Chapter 376 - Not Drunk

Chapter 376: Chapter 376 - Not Drunk

"Go."

Roxie grabbed Angela’s wrist and pulled her toward the door just as Angela’s mom came out from the hallway. Angela almost lost one slipper trying to get it on without stopping.

"Where are you two going?"

"Karen needs us."

Her mother frowned immediately. "What happened?"

"We’ll tell you later."

"Angela."

"Mom, please. We’ll be back."

Roxie already had the door open, and Angela followed her outside before her mother could ask anything else. Thankfully, Ethan was there. A car waited by the curb instead of his usual motorcycle, and Roxie hurried toward it while Angela looked between the vehicle and her.

"That’s Ethan?"

"Yeah."

Roxie opened the passenger door while Angela climbed into the back. "Thank God you brought a car."

Ethan looked at her. "You called me to pick up two people."

"You usually have the bike."

"What was the plan if I brought it? Angela sits on your shoulders?"

Angela laughed as she closed the door. "Hi, Ethan. Finally, nice to meet you."

Ethan glanced at her through the mirror and chuckled. "Finally?"

"I already know who you are."

Roxie groaned because she already knew where this was going. Ethan looked amused as he asked, "I wonder why."

"Please."

Angela laughed. "Roxie and Zac talked about you."

"Yeah. I figured."

Roxie pointed ahead. "Drive."

"I am driving."

"You’re enjoying this."

"A little."

Angela was still smiling when she checked her phone, but it disappeared almost immediately. Karen still hadn’t answered, and there was nothing from Mason either.

"No answer."

Roxie checked hers too. "Nothing here either."

Ethan pulled away from the curb. "Give me the address."

Roxie gave him Logan’s address, and Ethan became noticeably quieter.

"You know the house?"

"I’ve been there."

Angela leaned forward. "Really?"

"Once."

Roxie turned toward him. "When?"

"A while ago."

"You never told me."

"You never asked."

Angela looked between them. "Is it really bad?"

Ethan kept his eyes on the road. "People go there to get wasted. Some people go there for more than alcohol. Depends on who’s there and what they brought."

That made Angela sit back, and Roxie checked Karen’s chat again even though she knew there would be nothing. She had been telling herself the entire way that they would probably find Karen drunk, drag her home and yell at her tomorrow, but Ethan knowing the house and saying that made it harder to keep believing this was just Karen being stupid for one night.

They knew they were close before Ethan even turned onto the street. Cars filled both sides of the road, some halfway onto lawns, while groups of people stood outside holding cups. The bass from the house was loud enough that Roxie could already feel it through the car.

Ethan had to park farther down because there was no space left near the house. Roxie opened her door as soon as he stopped.

"Wait for Angela."

"I am."

"You’re already getting out."

"I’m standing beside the car, Ethan."

He shook his head while Angela got out, and the three of them headed toward the house together.

Someone on the porch spotted Roxie before they even reached the steps.

"Roxie!"

She recognized a guy from school raising his cup toward her.

"You came!"

Another girl beside him laughed. "This party is fucking lit."

"Have you seen Karen?"

The guy looked around.

"Karen," Roxie repeated. "Cheerleader. She was here earlier."

A girl beside him shook her head, so Roxie kept going.

The second she stepped inside, the music became worse. The living room was packed enough that people kept bumping into each other, somebody was dancing on the coffee table, and bottles covered nearly every surface Roxie could see.

The whole place smelled like alcohol, smoke and sweat. Angela grabbed the back of Roxie’s shirt so they wouldn’t get separated while Ethan stayed close behind them as Roxie pushed through the crowd.

"Roxie!"

Mason came toward her looking frustrated.

"I can’t find her."

"What do you mean you can’t find her?"

"I checked downstairs. I went upstairs too. Half the rooms are locked."

Ethan looked toward the glass door leading to the yard. "Outside?"

Mason turned toward the voice and finally noticed him. He looked Ethan up and down for a moment before looking at Roxie.

"Who’s this?"

Roxie stopped. Mason had definitely seen Ethan before, but apparently never enough for them to properly meet. She also knew Mason’s mouth, and suddenly bringing Ethan into this felt like something she probably should have considered before calling him.

Angela grinned despite everything. "It’s Ethan."

Mason looked at him again. "Ethan?"

Ethan nodded and held out a hand. "Yeah. Nice to meet you, man."

Mason shook it almost automatically, then immediately looked back at Roxie. "Ethan. The Ethan? You called Ethan?"

