5: Vodka
On New Year's Eve, George met Letty and Kimberley in the lobby of their hotel. Natalie said people could start arriving at the party from seven, but Ewart had been having some problems getting documents sent across to campus on the encrypted connection, and by the time George had helped him with that, got changed and got across the city to the hotel, it was already seven-thirty. However, when he got there, there was no sign of Letty or Kimberley and he had to text them to find out where they were.
"Sorry, George," Letty said as she breezed into the lobby twenty minutes later. George had been sitting on a leather sofa off to one side to wait for her, and he shoved his phone into his pocket when he saw her. She looked nice in a sparkly top and skirt with thick black tights, and George felt slightly underdressed in his jeans and leather jacket.
"What took so long?" George moaned. "I'm sure I told you seven."
"We were out shopping, getting presents to take back and new clothes and it took longer than we thought," Letty said, apologetically. "We found this amazing boutique in Shibuya and me and Kimberley couldn't resist getting some stuff. It's so different to the same old high street clothes you get in the UK."
George rolled his eyes. "I bet Jules loved all that."
Letty giggled. "He got bored after about ten seconds and went off to look at the electronics."
"Where's Kimberley?" George asked, looking at his watch.
"She was re-doing her eyeliner when I came down," Letty said. "She said she would only be a few minutes."
"Why do girls always take ages getting ready for anything?" George complained. "You've had all day."
"I told you, we were out shopping," Letty repeated, getting huffy. "It's not like you were on time, either."
"That was Ewart's fault," George protested. "Old people are rubbish with computers."
"You two are like an old married couple," Kimberley said brightly as she walked over. "Always bickering. Jemima eggs you on, too."
"Jemima's gone to Will's and says she'll meet us there," George told her as they headed for the big automatic doors at the front of the lobby. "Those two are inseparable."
Both Letty and Kimberley were dressed up for the party and George felt pretty good about himself as they walked on either side of him down the street. Kimberley had done her hair in curls and looked much more grown-up than the nerdy girl George was used to from Physics class back on campus.
"I think Jem's been waiting a long time for a boyfriend who actually cares about her," Letty said when the two girls were sitting on the half-empty subway train. George was standing in front of them, hands hooked around the overhead handholds for balance.
"Rex is such a dick and that Nick guy wasn't much better," Kimberley agreed. "She's due someone nice."
George opened his mouth to defend Rex, his best friend, but Rex's attitude to girlfriends was well-known on campus and there wasn't much he could say.
"I just don't know why girls keep getting together with Rex, they know what he's like," George said.
Letty's eyes widened. "Oh my God, I can't believe we forgot to tell you. Rex has started going out with Naomi Cooper."
George had to think for a moment. "Naomi's the one who failed Basic Training like five times, right?"
"You're thinking of Niamh Cowper," Kimberley chimed in. "And it was only three times, plus the third time she didn't fail, everyone restarted because of the electrical problems in the compound."
"Which one's Naomi, then?" George asked, confused.
"That black shirt girl who's friends with Rhonda," Letty told him. "You remember, she was going out with that guy Paul Handley for ages, like three years, before he dumped her."
"I know Paul, he's in my English class," George nodded. "I didn't realise he'd even had a girlfriend, to be honest."
Letty and Kimberley exchanged looks. "How can you be this clueless?" Letty asked him.
"Oh, wait, you mean that Naomi who's insanely good at drawing? Always does the artwork for the posters in the cafeteria?" George suddenly said.
"That's her, she did the poster for the LGBTQ group," Letty told him. "She's the one going out with Rex."
"Nice work, Rex, she's fit," George said, grinning, getting dark looks from Letty and Kimberley.
"Rex is just too good-looking for his own good," Kimberley pronounced. "One day it'll come back to bite him."
Natalie's house was an actual house, not an apartment, surrounded by trees in a posh part of the city. There was usually a locked electric gate with an intercom to get through, but someone had propped it open with a big stone and the control panel was beeping a complaint as George, Letty and Kimberley walked through.
"Her mum must be out," George commented, pointing to the empty parking spot. "Natalie claimed she had permission for this party, though."
