Thalia Otieno

Yeah, they're invincible, and she's just in the background.

[brookswaylen]

He smiled as she reacted to him, watching her get defensive against him was more entertaining than he’d imagined it would be. Normally, girls acted coy around him to get him in bed, which usually worked because Brooks was no man to pass down a gracious offer such as that. But he could tell that this girl was different. She wasn’t putting on a front… Or was she? The alcohol was making it a little difficult to read her, a thing he’d never been quite good at but tried his hand at nonetheless. 

“Y’know, now that you mentioned it, I can imagine you coming here just to sit outside… You’re like one of those… People watchers, right? You sit around lookin’ all pensive, judgin’ other people and shit.” His words came out harsher than he’d wanted them too, but that was the alcohol for you. It brought out the worst in him.

“Sorry,” he said after a few moments of silence.

[thaliaotieno-blog]

Thalia's head turned to face the boy as she shot a look at him. "I'm not judging anyone but you." She said indignantly. That was a blatant lie and something that her friend would certainly attest to. Thalia watched everyone at the parties, sometimes even made up stories about them. It was fun even, trying to figure out what people were having conversations about. And maybe she judged them because she knew that she could never be them. Perhaps the reason why she was so offended by his accusation was because it had been the truth.

Although she was stubborn and a little bit prideful, she shook her head. "It's fine I guess." Now she really wished he would leave. The silence was deafening. 

[brookswaylen]

I’ve got a better knack for this than most of those fuckers you know,” He said lazily. She was right, however. He was drunk. Smashed. Wasted. Sloshed. But he liked it. He loved it. Every part of losing himself to the alcohol was enjoyable for Brooks, except the hangover the next day. The cup he had was pretty much empty now, and he was far too comfortable to get up from the cold rail he was sitting against, so, he threw it over the balcony. “Woops, my hand slipped.” He said, laughing a bit, though he wasn’t sure why. “So, Thalia, what brings a sweet lookin’ girl like you here? Because I don’t take it you came just to sit out here all alone.” Once he was finished talking, he dug into his pants pockets and pulled out a cigarette and his lighter. He placed the cigarette loosely between his lips and lit it, taking a nice long drag before blowing it out into the night.

[thaliaotieno-blog]

Thalia simply nodded, knowing no better a reaction or witty enough quip to match his. It made her slightly uncomfortable that he was as drunk considering he was so close to her. There were reasons she had left the mass crowd earlier. If Thalia knew anything it was that the drunk were unpredictable. Either she was going to be a victim to it's effects, or be the first hand witness to its capabilities.

She watched the cup being thrown from his hands, the intent contradicting his words. "Looks like it." She muttered under her breath as her lips turned down in a slight frown.

Just because she had that face and well, was that girl, didn't mean she liked it when people made assumptions about her. "My friend, she wanted to go to the party." She explained, finding no reason to lie or elaborate. "As hard as you may find it to believe, I did come to this party with the exact plan in mind that I would come out here to sit alone." Thalia adjusted herself against the cold rail while she pushed her knees closer to her chest. She wished he'd leave soon, especially now that he had a cigarette in his mouth. Thalia started to breathe through her mouth, bracing herself from the stench of the fumes.  

[brookswaylen]

Each day was the same for Brooks. If someone was to observe the young man in his daily life, they’d come to think that he had a rehearsed routine of what he was to do throughout the day. But that wasn’t the case at all. The days after he dropped of high school all seemed to run seamlessly together now, but he never really minded. He’d wake up around three in the afternoon, groggy and a little hungover from the night before. The hangovers didn’t last long anymore for him, though. He’d been drinking since he was fifteen, so his tolerance level was a bit high for someone his age. Then, he’d get up and go smoke a cigarette while he sat on the two steps outside his apartment. He shared the place with three other guys, but it was rare that they were all home at once. John was the responsible one who paid for most of the bills, Alex was in a band, so he raked in some money, and Alec who didn’t have a job but sold weed on the side. Brooks was the only one who didn’t really have a job, but they didn’t mind it too much. He was rarely there, and whenever he was there he made sure to do things that benefited the guys, like cook dinner or doing the laundry. That was how it worked. And it did work. And he was comfortable. So then, around 5 o’clock, he’d text some of the numbers he found in his phone, probably from the night before, and ask around to see where the best party was going to be. He never had a problem finding a party to go to. Brooks was plenty liked and always good to have around at a party. So, with that, he’d go to the nearest liquor store, the one where they knew him by name, and pick up a case of the cheapest beer and usually pay in change. The clerks there hated that, but he found it easy to win them over with a cheeky smile and a wink. 

