All She Can Take

F O R T Y - T W O

College - Senior Year - Two Years Ago

Sidney stumbled out into the warm night air. The wooden porch ached beneath the weight of everyone that tumbled out behind her. She wasn't stumbling because she was drunk. She was actually dead sober. Designated chaperon for her everyone while they were out celebrating the end of it all. Four years of three-hour labs, mind-numbing lectures, and pretending to know about subjects she'd only spent one sleepless night researching, was done. Tomorrow she'd be a college graduate. Her cap and gown were pressed and hanging in her closet back at the dorm. And she was here celebrating and securing permanent damage to her hearing from the bass-thumping hip hop that rolled through the large two-story house.

"Damn! Who's got that loud?"

Sid turned back toward the doorway to see Tomi. Her eyes were barely open but her nose was working overtime. Sniffing all over. Sid thought for a moment that she was complaining about the music, until she saw her stumble over to Jamal, plop down in his lap, and pull a blunt out from between his fingertips. Jamal didn't seem to notice or care. Sid laughed and moved toward the pair.

"Aye, you see Aiden?" She asked Jamal. The light from the back porch was behind her, her tall figure casting a shadow over him. With the brim of his fitted hat pulled low over his eyes, she could barely see his face but she could draw the lines of his jaw from memory. Whatever issues he and Aiden had last year, they seemed to work through it and were thick as thieves again.

Tomi pulled on the blunt, the orange glow illuminating both of their faces for a brief moment. The sudden presence of light brought him back from wherever good weed takes you. He looked up at Sid seeming to notice her for the first time.

"Sid! The fuck is up girl?" He said playfully reaching for her and pinching the mound of flesh beneath her ass. She frowned and smacked his hand away.

"I'm chillin'. Aiden. You seen him?" She asked again. Talking to people under the influence when you were not under the influence was one of her top ten least favorite things to do.

Jamal lolled his head around and around in what seemed like an attempt to search for Aiden. Tomi thought this was the funniest thing and broke into uncontrollable giggles. Jamal looked at her strangely and then the chuckles began to erupt from his chest as well. The blunts ashes dropped into Tomi's lap unnoticed as they both surrendered to the giggle high. Jamal threw his head back and laughed. Sid crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the fit to pass.

"Yo! He's going to fall." Jamal said blandly in between belly laughs. His head still tilted back, his eyes staring up toward the sky. Sid looked up as well.

They'd found Aiden.

He was leaning over the railing of the second-floor deck looking down on them. The huge smile on his face and the way he teetered over the wooden railing let Sid know he was two sheets to the wind as well. And he wasn't alone. Aubrey was leaning up against him, shoulder to shoulder, and on her tiptoes, dancing dangerously close to flipping over the edge as well.

"Shit." She whispered before taking off back into the house. She careened through the mob of writhing bodies; her long legs making headway toward the staircase. She took the stairs two at a time, becoming a panting mess by the time she'd reached the second floor. She wished she'd taken Tomi up on her offer for weekly tennis at her parent's country club. She darted into the TV room which was teeming with people. From the doorway, she could see Aiden through the sliding patio doors. He was on his tiptoes at this point, gesturing wildly with a Heineken in one hand and a red solo cup in the other. She pushed through more people, saying 'excuse me' in rapid succession even though she was sure no one could hear her over the music.