Chapter 13
Just about half an hour... and a lot of hastily applied hair gel and badly applied eyeliner later, Ryan walked into the common room feeling a lot more relaxed about the situation. He was grateful for the vaguely reassuring words from Spencer...sure he was shaking again, but at least he'd stopped jumping at small noises. Spencer leapt up off the sofa nearest to the kitchen door and moved to Ryan's side.
"looks like I missed one hell of a party" he snickered. It was only then that Ryan took in his surroundings fully; there were several unidentifiable bodies passed out in corners, all with blankets over them. Gabe's stuff was packed into a corner in black boxes covered in blue cups and mismatched clothes. Ryan could still smell the sweat and alcohol. Spencer sniffed;
"I checked the guys, none of them are ours. Ray probably covered them up after shutting up the bar last thing," he grabbed Ryan's arm, "C'mon I was waiting for you to get down here, we should check the dining room next" Ryan followed obediently as Spencer dragged him through the wooden double doors into the large room. Ryan didn't look up for fear of what he might see, instead he looked at the nice safe ground.
"Why do I think you've had to search for someone after a party before?" Ryan said hesitantly as he picked up a sock from the floor and inspected it curiously.
Spencer gave a hollow laugh. "Gerard, last code red, most of us were looking for him" Spencer trailed off and Ryan thought he wanted to add more but thought better of it. Spencer shook his head. He snatched the sock out of Ryan's hand.
"That's one of Bills I think", he sniffed it. "Yep, smells like teen spirit all right" he coughed and flung it back to the floor.
"On the right trail then." Ryan laughed nervously, looking up at Spencer who was looking at the centre of the room. Ryan followed his gaze and had to grab onto Spencer's arm to stop falling over. Memories of the night before came smashing back in glorious Technicolor. Clothes piled on tables, Brendon leaning in a corner, Huge crowds, Frank bailing on him, Ray and the mysterious blue liquid.
"Ryan...dude?" Spencer was shaking his shoulder, "You okay?"
Ryan nodded and looked around the room again, the superimposed memories sliding away to reveal the large table, still pressed against the wall and the smaller table and chairs he had been seated at the previous evening still in the centre of the room. Cups were scattered everywhere and the clothing left on the floor and table could have stocked a small branch of Primark. Or Armani, knowing the financial state of most of the students. Spencer kicked his way past the mess and beckoned Ryan to follow.
"No one in here, probably not in the kitchen either...but you never know. Most people move to the common room by 11, dares get boring pretty quick."
They looked quickly around the kitchen but Spencer was right, nothing of interest. Ryan grabbed a bag of crisps from one of the cupboards that hadn't been raided and tried to eat them without throwing up. He was so used to being in control of situations, so used to knowing what to do and how to use his training. Having the better part of a day erased from his mind was playing havoc with his world view. Spencer stood against a counter and sighed.
"Okay, no one downstairs. Bob, Ray, Frank, Gerard and Mikey are still out at breakfast, You and I are here leaving Pete, Gabe, Bill, Brendon, Alex and Jack unaccounted for," He scratched the day old stubble on his chin, "Looks like we have to start knocking on doors." Ryan was less than enthusiastic, but he agreed. The sooner he got this mess sorted out the sooner he could ring Farro and proceed with the mission without worrying someone had compromised him.
They trudged back to the stairs, Spencer stopping to let a few people stagger out of U2 block. As they walked Spencer quizzed Ryan some more. By the time they reached the floor above they had five solid questions to ask anyone they could find; Why did Brendon choose to play Ryan, What happened during the game, What happened after the game, Why was Ryan's hair wet and Jesus almighty, why was he wearing one of Alex' towels?
Ryan ducked into his room to grab his phone and as an afterthought he looked for the aforementioned towel to give back, but couldn't see it, just his messily made bed... but no towel. He went out to meet Spencer who was on the phone, presumably to John judging by the conversation. Spencer laughed, said goodbye and put his phone back into his pocket.
"Wanted to know if I was going to join him for lunch, it being Saturday and all." He smiled.
Ryan shrugged and smiled back, disappointed but understanding, "If you want to go man, that's fine. I can always do some work and unpack some more-
"Spencer cut him off with a wave of his hand; "Firstly, it's only about 10am anyway and secondly I'm helping you. I already bailed on you last night and look where that got you. Honestly its fine," He smirked, "So, are you going to knock on Alex and Jack's door or am I?"As it turned out, neither of them did; moments later Jack stuck his head round the dorm door at the end of the corridor before walking sleepily towards them. He would have walked straight into Spencer and Ryan had Spencer not grabbed his shoulders and shaken him awake.