Tonight was no different than all the others. The party had started at around ten, and it was now — Brooks wasn’t even sure what time it was. All he knew was that he felt good. His body felt good. Warm. He hadn’t been this drunk in a long time. And he was enjoying the hell out of it. Although he’d already broken a really expensive vase and a coffee table, Brooks was far from going home. But after an hour of dancing and shots, Brooks realized he needed a break. Everyone needs a break, even the ones who almost never seemed to stop. “I’m going outside,” He slurred to his buddy Keith before shoving his red cup into Keith’s chest for him to hold. He tripped over some girls feet, and he laughed it off before getting back up. She’d tried to get his attention afterwards for some reason, but he ignored her. He’d had enough of that tonight, and he was a bit bored of the girls that were there — which was something that happened quite often surprisingly. He never denied himself a good time, but he often found himself bored with himself afterwards. When he made it to the glass door, he fumbled a bit with the lock before realizing it was already unlocked, and pushed it open. The cold air hit him harshly. It was a stark contrast to the warmth that emanated from inside, but he liked it. His breath extended beyond him for a few feet, before vanishing into the night air. He almost hadn’t noticed the small figure that was sitting in the corner of the balcony. Good thing she’d spoken up when she did because he was about to piss over the railing. He laughed at her suggestion. “Me, puke? Never. I’ve got a knack for this whole drunk thing,” he assured her, as he sat down against the railing himself. “Just needed some fresh air is all.” He paused a few moments, his head getting cold against the metal rails, before turning it to look over at the girl he was talking to. Without thinking he reached his hand over sloppily and smiled. “Brooks, by the way.”

[thaliaotieno-blog]

"I've always just assumed those who claim they have a handle on the whole drunk thing are just better at keeping their spewing from the public eye. You look and sound drunk, and I can only imagine you must smell immensely of alcohol. So I wouldn't say you've got the knack that you think you have." Thalia grinned to herself, keeping her eye level to her knees that were tucked closely to her chest. She didn't like making eye contact with people she knew would only come and go from her life. People often said that the eyes are the windows to one's soul, and Thalia didn't much like looking into everyone's soul, only into the one's that mattered to her, and drunk boys at parties hardly made her list of possible contenders.

Thalia's head lifted a little again as he sat down, it was dark out and so close and intimate eye contact wasn't likely to happen. She looked hesitantly at the hand outstretched before her. "Thalia, it's uhm nice to meet you I suppose." She replied, unsure of what else to say. She shook his hand loosely and dropped it almost immediately upon contact. Going to parties unwillingly may have started to become routine for her, but talking to people at these said parties? That for her, was worse than being alone on a cold balcony in a strange neighbourhood. 

[thaliaotieno-blog]

     Thalia hated parties, in fact, she loathed them. The only reason she was at this particular party was because her roommate had dragged her along and had given her the whole 'you can't sit here and read all day' cliché lecture. One she had too often heard and too often caved to. It shouldn't have worked because A: Thalia hadn't even been reading, she was actually watching TV and doing homework. And B: she was supposed to visit her mom and step dad at their place on the occasion that she wasn't doing homework. It took a lot of convincing—and the reminder that it was a Friday night and the homework wasn't due until Wednesday— until Thalia finally agreed to go. Thalia was weak willed and easily pressured and she hated that about herself. 

     Thalia's reconsideration proved to be a stupid mistake on her part. Now she had to live with the regret that hung annoyingly on her shoulders as she sat against the brick wall, head against the cold metal rails. She tried to relax and to think about something to pass the time. Mostly she found herself focusing on where she was and what was around her. The apartment was nice, it was one of those fancy bachelor flats that you would find in a magazine. Even the suite's balcony was straight out of a movie scene, with the sort of stairs that zigzagged their way from the top to the bottom. Thalia peered over the rails wondering if she could make a quick escape if need be, because a quick over the shoulder glance told her that Kelsey wouldn't be ready to leave anytime soon. However, Thalia wasn't going to leave her roommate alone, not unless the girl asked. And Kelsey would ask, she always did. Kelsey would find a guy at the party and tell Thalia (no earlier than two in the morning) that she would be leaving with some guy and that Thalia could then leave. Thalia sighed into the crisp night air and watched her breath billow into clouds. Who needed cigarettes? She thought. This is just as fun.

     There was a muffled crash coming from the inside, and then the sounds of the party becoming clearer. Thalia had her head turned away from the party and was overlooking the balcony, but the sound of the door opening was unmistakable. This meant one of two things: Kelsey was back to tell her that she had found a guy, in which case Thalia was allowed to leave. Then there was option number two, that being someone looking for a place to puke. Thalia desperately hoped it was the former. When she did turn around to look, the person stumbling out the door wasn't her roommate but some seemingly drunk guy. "If you're looking to puke, just keep it as far away from me as possible. Preferably over there," she pointed to the corner opposite from her. "And there are some cats below, please try not to hit them."