A few hours later, Leah and Holly were helping put Robyn into her fiancé’s car.
“Here. The bartender thought this would be a good idea,” Holly said, handing Rich one of the plastic fishbowls the bar used to serve specialty drinks in.
“Gee, thanks,” he said, leaning into the passenger seat and handing Robyn the empty bowl. She grinned up at him and slurred something unintelligible.
“Absolutely, babe,” Rich said as he buckled her seat belt.
“What did she say?” Leah asked.
Rich closed the passenger door and turned toward them. “I have no f*cking idea.”
Leah and Holly burst out laughing as Rich pulled up the zipper of his jacket. “How are you girls getting home? Do you need a ride?”
“No, Evan is coming to get us,” Holly said.
“Alright, Happy New Year, ladies,” he said, giving them warning glances before he leaned over and kissed both their cheeks. “Be good.”
Leah and Holly watched them pull away, blowing dramatic kisses until the taillights of Rich’s car were no longer visible.
A few minutes later, Holly’s boyfriend pulled up to the curb, immediately rolling down the window. “Are you guys insane? Where the hell are your jackets?”
The girls leaned into each other and broke into hysterics as if that were the funniest thing they’d ever heard.
“Fantastic.” Evan sighed, getting out of the car and ushering them toward it. “Alright, let’s go.”
Leah crawled into the back seat, and she and Holly spent the entire ride having disjointed conversations and laughing uncontrollably at anything and everything.
“God, I need to go home,” Leah said when she had caught her breath, dropping her head back onto the seat and covering her face.
“We’re almost there, Lee,” Evan said, glancing in the rearview. “You’re not gonna puke, are you?”
“No, I’m not gonna puke, but I might pass out,” she mumbled, closing her eyes.
“That’s okay,” Holly said. “Pass out. We’ll carry you.”
Evan snorted. “You’re not carrying anyone. Maybe you should think about passing out for a bit.”
Leah tried to stifle a laugh, and Holly held up both hands, flipping them off before she crossed her arms over her chest and rested her head back against the seat.
By the time they pulled into Leah’s apartment complex, Holly was snoring lightly, her head lolled to the side, resting on her shoulder.
Evan got out and helped Leah to the door, his hand firmly on her elbow as she wobbled on her heels. He watched until she was safely inside before jogging back down the path to his still-running car and a passed-out Holly.
Leah held on to the wall for balance, sloppily kicking off her heels and tripping over one as she walked down the hall. She still had enough presence of mind to stop in the kitchen and grab herself a bottle of water before she stumbled back toward her bedroom.
She undid the button of her jeans and pulled them down to her knees before she fell back onto the bed, kicking awkwardly to free herself of them. Her arms flopped out to her sides as her eyes fell closed, and then she groaned, remembering she hadn’t texted her father.
Leah sat up quickly; the room spun with the sudden movement, and she squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the edge of the bed until the world righted itself. She leaned down, this time much more slowly, and fished through her purse on the floor until she came up with her phone.
As she flopped back onto the bed, the room began to spin again, and she squinted one eye, sending him a text as quickly as she could. With a relieved huff, she flung the phone somewhere on the other side of the bed and scooted down, draping one leg over the side so she could keep her foot on the floor.
Within seconds she passed out.