After the night I never came home and Keith grounded me again, he never
gave me an ending date of my sentence. It had been more than a week since
he grounded me the first time, so I tried my luck and asked him if I could
go out after the game.
He had given Deb another chance to see her son play, so I went to the café to ask him.
"Hi, Keith."
"Luke! How was the game?"
"We won. I didn't get kicked out for fighting with Nathan. He didn't try to piss me off. It was good."
Keith laughed. "Good to hear."
"So, I was wondering...am I ungrounded yet?"
Keith looked at me sideways. I continued, "It's been two weeks since you let me go anywhere. I'm getting cabin fever, Keith. Can I go out with Brooke?"
He didn't look like he wanted me to go.
"Please." I needed to be a girl so I could give Bambi eyes and convince him to let me go.
Brooke walked in while I was begging.
"Hi, Mr. Scott," she smiled broadly.
"Hi Brooke," Keith replied.
Keith grabbed one of my shoulders, the non tattooed one and whispered, "No sex and no drugs, got it?"
"Can I have rock and roll, Keith?" I asked.
"Do you want to go?" he threatened.
"Yes, sorry. No sex, no drugs. Anything else?"
"Be home by one."
I nodded.
"If you're back at one o one, your grounded again, got it?"
"Yes, Keith. Back by one. Understood."
"Go, Luke. Have fun."
"Where to?" I asked when Brooke and I buckled our seatbelts and she started driving.
"Tim's having a party, if you're feeling up to being harassed."
"What else?"
"There's always pool at the bar."
"I'll go for that."
She dug in her purse for our IDs. "Ok, Harry, let's go."
I laughed.
Brooke and I, or rather Gretchen and I, went to the bar. "Don't let me get drunk, okay?"
I told Brooke.
"Where's the fun in that?" she asked, planting a kiss on my lips.
"I just- I'm done with beer for awhile."
"Okay, deal. No more beer. We need to broaden your horizons anyway."
"I need a shot of something, please." Brooke asked the bartender, she leaned over, showing her cleavage to the man at the bar.
"Sure, hon." He said without asking for her ID. "It's on the house."
Oh, that's why there was cleavage. Not fair, girls get ladies night, free drinks and their own cleavage.
I don't know what it was that she gave me, but it was strong. I winced. Brooke laughed. "Oh, Lucas, I love corrupting you." She kissed me, "Is that wrong?"
"Yeah, probably, let's have another one."
Drunken Lucas wasn't very good at pool. Sober Lucas was not good, making Drunken Lucas very, very not good. Sober Brooke was much, much better. Sober Brooke was getting mad at Drunken Lucas. Drunken Lucas did not want to play pool anymore.
"How many of those have you had?" Brooke asked me.
I honestly could not remember.
"You said you didn't want to get drunk," she was starting to sound mad.
"You bought them for me!"
"Whatever. We should probably go, Luke, you have to be home soon."
Back in the car, we started making out. I tried to undo to little tie in her shirt, but my hands were not cooperating with my brain or my eyes. She took her shirt off. She took mine off, too. We got to taking off pants when she said, "Do you have a condom?"
"No," I shook my head.
She zipped her pants back up.
"No, Luke, I'm not sleeping with you without a condom."
"What?!" First she gets me drunk, then she makes out with me, but she's not going to sleep with me? What?
She put her shirt back on.
"Brooke!" I caressed her shoulder.
"I said no, Luke."
"Why are you being a bitch?"
She turned sharply toward me. "I'm not getting pregnant, Lucas."
She started her car.
"So you'll be a slut with other guys, just not me?"
"I'm not going to talk to you when you're like this," she said.
"You got me like this!"
"I got you one, to loosen up. I didn't ask for the other 5."
She dropped me off at home. It was 12:55.
Keith was watching insomniac music television on VH1.
"I don't get this," he said when I walked in the door, "they know that it's almost 1 and yet they show commercials. No one can remember commercials at 1 in the morning!"
He turned and looked at me.
"You look disshelved." He considered me for a second. "Lucas! Have you been drinking?"
"You didn't tell me I couldn't drink."
"The law says you can't drink! You're 16!"
"Thanks for the reminder, Mom."
"Not funny! Can't you go out even once without getting drunk?"
All of the sudden, I didn't feel well. I ran to the bathroom and emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet.
"That," Keith said, "That is why you shouldn't drink every weekend."
"I don't drink every weekend. You didn't let me go out the last two weekends. I was making up for lost time."
I vomited again.
Keith brought me a cup of water.
"You did shots, didn't you?"
I nodded.
"Drink the water, you're going to puke a lot more. You need to stay hydrated."
I drank half the glass in one gulp.
"Luke," Keith began.
"I made it home on time, didn't I?"
"Do you want a gold star?"
"Funny." I was not amused.
"Go to bed, Lucas. You'll feel better in the morning."
"Will I really?"
