Charlotte stepped out of the room and walked out of the house. Elijah was already inside the car, waiting for her to get in.

"Where are you meeting your friends?"

"At my friend's house."

She noticed Elijah's eyes squint slightly. Maybe his vision is getting blurry.

"Which friend?"

"Mary."

He nodded and started the car. She wondered why, with so many cars, Elijah only used one when going to their house. There were a lot of cars parked inside the yard, why weren't they used?

"Do you know how to drive a car?" Elijah asked.

"No."

"But you know how to start it?"

"I've seen my dad and brother do it."

"Did you know what you did last night while you were asleep in the car is dangerous? Even if the car is running, there's a tendency to run out of gas. What if it runs out? The engine will die, and there won't be any air inside. Don't do it again, Charlotte."

She didn't respond because she felt guilty; she went there out of anger last night. How did Elijah open the car? The keys were with her.

"How did you open the car?"

"Key."

She sniffed. "The car keys were inside."

"I have a duplicate."

She nodded. Elijah was smart.

"What's your friend's address? We might have passed it."

She gave Mary's address. They were already close, she realized. Good thing Elijah asked.

"Remember our agreement."

"Yes, I won't forget."

She got out of the car and closed it. She stood on the side, waiting for Elijah to leave first. When the car started moving away, she rode a tricycle to Mary's house.

When the tricycle stopped in front of Mary's house, she noticed the cars of her friends Angelo, Jenny, and Luis parked outside. She paid the tricycle driver and walked towards Mary's house. She rang the doorbell, and it opened after a moment.

"Oh, it's you, Ma'am Charlotte. Your friend and Ma'am Marry have been waiting for you inside."

"I took a bit long. Where are they?"

"They're in Ma'am Mary's room."

"Okay, thank you. I'll go there."

She entered the house and walked straight to Mary's room. When she opened the door, a noisy and messy room greeted her, with pillows being thrown around, and the bed was messed up, with the blanket on the floor. She picked it up and placed it back on the bed.

"Can you guys stop? You're making a mess."

They stopped. "Charlotte's here. Let's start," Mary said, looking at Angelo.

"What are we starting?" she asked.

Mary looked at Angelo. "We're going to drink until we get drunk."

"We have class tomorrow, and you just decided to drink now?"

"It's because of Jenny; she couldn't yesterday, so we're doing it now."

She couldn't yesterday either because of her marriage with Elijah.

"You guys go ahead. I'll pass for now."

"Okay, but you have to stay here and not go home."

She nodded. She sat on the sofa beside Luis, who had been quietly watching them the whole time.

"You seem spaced out."

"I'm just sleepy. I thought we were meeting for school stuff today, but it turns out it's just for drinking. I woke up early for nothing."

She couldn't help but laugh. Among their friends, Luis was the smartest and always had his nose buried in books. He didn't like being disturbed when studying, but it seemed like the three of them had convinced him to come here somehow.

"What are we going to do here? I don't want to drink alcohol either."

"Let's just eat. We'll have their appetizers; it looks more like a meal than snacks."

Their friends' drinking sessions were always like a feast, with a lot of food on the table while they drank. Even the helpers were still cooking snacks for them. It was fine with their parents for them to drink as long as it was at home and not in bars or outside. It was safer at home; at least if someone got drunk, they could sleep there instead of having to go home. But they never went to her house; her brother's friends were always there. Even her friends hadn't been there yet.

"Hey! You two, sit in front of the table. You're here to eat anyway."

So, she and Luis sat on the floor. The table was low, so they didn't need chairs. While waiting for the snacks Mary's helpers cooked, and they chatted. However, when the helpers brought the food and drinks, they all got busy with their tasks.

Even though it was still early, they started drinking right away. Their alcohol tolerance was high, so even if they drank until night, they would still be alive. She was not good with alcohol. One glass was enough for her, and she just ate what was on the table afterward.

Hours passed, and it was already afternoon. She and Luis were engrossed in playing a scramble game. She didn't notice the time.

"Guys, I'm leaving."

Everyone raised their eyebrows. It was evident that some of them were already drunk; their faces were flushed.

"I'm leaving too; you guys take care of yourselves, you're all grown-ups now," Luis said.

"You two are unfair. Maybe you're just going home to have a date," Jenny teased.

She rolled her eyes at Jenny's comment. "No, I'm going straight home. I don't know about Luis, maybe he has somewhere to go."

"I do. I have to pick up my little sibling from our grandma's house because they have school tomorrow, so I need to leave."

Angelo scratched his head. "You two always leave together with reasons, so because of that, each of you has to drink two glasses of alcohol before going home."

"I have to drive, so I can't," Luis said.

"Nah, this isn't strong enough to get you drunk, so just drink it," Mary insisted.

She took one glass because they couldn't finish if Angelo wasn't satisfied, but when she drank it without stopping, it felt like someone drew a very spicy line in her chest.

"What is this? It feels like rubbing alcohol."

"It's strong liquor, that's why it's strong," Mary said.

She grimaced at the taste, which was spicy, bitter, and cold in her mouth. "Don't let Luis drink this; he might have an accident. It's too strong!"

"Okay, fine, but you're not safe either because you're not driving. Here's another one for you before you go home."

Could she even drink that? She took the glass of alcohol, drank it straight, then grabbed some food and shoved it into her mouth to get rid of the taste.

"You're weak with alcoholic drinks, Charlotte. Be careful on your way home," Jenny reminded her.

They left Luis's room, and she felt like she couldn't even move her face properly.

"Are you okay? Can you still make it home?"

"Yeah."

"Shall I drop you off at your house?"

She shook her head repeatedly. "I can go home by myself. The trip won't take long. Just drop me off at the tricycle stop on the corner so I won't have to walk."

"Okay, let's go."

They just said goodbye to Julie, the helper close to their family who always accompanied them whenever they went to Mary's house. Then, they left Luis's house.