"No parent gives their teenage daughter permission to have a house party while they're away," Letty disagreed.
George thumped on the front door, but when he tried it it was unlocked, so the three of them went straight in, assaulted by two competing speakers, one in the kitchen and one in the living room. There were already tons of people there, spilling into the hallway, and George nodded when he recognised one of two people from school.
"Natalie!" he yelled when he spotted her, a half-empty bottle of Coke in her hand as she chatted to someone.
"George!" she yelled back, pulling him into a hug. "You're late."
"Only by a bit over an hour," George shrugged.
"There's booze in the kitchen," Natalie said happily, grabbing George's wrist and pulling him in that direction. "I've raided my mum's stash and I got a whole load more from that convenience store where the woman in the wheelchair works. She's clueless."
Natalie took a swig from her Coke bottle and then grabbed a bottle of vodka, pouring a generous amount in.
"Natalie, these are my old friends from back in the UK, Kimberley and Letty," George pointed out, before grabbing a can of Japanese lager out of a six-pack.
"Nice to meet you," Natalie said, looking them over. Although Natalie's hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her roots were turning dark, George still thought she looked fit in a minidress and heels with lots of cleavage on display. Natalie stayed looking at Letty for a few seconds longer and Letty looked awkward.
"What do you want to drink?" George asked, having to raise his voice over the music.
"Just Coke for me," Kimberley said, and George grabbed her a can before looking at Letty.
"I'll have what Natalie's having," Letty smiled, and with a big laugh Natalie handed her the vodka and Coke bottle she'd been drinking from.
"Start with this, I'll get myself another," Natalie said, but Letty, after taking a few big mouthfuls of the vodka and Coke, hung around to give her a hand making another one.
"Kimberley, this is my other friend, Charlie," George introduced when they'd left the hot, noisy kitchen for the living room. Charlie gave Kimberley a little wave.
"What brings you here?" Charlie asked politely, sipping something brightly coloured, fizzy and alcoholic which George didn't recognise.
"My dad's here doing business," Kimberley said. "We're flying back to England tomorrow."
"Lucky you," Charlie sighed. "I'm stuck here until my dad's four-year secondment is over."
"Have you seen Jemima yet?" George asked, jiggling his beer can.
"Nah, I didn't think she was coming," Charlie told him.
"She told me she was coming later," George replied, but on the other side of the room someone started a shouting match and it distracted everyone.
"Anyway," Charlie said, giving George a confidential smile when things had quieted down. "One of Natalie's gangster friends is here and he's got some gear, or so I'm told. You up for it?"
George shook his head gently. "Nah, I don't go in for that stuff, just makes me throw up," he said, a little surprised to hear that there were drugs here.
"Oh come on, a little joint won't make you sick," Charlie teased. "What about you, Kimberley?"
"She's only thirteen," George pointed out.
"So?" Charlie scoffed. "Don't be such a spoilsport."
Kimberley shook her head too. "No, I don't want any either," she said. "My dad would actually murder me if he found out and I'm supposed to be on a plane for ten hours with him tomorrow."
Charlie seemed sceptical, but shrugged. "Whatever. I want some, anyway, so can you come with me, George? I don't want to look like an idiot."
George glanced at Kimberley. "Sure, I suppose that won't do any harm," he said.
The drug dealer friend of Natalie's was upstairs in a bedroom, and as soon as the door opened George got a blast of weed smoke. There were about ten people inside and the only light they had on was a table lamp, so it was practically dark.
"Who's there?" someone asked, and Charlie pulled George through the door.
"I'm looking for some gear," Charlie said confidently, and there were a few chuckles. As his eyes adjusted to the light, George could see that the crowd was mostly older Asian guys, late teens or even early twenties. The clear leader was sitting in an armchair, leaning back, his feet stretched out and a joint in his hand.
"Did Natalie send you?" he asked, speaking English with an American accent and smirking.
"Yeah," Charlie said. "I've got money."
The leader eyed George warily. "And what about you, English boy?"
