𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 , drew starkey

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

𝟕 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐎...

—𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄, 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀

—𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲

"Can't believe we graduated high school!" Layla cheered, her voice rising over the chatter of the bedroom. She balanced a tray of shots, weaving through the room with a grin.

Even though a lively party was downstairs, six teenagers opted for the relative quiet of Orlando's bedroom. Ivy and Orlando sat on the balcony, passing a joint between them, their voices mixing with the distant hum of the party below.

Lance was sprawled out on the bed, looking a bit worse for wear, likely from indulging a bit too much alcohol while Lance made a playful attempt to grab a drink from Layla's tray, but she swatted his arm away with a scold.

Meanwhile, Drew and Arabella sat on the floor, engaged in a different kind of activity. Drew patiently showed Arabella how to roll a joint, their heads bent close together as they focused on the task at hand.

"I'm teaching you how to roll a joint, but you're not going to take a hit?" Drew questioned, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

"I gotta be ready in case I get a stoner boyfriend." Arabella mumbled, brows furrowed in concentration as she focused on the task in front of her.

He held the joint between his fingers, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Scared, Ara?"

"First of all, Ara? That sounds scary." Arabella replied, her eyebrows furrowing at the nickname. She glanced at the joint in Drew's hand before meeting his gaze. "Secondly, I'm just being cautious. I'd rather not mess with cancerous materials, thank you very much." She flashed him a small smile, a hint of playfulness in her tone.

Drew and Arabella's friendship had always been a bit peculiar. Despite being part of the same friend group, they never seemed to spend much time alone together, especially not since freshman year.

Arabella often thought back to their freshman year, trying to understand what had changed between them. They had been close for the first half of the year, but something shifted around homecoming, and they drifted apart.

Their interactions were always within the group setting, and they never seemed to take their friendship beyond that. However, tonight was different.

"Alright!" Orlando exclaimed as he settled down next to Arabella, joining the circle of the 6 teenagers that had formed.

As Layla distributed the shots, the room filled with laughter and the sound of clinking glasses. Drew turned to Arabella, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Seriously. Not even a shot?"

Arabella shrugged. "What can I say? I don't give into peer pressure."

Drew nodded his head proudly at Arabella before patting her shoulder and downing the tequila. "More for me," he remarked.

Arabella gave Drew a mocking smile and nodded her head. "Don't worry, I'll try to show up to the hospital when you get liver failure."

Drew furrowed his brows and pretended to dump the empty glass of tequila on her, causing Arabella to swat at him.

Just then, Lance let out a dramatic groan, leaning his head on Ivy, who just patted his back. "I don't know what I'm going to do after high school," he lamented. "I'm going to miss being a kid."

"Now we actually have to plan our lives," Orlando sighed, looking around at the group. "Well, except for you, Whitmore. I bet you already have your life planned, right? Graduate from Duke, settle down with a Roosevelt?"