"Oh God," I laughed. "That was so funny."

I had been sitting with Brian for the past two hours talking about nothing and everything. Who knew the jock had something so trivial as lame jokes and just nonsense talks? Perhaps he was full of that? Who knew?

I was drunk. Completely.

Brian had got a few more bottles to our humble get-together in the balcony. It seemed as if he had forgotten about our whole rivalry and had considered me as his friend. I was there, gambling on his company, telling jokes of when I was racing.

It was all the liquid talking, I guess. I had spilled almost everything to him. All my problems, inside and outside of tracks. Now, he knew me even better than Robert and my friends. I wondered if it was a good thing, but in that hazy daze, I had put everything out to him.

He was being a gentleman though. He listened to all my rants and even held my hand at some point. By the time I was done, I didn't know if I was crying or laughing at my own misery that was spilled right in front of me.

"Wow, you are.. I don't know like a celebrity in our town." He said, wiping his eyes. We had sat down, putting our legs in front of us, bottles spread everywhere.

It seemed as if Brian knew the host and it wouldn't matter if we were invading his off-limits place... well, as long as Brian sided with me, that was.

"No." I said, waving my hand in front of me. I took another fresh bottle and pulled it's cap off. I took a gulp of it and shook my head sideways. "No one knows my face."

"What?" At this he started laughing. It started slowly and then went on hysterically. Somewhere in between I had joined him and we both laughed at almost everything and nothing at the same time.

"Yeah, I don't show my face around." I laughed again, holding my stomach.

"That's how I haven't seen any news about you." He said, looking at me.

With his intense stare, my laughs subsided and I stared into his eyes. His bronze hair was disheveled and smelled of beer, whiskey and a bit of rum. He had probably smoked weed before he came and he reeked of it. It easily mixed itself with his cologne and it made me giddy.

His expression was serious and his eyes drifted to my mouth. I had sat with Brian thinking that everything between us had dissolved. But never in my dreams I thought he would come back at me in circles. He slightly leaned closer.

I looked away and drank another chug of beer. "Enough about me." I said, trying to change the topic. "What about you? No more panics for you?"

That electric spark he held was gone and I was more than thankful for that. I had meant it when I said I wanted no more than a blind friendship with him. Just because I had laughed and drank with him, I didn't want him to think that I was fishing for something more. Though it seemed like a good thing that he was in my friend zone, I didn't want him to think that I was into him.

I had purposefully put that wonderful kiss with Rob into the mix. With that kiss, I had killed two birds at once. It had seemed like a long time since I had kissed Robert though we had spent the night, snuggling. That small crack was enough to get my hunger to silence. Robert had said that Brian had seen us and I was hoping that it was enough to keep him at an arms length from me.

"Yeah." Brain said, running his hands over his bronze hair. "No, I mean, it's difficult to go on without drinks and smoking."

"So, you are still in the same place?" I asked, taking another swig.

"I usually go for at least five bottles, but today I've only used one." He prided showing off his one beer bottle.

"By that you mean one bottle of beer, rum and whiskey." I said pulling one finger out each time I said a drink's name. He only smirked at me. "Maybe I am a terrible influence on you."

I looked at my surroundings. There were at least a minimum of seven bottles around me. Though I didn't keep a track of who drank what, I was sure I had gulped down most of its contents. The fact that I didn't want to puke anything out was something that surprised me. Hopefully this extra drinking wouldn't cause any hangovers tomorrow. That was all I could hope for.

"No, no." He said. "Looking at you makes me scared."

"Why is that?"

"You remind me of what might happen to me if I drink as much as you." He smirked. "I mean, you can even compete with some of the boys from the football."

I laughed at him as I pushed him away. He fell down as I hit him on his stomach. With the drunken me, the blow was not as good as I expected it to be.

"It's good that I'm drunk otherwise you couldn't have breathed." I huffed, faking hurt all over my face.

"You are not even that high." Brian laughed, finding his position back. "I mean how's that possible? And, by the way, I still remember how you can hit."

"I have a stronger and faster metabolism." I shrugged. "And, by the way, I can still take you down."

"That was when I fell even harder for you." He confessed and my stomach dropped down.

I had tried very hard to make sure that I didn't come back to the same place that I had left, but yet again, I had found myself here, sitting next to him, drinking my ass out. We both had gone extends to make sure that we hated each other to the public and I believed it. But now, I felt that it was all for a show.