Roxie clicked her tongue. "Yeah. We needed a ride."

Mason stared at her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Mason."

He glanced at Ethan again. "Prescott knows?"

Roxie felt irritation rise. "Can we find Karen first?"

"I’m just asking."

"And I’m telling you Karen is missing."

Mason raised both hands. "Fine."

Ethan chuckled quietly, and Roxie turned toward him. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You too?"

"I just think it’s funny that everybody knows me."

Angela almost smiled. "Like I said, Zac talked."

"Clearly."

Roxie rubbed her forehead. "Can all of you stop talking about Zac for five minutes?"

Mason pointed toward a group near the corner. "They said Karen was with them earlier."

That ended the conversation. Roxie went straight toward the group and stopped in front of a girl holding a drink.

"Where’s Karen?"

"She was here."

"I know. Where did she go?"

"I don’t know."

A guy beside her lifted his cup. "Think she went outside."

"Where?"

He pointed vaguely toward the back. "Side of the house, maybe."

Roxie immediately turned and started moving. Mason followed, with Angela and Ethan close behind them as they pushed through the kitchen and went outside.

There were more people around the pool and patio, but Karen wasn’t there. Mason headed farther into the backyard while Roxie moved around the side of the house, searching every group she passed until she finally saw someone sitting against the wall.

"Karen?"

Karen slowly lifted her head.

Roxie stopped.

Karen was sitting on the ground with one knee pulled up, her hair messy around her face and one strap of her top hanging off her shoulder. Her makeup had smudged around her eyes, and a plastic cup sat beside her in the grass. She already looked bad, but the people sitting around her bothered Roxie almost as much.

There were four of them, older seniors Roxie mostly recognized because people talked about them. One had been suspended more than once. Another girl had dropped out but somehow still appeared at every party where something went wrong. One guy leaned against the fence smoking while another sat beside Karen with a bottle between his shoes.

Roxie had never seen Karen with any of them before.

They looked at Roxie, Angela, Mason and Ethan like they were the problem.

Karen smiled when she recognized her. "Roxie. What are you doing here?"

Roxie stared at her. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Karen laughed. "Having fun."

The girl beside her stood and looked down at Karen. "Text us next time."

The guy by the fence lifted two fingers. "Yeah. Anytime."

Roxie looked between them because that sounded like Karen had been around them before, but they were already leaving. One of the girls gave Roxie an irritated look as she passed, like Roxie had shown up to drag a kid home before curfew.

Karen pushed her hands against the ground and tried to stand, but she swayed before she even got all the way up. Mason reached her first and grabbed her arm. Karen stared at his face for a few seconds like it took her a moment to recognize him, then raised one hand and touched his cheek.

"Mason?"

His expression changed immediately. "Yeah. Come on. We’re leaving."

Karen shoved him away. "Stop touching me."

"You can’t even stand."

"I can stand."

She tried again, moved sideways and nearly hit the wall before Mason caught her around the waist.

"Karen, stop."

"Get off me."

"You almost smashed your face into the house."

Angela came closer. "Karen, you told us you were home."

Karen looked at her. "Why are you here?"

"Because you weren’t answering."

"So?"

Angela stared at her, but Roxie barely heard them anymore because she couldn’t stop watching Karen.

They had been to enough parties together for Roxie to know exactly how Karen handled alcohol. Roxie barely drank, Angela was usually the one who got drunk first, and Karen always joked that people in her family were difficult to get drunk. Karen could drink more than either of them and still walk straight, talk normally and remember everything the next morning.

This wasn’t Karen drunk.

Her eyes kept losing focus, her movements were slow until they suddenly weren’t, and whenever Roxie spoke to her there seemed to be a delay before Karen understood what had been said. Roxie felt her heart start pounding as that familiar dreadful feeling settled into her chest.

"How much did you drink?"

Karen shrugged. "Enough."

"How much?"

"I don’t know."

Mason picked up the cup from the ground, and Karen immediately reached for it.

"Give me that."

"No."

"Mason."

"No."

"Stop acting like my fucking boyfriend."

His face changed at that, but he kept the cup away from her.

Roxie turned toward the two people who had stayed behind. "You were with her?"

The guy shrugged. "For a while."

"What was she drinking?"

"No clue."

The girl beside him looked away, and Roxie caught it immediately.

"What?"

The girl shook her head.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

Roxie felt her patience disappear. "Why does everybody keep saying nothing?"

Karen groaned. "Roxie, stop. You’re embarrassing me."