Teen Ink

Cups of the Rose

“Hello?”

“Hey it’s me,”

“I know stupid,”

“Sure you did…”

I smiled to myself and said “So what do you want?”
“Oh I’m fine thank you for asking Paul, and how are you today on this fine evening?” she asked with that fine attitude that can only be Fabianna’s.
“Umm good I guess. You should know I just came from your house,” I said laughing. “So what do you want??”
“I don’t know if I should tell you anymore seeing how rudely you treat people on the phone!” Fabi said with snooty attitude, the one that always made me smile.
“Fabi, I ain’t got time for this,” I groaned, smiling, with fake impatience.
“What you mean you ain’t got time? What you got something better to do?” she said full of that South Side Chicago ghetto-ness that she has since we were babies.
“Hanging up now…” I said in a sing- song tone.
“Okay, okay I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you!!! Gosh, don’t get your batman panties in a bunch.” She said trying to insult me.
“Continue,” I said not bothered by her comment on my choice of underwear (but I still didn’t understand how she knew what kind of underwear I had on).

“Okay, so yeah, you know how I’m her with Nancy and Carissa?”

“Uh huh,”

“So we were talking right,”

“Right,”

“Ugh, are you even paying attention to anything I said?”

“YES!” I yelled at her with a smile on my face. “Now proceed,”

“Then what’d I just say?” she asked.

“You asked me if I was paying attention to anything you just said,” I cleverly responded.
“UGH!”
“Well you did say that didn’t you?” I asked knowing that I was pissing her off more and more with each stupid question I asked.
“Forget it, I’m just gonna proceed now,”
“About damn time,” I mumbled loud enough for her to hear.
“I heard that you know?” she yelled through the phone (as if her normal voice wasn’t loud enough...).
“Yeah I know,” I told her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, offended.
“It means I wanted you to hear it, now can we move on because my time is precious,” I explained trying to have the same snooty attitude that she had earlier and failing miserably at it.
“Sure it is. Okay so I wanted to ask you if you can do me a favor,” she began.
“And what is this magical favor you want from me?” I asked not really caring. It’s not that I’m a bad friend it’s just that once you’ve hung out with Fabi for as long as I have, these favors are never really that interesting or worth your precious time, but I did them anyway because we’re friends and we always got each other’s back.
“Well we were thinking since no one’s doing anything tomorrow, that maybe, just maybe you could help us ……get wasted,”
I stayed quiet for a moment and then continued, “Are you sure you want to risk it, I mean what would your brother think if he knew?”
“Hey this is my brother were talking about and he won’t know about this. By the time the news reaches his jail cell I’ll be in college far from him,” she snapped at me.
“Why are you getting an attitude, I’m just worried about what your brother might think,” I snapped back.
Fabi’s older brother Joshua is in jail right now for possession of drugs and other crap. Well Joshua’s leaving to jail really messed her up. She got depression and was very distant from everyone for a while. And then she’d have these moments where she would just sit and stare out into space with a blank expression on her face. It really creeped me out when she did that. But then one day she just stopped being sad and became more rebellious, against me, the rest of her friends, her parents, her older sister and especially her brother when he calls. She won’t tell me why and I don’t ask because I know she would hate it if I did.
“Look, al I asked is for your help but if you’re too much of a wuss to do it then I’ll get
Adrian to do it. So are you in or out?” She asked with a hint of aggression in her tone.
I bit my lower lip, sighed and said, “Alright you got a deal but your forgetting one important major detail…I’m only 18 not 21 stupid. I can’t get you anything.”
“So what?! I’m only 16 but I have the drinking habit of a girl on her 21st birthday. Just get a hobo from outside the liquor store to buy you some, go do I have to tell you everything….” She said.
“Fabi I don’t know if this is even a good idea. Like where are we gonna drink it??” I asked trying to weasel out of doing this favor.
“Already way ahead of you boy,” she yelled instantly “My house tomorrow at exactly one thirty p.m. same time my mom leave’s for work,”
“Yeah, but what about your little brother?” I asked.
“No worries’ boo, I got that covered too. My sister is gonna take him to her house and won’t bring him back till tomorrow,”
“What about your dad??” I asked knowing that that question was completely not helpful
She sighed and said, “I doubt it. Unless he decides to come back after six weeks to see his kids then were screwed, but Paul don’t you see the percentage chance of that happening??”
“Fifty- fifty??” I offered.
“Paaaauuul,” she groaned “Please just do me this one favor. Please??!! Ill owe you one, okay? You know I always pay you back with most of the things you want, this time no restrictions ‘kay?” she begged.
I sighed heavily and groaned, “Uggghh, fine!! But you owe me big time alright?”
“OH MY GOD!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU PAUL!!! TRUST ME YOU WON’T REGRET THIS AT ALL!! ZERO PERCENT REGRET!!” she yelled in excitement.
“Okay Fabi I got it. I got you,” I said. “See ya tomorrow girlfriend!!” I joked.
“Okay see you tomorrow boo,” she said hanging up.
Like I said doing favor’s for Fabi were never interesting. Well not before this favor….
The next day came around and I did Fabi her favor. Like she said I asked a hobo on the street to buy me and my friend Adrian some Brandy. I told him that if he did he would get ten dollars from me and keep the change from the brandy. He eagerly said yeah and left. He came back a little while after with the strongest type of brandy there was in the liquor store. I looked at him in disbelief and then back at the bottle and then back at him.
He just winked and said “Good luck digesting that sh*t boys,” and walked away with the change.
Adrian started bugging me about whether or not Fabi and the other girls would want to drink this because as me and Adrian knew this stuff tasted like crap.
“Don’t trip,” I said as we walked towards Fabi’s house. “Like she said she has the drinking habit of a girl on her 21st birthday. Of course she’s gonna drink it.”
“Yeah,” Adrian scoffed “But she’ll regret it.”
At that point I didn’t know how right he was about that…
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