"What gives?" Jack murmured sleepily, weakly slapping at Spencer's hands. Ryan decided that if he wanted any information drastic action might have to be taken. A quick slap to the back of the head later and Jack was awake and bitching.
"Jesus Ryan, I'm getting Alex his waffles no need to attack me." He rubbed the back of his head, "Nice hit though you should go talk to Bob about- hey," He looked up sharply "What happened last night?" Ryan blushed for a bit and waved his hands about before Spencer stepped in to help.
"Ryan was so drunk he can't remember what happened. Real lightweight our boy Ryan, funny huh so how about you tell us what happened right now sound good?" All of this was delivered in a monotone and seemed to have the desired effect. Jack frowned but nodded.
"Okay, uh...the party was going fine, Anderson was passed out on one of the chairs and the girls had just go there...Ryan got dragged in, Gabe dragged him about a bit..." Spencer gestured for him to talk faster and he sighed;
"He ended up playing Brendon at S and S because of Alex's dumb plan to convert Ryan or what-the-fuck ever." He turned to Ryan, "believe me, what your dick gets up to is your business and shouldn't have anything to do with us. Anyway, Brendon acted really drunk to throw Ryan off, make it seem easier and make Ryan more complacent, get him to drink more. Then he dropped the act half way through and they started really going for it. Ryan was down to just his jeans before he passed out. Brendon did a victory lap or two and then hauled his skinny ass upstairs. They all assumed you'd last longer and we'd get a few decent rounds of spin the bottle out of you...but apparently it wasn't to be" He paused and shot a look at Ryan. "We kind of all thought Brendon had finally broken his vow of celibacy and fucked you into a mattress somewhere."
Ryan froze. That hadn't even occurred to him. His most panicked thought was that someone would have asked him about his background or past, but surely Brendon wouldn't have...that would be new low for anyone. Spencer again saved Ryan from having to talk.
"Thanks Jack, big help. Are you missing a towel by the way?" Spencer raised an eyebrow at the slim man in the Lacoste pyjamas. Ryan unfroze just in time to re-freeze. Jack didn't seem to notice.
"Nope, don't think so. We have five each and all ten were there when I went to the bathroom a minute ago." He shrugged, "Why do you ask?"
"No reason," Spencer smiled, "Go and make the beauty Queen his waffles." Jack went to hit him and thought better of it, instead he gave Ryan a nod before walking past them and padding his way down the rest of the corridor.
Spencer turned to Ryan as he left, his face the picture of confusion.
"So now we know you passed out, Brendon brought you upstairs, You somehow ended up Alex and Jack's en suite and then back in your bed – with no recollection of any of it." Ryan had to agree, this was getting weirder and weirder. Also, since when did these rooms have bathrooms? He knew there were a couple of bathrooms downstairs and a shower block out back, but even so. His shock at this fact was suppressed by his overbearing worry that Brendon had done something. If he was that drunk that he passed out and couldn't remember a thing...then there was a chance...
"Not a chance." Spencer said from beside him. "I know Brendon and he is not the type. He would ask, or at least wait until you'd given some form of indication you liked; the Brendon I know is not like that. He's a gentleman." Ryan shot a look at him. "Honest, and anyway he hates you- and the relationship Brendon was in last...didn't exactly end well." Spencer stopped and smiled sadly.
"You know a lot about people, huh?" Ryan asked, still hovering half way along the corridor.
Spencer chuckled, "I guess, yeah. Doesn't take a genius to figure most stuff out. Some travels up through other years, but yeah...I suppose I know a lot."
