I held the bottle cautiously in my hand, fingers wrapped around it's glass neck delicately. Lui and Marcel did the same as me, eyeing it up and down while turning to Craig.

He was already half-way done with his bottle, wiping at his mouth with his free hand as he lowered the drink. He smiled at us absentmindedly.

"C'mon!" He slurred, waving with his hand as he went in for another sip."Bottoms up, boys!"

Cautiously, I downed a few sips of the alcohol, almost immediately pulling away with a coughing fit. It burned my throat, turning it dry and scratchy.

Oddly, I began to feel calm and happy, the more I drank, the more of that feeling I consumed.

Light as a feather, dancing on clouds, happiness and unicorns and all that. Holy shit, is this what drunk is like?

In an instant, it was gone, the world now slowing down, almost at normal pace. Oh god, I think I've had my first high.

-----------------

His head was perched in the palm of his hand, fingers loosely curled around his cheek as he leaned against his bent elbow. With his eyes closed, he made an effort to slow his breathing.

Echoed shouts throughout the room became white noise as his mind began to shut down, sleep calling to him softly like an old friend.

He felt his head begin to slump forward just as- he slammed his face into the table as he quickly moved his elbow. His tired head had been unable to know what was going on.

Around him, his friends laughed. He exhaled in muted anger.

"Oh my god, that was great." Tyler wheezed between joyful laughs, slamming his palm on the table lightly and repeatedly.

"Not funny." Evan grumbled, sitting up with a glare, he crossed his arms and kept his eyes on the table.

David's hand was still on his shoulder, and Evan awkwardly brushed it off, scooting as far away from them as he could. It wasn't far considering it was a round table.

"Come on, Ev, lighten up. That was funny!" Brock nudged his other shoulder, still Evan pouted.

Normally, he would've complained about how he didn't get any sleep the night before, but he didn't want to risk the chance that they might ask why. Silence was his best option, either that or laugh it off, but he was too tired for that.

Once the guys calmed down, the laughter of the other group pierced through the air, and Evan couldn't help but feel upset at the sound of their voices.

He didn't realize he had flinched without warning until he felt a hand on his shoulder once more. "Dude, you okay?" It was Tyler, who had switched spots with David to be closer to his best friend. Evan nodded immediately.

"Yeah, I'm just in a weird mood today. I'm fine." He insisted, brightening up with a smile, though it was tired and forced. Sighing, he stood up. "I'm gonna head to the restroom, I'll see you guys in class."

"Alright, later Ev, hope you feel better." Tyler called as his friend silently left the table with a small wave.

--

Jonathan stared after the sullen boy, Craig silently watching the new kid's eyes follow Evan out of the cafeteria. He cleared his throat, causing him to jump.

"Yes?" Jonathan asked, acting like he had been paying attention the entire time.

"Whatcha lookin' at, huh?" Lui and Marcel were wrapped up in their own conversation, not listening to the other two.

"Nothing, I was just thinking." He sat up straighter, crossing his arms on the table as he made eye contact with his new friend. "Why?"

Craig shrugged. "No reason, you just looked so spaced out." He smirked, making Jonathan uneasy with his mysterious aura. "What?"

"You're weird." Jonathan spoke, the bell ringing a few seconds later. "See you in class."

"See you." Craig left immediately, barely even waving bye as he took off for the hallway.

"He must get his behavior from Evan." Lui snorted, rolling his eyes as the trio stood up. "Come on, we have to get to class."

"Ugh, I'm so not looking forward to it. It's running day, remember?" Marcel strode alongside Lui, Jonathan a few footsteps behind them.

"Dude, stop complaining, when has the coach ever deducted points for you not completing your laps? He only cares if you run at least one." Jonathan spoke up, catching up those few steps. "You'll be fine."

----

Evan stared at himself in the mirror, scowling. His hair looked flat, there were dark circles underneath his eyes, not to mention that they were slightly bloodshot.

He tried to mess with it, his hair, dragging his fingers through it, trying to make it somewhat presentable. In his eyes, nothing was working.

The bell rang, and as soon as he heard it, he sighed loudly, placing both hands on the sides of the sink, leaning on it while closing his eyes.

"Just a few more hours, Ev. You'll be fine." He splashed cold water on his face, trying to jumpstart his energy. "You'll be fine."

He ran his hands over his face, mentally checking off every second he was wasting.

-

When he reached the locker room, he was out of breath and a minute late. Much to his dismay, the place was empty.

"Evan, why are you late? You're never late." The coach walked out of his office, curiously looking at the teen.

"Sorry, sir. I wasn't feeling very well during lunch, and I barely got any sleep and-" He was still breathing heavily, holding his side.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." The coach looked concerned as he saw Evan lean against the wall. "Take it easy. Just get changed, you can sit out today, okay? Don't strain yourself."

Evan nodded, miserably walking over to his locker as the coach left, his voice booming outside.

-

Evan sat on the bleachers, he was in the middle of them rather than the bottom, trying to avoid as many people as possible. He felt sad and tired and miserable, talking to people was the last thing on his mind.

He watched his friends every once and a while, but mostly he had his knees pulled up to his chest as he tried to catch at least five minutes of sleep.

----

"Is he okay?" Jonathan asked, glancing at Evan curled into a ball on the bleachers.

"Don't know, don't particularly care." Lui said, beginning to jog.

----

"What lap are we on?" Tyler asked as he glanced over at the bleachers.

"Three, I think." Brock looked at his friend. "Hey, I'm sure he's fine, just a little tired, alright?"

-

Halfway through their laps, the coach stopped the group of friends.

"Hey, you guys can go over with Evan if you want, he looks pretty miserable over there." He looked over at the teen, genuinely concerned. "Don't worry about the grade, I'll take care of it."

-

They didn't say anything as they surrounded Evan on the bleachers, just sitting around him in comfort. At least, they hoped it made him feel better.

Evan stayed curled in a ball as his friends began to joke and laugh around him, he was still trying to get some sleep.

After a few minutes of hearing his friends' voice, he felt calm and relaxed, his shoulders becoming less tense as he slid into a light sleep.

He slumped against Tyler, his head falling onto his shoulder while his knees were lazily still pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around them loosely.

Tyler heard his best friend let out a weak 'Thank you' before he heard soft snores.