#* the overachiever

[damarisbailey]

bam-booze-led feat. @hopekang​

“That wasso mudge fun! Wasnthat so mudge fun? We were dancin’, n’ singin’, n drinkin’, n talkin’. You’re-a good danzer, Hope!”

Damaris stumbled over her footing, one arm laced around her friend’s neck and the other flailing wildly about as she tried to gain balance on the wall. A shrill and boisterous laugh leapt from her stomach as if trying to escape the pooled poison in her stomach. Damaris - had wayyy too much to drink. The voice in the back of her mind that normally would have told her that she was being a burden had been silence by one too many Peach Bellinis. 

“Is it hot!?” The woman practically yelled down the hall, a whiney tone coloring her voice. “I’m hot!” 

Her arm that was previously around Hope’s shoulders slid down and she began to take off her jacket, heels taken off somewhere in their shuffle down the hall. 

“I havta-- have to...” Damaris stumbled, eyes closing as she paused in the hallway and began unzipping her black and white houndstooth skirt. 

[damarisbailey]

sloppy new year location. kitchen at mack’s house feat. @hopekang

Damaris and Hope stood side by side starting at a bottle of tequila and a couple of empty shot glasses sitting in front. The kitchen bench seemed to stretch with alcohol, a great many variety and a lot of them with hefty dents. Damaris looked at Hope, raising her eyebrows. The responsibility of whether or not they should do shots was not going to be her responsibility. If it did go south, she would definitely assume responsibility.

“I picked the last sin. Your turn.” She shook her head, and looked around at the solo cups and what everyone else was drinking. She felt like the odd one out trying to fit in. At least they were in it together. Damaris was not going to be seen as a nonparticipator. That's the kind of stuff that discouraged cursing in front of her. 

[damarisbailey]

location. the quarry view spot feat. @hopekang 

“Here we are!” Damaris chimed, putting her car into park. She’d never done something like this before. It was a big jump to say that she had ever planned to go somewhere with Hope to smoke marijuana. Oli hadn’t exactly shown her but she was pretty sure she could figure it out. They sat for a moment in silence, and honestly, Damaris wasn’t sure what to say. This type of behavior was a surprise to even herself. 

The two girls looked out onto the quarry, the vast emptiness between sloping plateaus of clay colored dirt. It reminded her of how she felt inside, something she was desperately trying to push down. Last time, she had done it all without alcohol, done it without drugs. This time it felt like she needed a little more to keep herself from crying.

“So.” The brunette cleared her throat, pulling a little baggy from the center console out. A wax rolled, kief covered joint sitting lonely at the bottom. Looking to the passenger seat, Damaris gave the other a hesitant look. “Should we light this... Baby up?”

[damarisbailey]

location: new hope event hall feat. @logancommaness​ ​

“Matthew!” Damaris scolded, eyes catching the two older teens dancing together that were just in front of where she was was standing. “That seems a little bit too close, don’t you think?”

Damaris was chaperoning the “Hallelujah Halloween” Youth Mixer at New Hope. She stood at the edges of the event hall. Eyes skirting around the room to make sure each teen was dancing appropriately and nobody was adding a little something special to the punch mix. (It’s going to be a good evening,) she thought to herself, a very small smile curling the corners of her glossed lips. A small pause between songs, the chatter of children could be heard bouncing off the walls. It reminded her of her own youth, the balls she attended with her dad. Suddenly, this was bittersweet. 

slow song began to play over the speakers, some kids pairing off and those without a partner finding their way to the tables to snack with their friends. She recognized the tune, Love Will Be Enough For Us by Brandon Heath. It seemed really heavy for the teens but I guess the number of romantic Christian songs was limited. Would love ever really be enough to get her into heaven? Her eyes caught a friend’s across the room and she smiled. Ness was always a great companion at these events. They got to joke around and it made the “work” part of things feel less like work. 

“Hey.” She smiled, making her way over to him, her arms crossed over her midsection. “Doesn’t this reminds you of high school?”