Ryan raised an eyebrow back at him and Spencer sighed dramatically. "Fiiine, but only because you're awesome and need cheering up." He cleared his throat, "Spencer is going out with Jon and it's going great thanks, Alex and Jack are pretty solid. Mikey and Gerard are abnormally close but Gerard is still hung up on Bert and can't see how much Frank is in love with him. Bob is the butchest guy I know and I think he might like some of the girls from St F but also Ray a little and maybe Bill. Ray adores Bob but Mikey totally likes Ray when Gerard isn't around. Of course, when Gerard isn't around Mikey likes everybody. Pete is a hooker and pretty hard to read but I reckon he's heading for a breakdown, sleeps with Bill a lot. Bill sleeps around in our year but not any others, Gabe is a manwhore but a dedicated one and I wouldn't put money on it but I reckon him and Bill might develop a thing sometime soon because they have a freaky mind meld like us." He breathed in. "As far as I can tell, everyone just wants to prove you're gay but I reckon we'll get more out of Bill or Pete on that if we can find them." With that, Spencer set off down the corridor towards the double doors at the end.
Ryan's eyebrows shot up and he stood still for a minute, before striding to catch up with Spencer.
"What about Brendon?" he asked as Spencer was about to open a door that bore the label 'Pete Wentz & Jack Barakat'. Ryan frowned some more when he saw the little brass plaque, "I thought Jack and Alex were in the same room?" Spencer nodded. "Unofficially, yep. Gabe crashes here and Jack goes over to Alex-" Spencer looked like he was about to add more but when he turned the handle and the door, instead of being locked, fell open, he stopped. Ryan peered around him and really wished he hadn't.
"What can we do you for Spence?" Gabe asked breathlessly from one of the beds as someone further down the bed, covered by the duvet, was moving. Up and down.
"Gabe, I am not holding a conversation with you whilst some poor helpless victim is sucking you off. That would be rude." Spencer stared at the ceiling pointedly. Ryan, again fuelled by a desire to understand what happened the previous evening, had no such reservations. Uncharacteristically bold, he moved round the door and sat on the empty bed next to Gabe's. The head continued to bob up and down. Gabe fluttered his eyelids and then looked at Ryan.
"Sup new kid?" He laughed, then moaned.
Ryan pulled a face. Ew. He cleared his throat before answering, his mouth suddenly thick. "How much did I drink last night and do you know what happened after Brendon dragged me off?" Short and to the point. Gabe shot him a pained look.
"I was the DJ, I wasn't even in the room, remember?" When he saw the answering look on Ryan's face he understood, "I'm guessing you don't remember." Suddenly his head flew back and he groaned, he then slapped the head of whoever was down there, through the duvet. "I'm trying to answer his question Bill. That is bad blowjob etiquette, no tongue until they're gone." The bobbing stopped. Gabe patted the duvet lump gently and then his face lit up; "Were you watching him babe? How many drinks?" He paused for a good ten seconds before looking at Ryan, "Seven vodka shots and a glass of tequila."
Spencer grimaced from the doorway, "I do not want to know how he told you that."
Gabe just laughed as Ryan made for the corridor. As he moved his sense of horror redoubled. He knew his limits, and what he'd drunk was nowhere near enough to make him black out and lose his goddamn memory, this was not good, he hunched over, staring at the floor. His next conversation with Farro was not going to be a happy one.
"Clearly didn't think to come looking for me?" A low voice from next to him made Ryan snap upright. Brendon had just left the library carrying a stack of books, his hair flopping over his eyes; he reached Ryan and cocked his head, questioning. Ryan just flapped his mouth open and shut, hoping for the thousandth time that day that the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Thankfully Spencer chose that moment to slam the door of Pete's dorm shut and step into the corridor.
"Christ Ry, you could have waited for me I think I saw enough- Oh," He paused to look at the two boys; Ryan gaping at Brendon, who was staring at him blankly from over a stack of English texts. Brendon didn't appear to register Spencer as he continued to stare at Ryan who was growing increasingly anxious. Luckily it seemed Brendon was happy to fill the now awkward silence. He rolled his large brown eyes impatiently.
"Of course Ryan, I'd be delighted to fill you in on what happened last night thank you for asking. You passed out, I brought you upstairs and took you into Alex's room, hosed you down to bring you back to semi-consciousness and then wrapped you in one of Alex towels to sleep in, which I returned to his room earlier this morning after you left and before they woke up." He paused, "And now, if you don't mind, I have several essays to be getting on with." The tall youth pushed passed Ryan who watched as he paced down the corridor, opened their dorm room with his foot and slammed the door behind him.
"Believe him?" asked Spencer, his hand on Ryan's shoulder and a frown on his face, "I mean, it is Brendon but-"
"Not for a second." Ryan replied as his brain kicked into spy mode.
I KNOW OKAY. DON'T EAT ME.
...happy christmas?...