When we finally arrived to her house, she and her friend Nancy were the only one’s waiting outside for us.
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked.
Fabi started to untie her medium length chestnut brown wavy hair from its scrunchie and letting it fall loosely to her shoulders as he said “Carissa has the flu and Bibi and Cesar wussed out so it just us,”
“Umm okay I guess,” I said as we went inside her house.
The light was dim and the house was quiet. Fabi knew that dim light bothered me but she said that that’s how she is all the time because her parents leave every morning and don’t tell her where they’re going. So she just sits in the dark thinking and texting me most of the time. It’s kinda sad how lonely she is and I pity her but not to her face because she will kick my ass if I told her that. I admired her for that. Her innocent looks but the strong attitude she hides behind those big dark brown eyes, also the fact that she just seems to get “it”. She’s not dumb and doesn’t question the obvious.
“And where’s your girl?” Nancy asked as I helped Fabi bring out the cups.
“Oh, she’s grounded for another week you know that,” I said thinking about Tabitha, my girlfriend. She ditched school a bunch of times and her mom berly caught her and decided to punish her for the first time ever.
“Man Paul.” Adrian started “I think you should date someone your own age or at least someone mature. Cause let’s face it, your girlfriend is crazy as hell. I mean what’s up with that whole cat act?”
“Adrian stop it!” Fabi yelled. I would normally be happy but with fabi you shouldn’t expect mush to soon. She continued to say “I’m sure Paul has his reasons for going out with a cat acting weirdo!”
As they burst out laughing I said “Ha ha, very funny. Now can we get our drink on?”
“Yeah man. Why in such a hurry?” Fabi asked as she handed each of us a plastic blue cup that I bought for us.
“None really. It’s just my parents said that I got to get a job and move out already. So that’s what I plan to do the rest of today.” I said.
“Today? But your gonna be drunk off your ass. You can’t go to no high maintenance job when you just supplied two underage alcoholics with alcohol,” Fabi said pouring the drinks.
“Umm excuse you. What do you mean two alcoholics?” Nancy asked clearly upset. “I am mot an alcoholic,”
“That’s what you think,” I mumbled under my breath making Fabi and Adrian burst out in laughter.
“Screw you Paul!” Nancy yelled at me “Look who’s talking a grown ass man hanging out with a bunch of immature 16 year olds!”
“Who you callin’ immature?!” Fabi asked offended “At least I’m emotionally stable and I don’t cut myself whenever some dead beat guy I like doesn’t look at me when I pass by!”
“OKAY!! ENOUGH YOU GIRLS!!” I yelled “C’mon let’s get this started because like I told Fabi yesterday my-“
“TIME IS PRECIOUS!” Fabi yelled interrupting “Okay, we got it the first time Paul,”
I nodded and we started drinking. I placed me and Adrian between Fabi and Nancy because they looked like they were ready to rip each other into pieces. After a while of no talking, I finally said “Hey Adrian I bet Nancy can hold her liquor better that Fabi,”
“Like hell she can,” Fabi said giving me the evil eye and then reaching for the bottle “I needs me another drink!”
After she finished pouring Nancy reached for the bottle and said “Well so do I,”
“Please ho! You gonna be slurrin’ yo’ words after two drinks!” Fabi said downing her drink “While I, like always, will be as perfect as ever,”
“We’ll just see about that,” Nancy mumbled downing her drink also.
Me and Adrian smiled at each other. We loved watching these two argue to impress us, they loved fighting our approval. As they fought me and Adrian just drank some more brandy and enjoyed the show.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

