"You want a drink?" Mike asked them.
"No, I'm fine." Justin said, knowing that the drink was probably beer.
Taylor was silently fuming at Justin's childlike attitude, "I'll have one." She answered. Justin glanced at her, surprised that she'd say yes, but knowing she was mad at him. Mike also seemed surprised, but he grinned.
"Alright." He went off to go get her drink. A couple of girls went up to Taylor, all greeting her and they talked for several minutes.
"Girls, this is Justin." She told them. All of them obviously knew who he was, and flashed smiles at him. He smiled back at all of them.
"Justin, this is Joan, Paula, and Lisa." Taylor said, feeling disgusted with the way they gazed adoringly at him.
"Hey." He greeted them. Taylor felt ill, and was extremely glad when Mike returned with a cup of beer. She chugged it down.
"Woah! Go Taylor!" Mike cheered, watching her uncharacteristically guzzle her beer. It tasted bitter and she tried not to concentrate on the taste. Justin now had a worried expression on his face.
"Should you be drinking that fast, Tay?" He asked, concerned. She glared at him.
"I can do whatever I want, Timberlake," She shot back, "Let's go get another drink, Mike." She said shortly, leaving Justin with her friends as she left. She never was an alcohol drinker, but right now it seemed the only thing that could distract her.
"Man, those chicks were hot," Joey said as he and Chris entered Mikayla's home. It was quiet, except for the gentle sounds of the television in the living room.
"Yeah," Chris agreed. They went into the living room, both surprised to find JC and Mikayla lying full length on the couch together, completely wrapped in Mikayla's blanket.
"Woah!" Joey said, surprised. Chris elbowed him.
"Be quiet," He hissed. "Man, that's weird."
"Yeah, one minute she doesn’t want to talk to him, the next he's beating up her boyfriend. And now they're sleeping on together." Joey said. Chris laughed.
"I guess. Let's leave 'em alone, eh?" He picked up the remote and turned the television off.
"Do you know Taylor really well?" Lisa, or Joan, asked. Justin wasn't sure which. They were dancing in the crowded living room. Justin hadn't really wanted to, but Taylor had just left him there by himself. Lance had come to the party a couple of moments after them, because his cell phone had rung.
"Yeah." He answered distractedly. He scanned the room and the hallway for any sign of her, but couldn't see her.
"Oh." Lisa, or Joan, smiled flirtatiously at him. He smiled weakly at her, his mind full of thoughts about Taylor. Finally, he saw her sitting on the stairs, looking pale and sick.
"Um, can you excuse me?" He asked Lisa/Joan then, without waiting for an answer, he darted off towards Taylor. She looked sick, and was clutching her stomach.
"You alright, Taylor?" He asked, the worry he felt was obvious in his voice. He knelt in front of her, studying her face.
"No." She admitted, clutching her stomach tighter. She felt nauseated, plus the booming of the music on the walls was giving her an incredibly large headache.
"You want me to take you home?" He asked.
"She's fine!" Mike said, coming up next to Justin, before Taylor could reply.
"She doesn’t look fine," Justin snapped at him, his patience very thin.
"She's just a little - overwhelmed," Mike insisted.
"No. I'm taking her home right now," Justin insisted, trying to help Taylor up. She tried to stand up, but her legs felt wobbly and unsteady. He gently hoisted her up into his arms, and she closed her eyes. "Lance!" He called out to Lance, who was sitting on a chair talking to a girl. When Lance saw Justin holding Taylor, he excused himself and they left the party.
JC woke up with a start in the middle of the night, forgetting where he was. When he realized her was in Mikayla's home, his body relaxed. But then he realized that he was holding Mikayla and the two of them were lying together on the couch, the blanket covering them. She lay partially on top of him, and JC concluded that they must have switched positions while they were sleeping.
He couldn't help but admire her as she slept. She was absolutely beautiful, the dim moonlight that streamed into the window highlighted her delicate facial features and made JC catch his breath. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her head on his chest. He could hear and feel her steady breathing, and felt her fist grabbing part of the sleeve of his shirt. It seemed so right for them to be like this, he realized. Not wanting to wake her up, he tightened his arms on her, and she automatically snuggled closer. He fell back into a blissful sleep, a smile on his face.
"How could she have gotten so drunk?" Justin raved inside of the car as he drove back to Mikayla's home. Taylor was stretched out in the back of the SUV, asleep, while Lance sat in front next to Justin. "What if someone had tried to take advantage of her! Some friend that Mike is, he couldn't even recognize that his best friend's sick!"
"Justin, shut up." Lance said firmly, ending Justin's raving. "Do you realize how you're acting? Like a very worried boyfriend."
"I am not!" Justin denied, "She's my friend!" Lance only shrugged, and Justin knew he didn't believe him. He tightened his lips and continued driving.