house, kicking the door shut behind him. He took her up into his room and lay her down on the bed, sitting at the edge to work at getting her buckled heels off her feet. He tucked her under the blankets, keeping her on her side in case she needed to get sick. He went downstairs and locked the door before venturing into the kitchen for an ice cream bucket from under the sink. Walking back up the stairs and into the bedroom, he put the bucket beside her on the nightstand. Disappearing into the adjoining bathroom, he got himself ready for bed.

He emerged minutes later, dressed in his pajama bottoms and a black muscle top, and slid under the covers on his side of the bed. He shot a glance at Celina, who hadn't moved or stirred. He felt so sorry for her. It was his intention to take care of her, since Mark was nowhere to be found.