After about ten or thirteen drinks things started to get a little fuzzy. I remember Fabi and Nancy yelling their slurred words at each other. I don’t remember how it started but all I know was they were at each other’s throats.
“Like hell your better than mee…” Fabi yelled “Imma five star b**** and you not even a half star ho!”
“Puh-leese Fabi! You think you so big and bad but-“
“Nah I leave the big part to you” Fabi insulted “Aint nothing big on me but this a-a-ass!” Fabi said twirling her hips round and around. I couldn’t help but look. I never realized how…..how beautiful Fabi’s body was.
“Shut up!! You wanna go?!” Nancy asked.
“You know I’m down!!” Fabi said.
They started yelling incoherent insults to each other as Fabi took off her jewelry. So once they got face to face I decided to step in. “WOAH! Girls stop this now!” A dizzy spell came over me as I stood up but I still stood. I put my arm around Fabi’s waist and pulled her away, over to the living room. I told Adrian to control Nancy as I left with Fabi.
I sat her on the couch and sat next to her as she said “Paul I think I’m drunk,”
I laughed and said “We all are. That’s what alcohol does to you,”
She lay back on the couch and sleepily said “I shouldn’t have done this Paul. You know I don’t really wanna kill Nancy right?”
I sat with her on the couch and said “Of course I know that,”
“Umm you guys??” we heard Adrian call “Nancy’s dead over hear…”
“GOOD!” Fabi yelled back. I gave her a confused looked and she said “Ignore that comment,”
I just laughed and sat back with her. I patted her thigh in comfort but I didn’t take it off, I just left it there. I heard her groan softly and I snatched my hand away. I turned to look at her and saw that she was dozing off. I shook her softly and said “Fabi wake up!”
“Hmm…why?” she asked.
“Cause your head is gonna hurt a crap load once you wake up,” I said placing my hand on her thigh again and moving it gently to keep her awake.
“Aww your so nice, but don’t worry about me I’ll be fine,” she said letting her head droop on my shoulder.
“No Fabi, I mean it,” I urged “Wake up!”
“Hmm…” she groaned.
“Ugh,” I sighed and just laid back.
I snuggled up close to her and just watched her sleep. She looked very peaceful. I started to notice tings about her face that I never noticed before. Like how her eyelashes were really long and thick, and how pink and soft her skin actually was. I rubbed my check against hers just to feel its warm softness. Then I caught view of her lips and how pink and thick they were. They were just so interesting at that moment; I couldn’t help myself any longer. So I did what any sane drunk man would do……. I kissed her.