"I'm just here for protection," George replied, staring right back at him.
Everyone laughed again.
"No need for protection in here," the leader said. "You're clearly not cops. Here, Jun, give her what she wants."
George hadn't expected the drug dealer to be a skinny-looking lad perched on the corner of the bed, but he pulled out a zip-lock bag of weed and began saying something to Charlie in Japanese. George struggled to keep up over the thumping music from downstairs, but Charlie handed over notes and came away with a tiny bag of marijuana.
"I always thought buying drugs would be harder," she giggled as they left the room, pulling a lighter and some papers out of her jeans. "Sure you don't want any?"
George held up his hand. "I'm good, thanks."
Charlie wasn't the only one who'd made a visit upstairs and by eleven o'clock the living room was just as much of a smoky haze as the upstairs bedroom. George mostly hung out in the kitchen with Kimberley because he didn't want to breathe it, downing can after can of beer until he was pleasantly drunk. He'd even persuaded Kimberley to try a vodka and orange juice, which she'd complained about at first but then finished anyway. She'd gone a bit giggly, which was fun at first but eventually wore on George.
"You've had the tiniest bit of vodka ever, you're fine," he said as she tripped over her foot on the way to the fridge and he had to steady her. Letty had been hanging out with them a while before and also seemed pretty buzzed, but Natalie had dragged her off to introduce her to some other friends a while ago and they hadn't reappeared. Just as George was wondering whether opening another can would be one too many, the front door opened and George caught sight of Jemima coming in, followed by Will, who looked uncomfortable.
"At last," George grinned. "What took you so long?"
"We're just fashionably late," Jemima told him. "We must have some catching up to do, right?"
George handed her an unopened bottle of rum. "Start here," he laughed. "Will, what about you?"
Will shrugged. "Beer, I guess," he said, unenthusiastically, and George passed him one of the lukewarm cans which had been sitting out all evening. Jemima ripped the top off the bottle and glugged down several mouthfuls.
"Beautiful," she said, before coughing. "Where's my gal Letty?"
"No idea," George said. "Went off with Natalie earlier."
"Let's find her. We need to catch up," Jemima said, grabbing George's wrist. "Kimberley, you come with. Will, stay here, don't let anyone steal anything."
Since she'd taken the bottle with her, George wasn't sure what Will was supposed to be protecting, but as soon as they turned the corner into the hazy living room Jemima looked at him.
"Will's been such a pain in the butt all evening," she complained. "I've been trying to come here since eight but he just wanted to study, then he was worried about his parents and what they'd say. In the end I made him come by just putting my shoes on and leaving."
"I thought you liked him?" George asked, confused.
"I do normally, but he could let his hair down one time. I want to hang out with Letty," Jemima said, shaking her head. They looked around the living room but there was no sign of Letty or Natalie, and Jemima looked confused.
"Upstairs, probably. There's an older crowd up there and a guy selling drugs so it wouldn't surprise me if Natalie's there," George told her.
The door to the bedroom upstairs was ajar now but when Jemima stuck her head in, Letty and Natalie weren't there.
"Try the other bedrooms, I suppose," George suggested. "It was pretty full downstairs earlier so I wouldn't be surprised if some people have shifted up here."
Ignoring the bathroom, where someone had left the light on and pee all over the floor, they tried the next room. It was dark and clearly empty, George knew from previous visits that it was Mrs Baker's home office. He'd been in and copied everything in the filing cabinet and cloned all her hard drives a few weeks earlier.
"Nope," Jemima said, going along the landing.
"That one's Natalie's room," George said, pointing to the door. There was a light on inside and Jemima chugged more of the rum before grabbing the door handle.
George blinked a couple of times as they went in. Natalie was lying on her back on the bed with Letty lying on top of her, snogging. Letty's sparkly top was on the floor next to the bed with Natalie's heels, and Natalie's hand was-
"I TOLD YOU!" George roared in triumph to Jemima as the two girls on the bed sprang apart. "ONE HUNDRED QUID!"
"GET OUT!" Natalie screamed at them, and Jemima and George backed out of the room, giggling.