"Brian." I said, not knowing what to say to him. "I've told you I don't see you like that."

"I know, I know." He said and then looked away. "I liked you when those guys gave that dare to me. I didn't know how I had missed you in classes before, considering how you sit at the back."

"Come on." I waved my hand in the air. "You had Macy and others to take care of."

He laughed at that. A sad one. "Yeah. They were nice too."

"You mean nice nice?" I teased, taking a sip trying to change the topic for good. He only laughed again, shaking his head sideways, taking another sip. 

"Maybe you should stop drinking." He said, eying my drink.

I didn't know how one could get addicted to drinking like that. I had completed so many bottles in a row and I only felt a little tipsy. I bet I could drink another few more... well, as long as my bladder could hold. I didn't know by whom I had gotten that gene but I was grateful for it. As long as I didn't cry during my drinking sessions, I was okay.

"I mean, I could go on." I said, showing him my bottle. "But I can stop for you."

"Great." He said. "How are you not so tipsy?"

"As long as I have company, I don't get high quickly." I said, saving my truth to myself.

If it was Robert here with me, he would have gone nuts by now, shouting at me for getting myself drunk. With Brian's confessions, I feared if what Robert usually said to me at those tracks parties would actually come true. He had told me that by getting drunk, (of course, without him by my side) people could take advantage of me. I wondered if that would come true tonight, especially when he was not here to protect me.

"That's one way to keep yourself from getting addicted." He smiled, the same way which usually said, I like you more now.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. I only hoped that he had seen me kiss Robert so that he wouldn't try anything funny with me now. I leaned on the railing behind me as I stretched my legs up front, making a few bottles roll down. But who cared? I was tired with all the booze and talking non-stop. For all I knew, Brian wouldn't dare come closer to me than I let him.

"So, what's with you and the garage guy?" He asked, pushing his bottle away. I was sure he was digging more information to make sure that I was free for him.

"He's my coach." I said, closing my eyes briefly. I could almost see Robert glaring at me for consuming more alcohol with the guy I used to have fights with in school. I let a small smile slip. "We do... um... the races together."

"So... he teaches you to race?" He asked and I looked at him wondering if he was for real. "I didn't know if those things still existed."

I shrugged, my eyes droopy and heavy. I closed my eyes again, feeling the cool breeze pass through my hair. I had pulled it into a pony tail, but few strands had slipped out.

"You seem pretty close." He said. "I saw you two kissing."

"Oh yeah." I said smiling to myself as my plans to kill two birds at once was fulfilled. "He's one damn good kisser."

"You like him." He said as a matter of fact.

"I love him." I whispered back. "Shush!" I said, keeping my fingers on my mouth while he imitated me. "It's supposed to be a secret." I hardly knew what I was talking about. "No one knows." With that my laughs started again. This time he joined me.

"He seems nice." Brian said as he laughs came down. "He's not here? But hey! As long as he stays, it's good enough, right?"

"Well, it's at least till that one final race." I said, wondering what will happen to us after the race.

He had told me that he was in town for some parts, which I didn't remember. But now, he was a designer and I didn't know if he would stay back. I mean what was left in the town to stay behind anyway? He now knew that his only mother and sister hates him and I was the one responsible for it... why the heck would he stay?

"Final race?" Brian asked. I felt his weight next to me, as if he leaned on the railings too. "You mean at the end of your career?"

"Hmm." I mused. "Something like that." Then an idea flashed by like a lightning. "Hey, you could come to my race then!" My eyes were wide open now, accessing everything.

Brian's eyes popped big too. Perhaps he was not anticipating this. What more damage could it do? I was dying anyway. It would be like a last goodbye wave to them all. It would be perfect.

"Awesome." He said, taking an empty bottle next to him and clinking it to mine. "It would be just like our little football match. I could sit on the side and cheer on you."

Only if it was that easy, I would have given it a second thought. "Yeah." I said, closing my eyes.

Maybe I was wrong about the whole not getting high with the drinks. I didn't know what I was doing, but the next moment, I knew I had to lay down to cool myself. My eyes ached when I tried to open them as Brain talked. His voice seemed muffled and after some point, I couldn't understand a word.

That night boozing with the frenemy, I had not only talked all my doubts with him, but had also spilled out my darkest and deadliest secrets to him. I could only hope that he would forget everything that happened the next day he woke up.

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A/N: I know the chapter is too short, but this is an important plot. I hope I cleaned up the mess that was between the two of them. How did you like it?