"No, you'll feel like shit in the morning, but at least you won't be puking."
"Thanks for the warning."
"No problem." He went to bed.
He had given Deb another chance to see her son play, so I went to the café to ask him.
"Hi, Keith."
"Luke! How was the game?"
"We won. I didn't get kicked out for fighting with Nathan. He didn't try to piss me off. It was good."
Keith laughed. "Good to hear."
"So, I was wondering...am I ungrounded yet?"
Keith looked at me sideways. I continued, "It's been two weeks since you let me go anywhere. I'm getting cabin fever, Keith. Can I go out with Brooke?"
He didn't look like he wanted me to go.
"Please." I needed to be a girl so I could give Bambi eyes and convince him to let me go.
Brooke walked in while I was begging.
"Hi, Mr. Scott," she smiled broadly.
"Hi Brooke," Keith replied.
Keith grabbed one of my shoulders, the non tattooed one and whispered, "No sex and no drugs, got it?"
"Can I have rock and roll, Keith?" I asked.
"Do you want to go?" he threatened.
"Yes, sorry. No sex, no drugs. Anything else?"
"Be home by one."
I nodded.
"If you're back at one o one, your grounded again, got it?"
"Yes, Keith. Back by one. Understood."
"Go, Luke. Have fun."
"Where to?" I asked when Brooke and I buckled our seatbelts and she started driving.
"Tim's having a party, if you're feeling up to being harassed."
"What else?"
"There's always pool at the bar."
"I'll go for that."
She dug in her purse for our IDs. "Ok, Harry, let's go."
I laughed.
Brooke and I, or rather Gretchen and I, went to the bar. "Don't let me get drunk, okay?"
I told Brooke.
"Where's the fun in that?" she asked, planting a kiss on my lips.
"I just- I'm done with beer for awhile."
"Okay, deal. No more beer. We need to broaden your horizons anyway."
"I need a shot of something, please." Brooke asked the bartender, she leaned over, showing her cleavage to the man at the bar.
"Sure, hon." He said without asking for her ID. "It's on the house."
Oh, that's why there was cleavage. Not fair, girls get ladies night, free drinks and their own cleavage.
I don't know what it was that she gave me, but it was strong. I winced. Brooke laughed. "Oh, Lucas, I love corrupting you." She kissed me, "Is that wrong?"
"Yeah, probably, let's have another one."
Drunken Lucas wasn't very good at pool. Sober Lucas was not good, making Drunken Lucas very, very not good. Sober Brooke was much, much better. Sober Brooke was getting mad at Drunken Lucas. Drunken Lucas did not want to play pool anymore.
"How many of those have you had?" Brooke asked me.
I honestly could not remember.
"You said you didn't want to get drunk," she was starting to sound mad.
"You bought them for me!"
"Whatever. We should probably go, Luke, you have to be home soon."
Back in the car, we started making out. I tried to undo to little tie in her shirt, but my hands were not cooperating with my brain or my eyes. She took her shirt off. She took mine off, too. We got to taking off pants when she said, "Do you have a condom?"
"No," I shook my head.
She zipped her pants back up.
"No, Luke, I'm not sleeping with you without a condom."
"What?!" First she gets me drunk, then she makes out with me, but she's not going to sleep with me? What?
She put her shirt back on.
"Brooke!" I caressed her shoulder.
"I said no, Luke."
"Why are you being a bitch?"
She turned sharply toward me. "I'm not getting pregnant, Lucas."
She started her car.
"So you'll be a slut with other guys, just not me?"
"I'm not going to talk to you when you're like this," she said.
"You got me like this!"
"I got you one, to loosen up. I didn't ask for the other 5."
She dropped me off at home. It was 12:55.
Keith was watching insomniac music television on VH1.
"I don't get this," he said when I walked in the door, "they know that it's almost 1 and yet they show commercials. No one can remember commercials at 1 in the morning!"
He turned and looked at me.
"You look disshelved." He considered me for a second. "Lucas! Have you been drinking?"
"You didn't tell me I couldn't drink."
"The law says you can't drink! You're 16!"
"Thanks for the reminder, Mom."
"Not funny! Can't you go out even once without getting drunk?"
All of the sudden, I didn't feel well. I ran to the bathroom and emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet.
"That," Keith said, "That is why you shouldn't drink every weekend."
"I don't drink every weekend. You didn't let me go out the last two weekends. I was making up for lost time."
I vomited again.
Keith brought me a cup of water.
"You did shots, didn't you?"
I nodded.
"Drink the water, you're going to puke a lot more. You need to stay hydrated."
I drank half the glass in one gulp.
"Luke," Keith began.
"I made it home on time, didn't I?"
"Do you want a gold star?"
"Funny." I was not amused.
"Go to bed, Lucas. You'll feel better in the morning."
"Will I really?"
"No, you'll feel like shit in the morning, but at least you won't be puking."
"Thanks for the warning."
"No problem." He went to bed.