What happened the first time you got drunk?
Ooh! Chance for a story!
"Mooooooom!" My brother cried.
"What is it?" She asked, bored.
"Don't go tonight!" He begged her.
"Why on earth not?" She said, the smirk clear on her face.
"Because!" He answered, as if it was a perfect reason.
She sighed. "Just do what Katerina and Michael tell you."
Then she scooped up her bag, and headed out the front door, and my father hurried out after her, winking at us as he did so.
For about an hour after they'd gone, my little brother Eddie, all of eight at the time, made sure me and Michael were within eyeshot of him at all times. Trying to get changed was not going to work, he'd watched too many movies. By half past eight, Michael and I were sick of him and demanded he get changed and go to bed.
"No! It's too early!" He shouted. "Not going to let you!"
"Not going to let us what?" Michael groaned.
Eddie stomped his foot as a response. I dropped backwards onto the couch and muttered something about murder. Eddie stood there, glaring at us both. We all turned at the sound of a key in the door, and Cassy walked in. She stared at us, blankly, and I noticed a basket she was holding that she hadn't left with.
"Did you steal someone's clothes again, Case?" I asked.
"Shut up," she glared. "That was once. Anyway, what the hell are you lot doing? Don't you have any lives?"
"They're going to bed soon." Michael said. "No time to 'get a life'." He looked her up and down. "And if you're an example of what it's like to have a life, I don't really want one."
"Be nice to me," she said, crossing into the kitchen. "I've got something for you three."
Eddie jumped up and ran after her. Michael remained rather skeptical of anything from Cassy, and I remained on the couch. I heard a cry from the kitchen and Eddie,
"What is that?"
"KATIE!" My sister screamed.
Lazily, I hauled myself up and walked into the kitchen. Cassy was standing proudly in front of half a dozen bottles of gin, and a fair amount of vodka.
"Cassy ..." I began.
"The vodka's for you and me," she explained. "The boys can have the gin."
"Eddie's eight!" I pointed out.
"Yes. I am aware." She shrugged. "We're all under age."
"But Eddie is EIGHT!" I repeated.
"Yes." Cassy said tightly. "And I'm fifteen, you're twelve and Michael's thirteen. Who cares?"
"Fourteen." Michael snapped.
"Whatever." She poured the vodka into a glass and handed it to me. "Drink."
"This is illegal and stupid and ... where the hell did you get this from?" I asked her, taking the drink.
She tactfully avoided the question by skulling half of the vodka in the bottle. Following her lead, I skulled what was in my glass. For a moment everything was perfectly fine.
"What do you plan on doing with this stuff when mom and dad get home?" Michael asked. "We're gonna be off the planet drunk and mom and dad are never letting you out again."
"Don't be an idiot," Cassy said. "I'm not that stupid."
"So what's your plan?" I asked, noticing my eight-year-old brother taking a sip of gin and enjoying it.
"While Katie and Eddie might get amazingly drunk, you and I will be fine." She said to Michael. "Me because I've had alcohol enough to know what I can handle --"
"What?"
"--and you because ... well, if you are drunk, I'll just make you do it anyway."
As much as it freaked me out that Cassy had planned the whole thing out, I definately did not mind the vodka she'd brought. I never questioned her reasons for bringing alcohol to her little brothers and sister, mainly because we'd both enjoyed the night and it lead to more interesting times when she'd take me out with her to parties.
I don't know if mom and dad ever found out, because the last thing I remember is falling off the kitchen table, and when I came to, I was in bed. They were perky the next morning, and Eddie didn't wake up until midday, which I think won the rest of us some points with mom and dad. So they didn't know straight away if at all, and I doubt they ever found out.
There was another time they found out about, which was much later, when I was seventeen, but that's a different story completely.
"Mooooooom!" My brother cried.
"What is it?" She asked, bored.
"Don't go tonight!" He begged her.
"Why on earth not?" She said, the smirk clear on her face.
"Because!" He answered, as if it was a perfect reason.
She sighed. "Just do what Katerina and Michael tell you."
Then she scooped up her bag, and headed out the front door, and my father hurried out after her, winking at us as he did so.
For about an hour after they'd gone, my little brother Eddie, all of eight at the time, made sure me and Michael were within eyeshot of him at all times. Trying to get changed was not going to work, he'd watched too many movies. By half past eight, Michael and I were sick of him and demanded he get changed and go to bed.
"No! It's too early!" He shouted. "Not going to let you!"
"Not going to let us what?" Michael groaned.
Eddie stomped his foot as a response. I dropped backwards onto the couch and muttered something about murder. Eddie stood there, glaring at us both. We all turned at the sound of a key in the door, and Cassy walked in. She stared at us, blankly, and I noticed a basket she was holding that she hadn't left with.
"Did you steal someone's clothes again, Case?" I asked.
"Shut up," she glared. "That was once. Anyway, what the hell are you lot doing? Don't you have any lives?"
"They're going to bed soon." Michael said. "No time to 'get a life'." He looked her up and down. "And if you're an example of what it's like to have a life, I don't really want one."
"Be nice to me," she said, crossing into the kitchen. "I've got something for you three."
Eddie jumped up and ran after her. Michael remained rather skeptical of anything from Cassy, and I remained on the couch. I heard a cry from the kitchen and Eddie,
"What is that?"
"KATIE!" My sister screamed.
Lazily, I hauled myself up and walked into the kitchen. Cassy was standing proudly in front of half a dozen bottles of gin, and a fair amount of vodka.
"Cassy ..." I began.
"The vodka's for you and me," she explained. "The boys can have the gin."
"Eddie's eight!" I pointed out.
"Yes. I am aware." She shrugged. "We're all under age."
"But Eddie is EIGHT!" I repeated.
"Yes." Cassy said tightly. "And I'm fifteen, you're twelve and Michael's thirteen. Who cares?"
"Fourteen." Michael snapped.
"Whatever." She poured the vodka into a glass and handed it to me. "Drink."
"This is illegal and stupid and ... where the hell did you get this from?" I asked her, taking the drink.
She tactfully avoided the question by skulling half of the vodka in the bottle. Following her lead, I skulled what was in my glass. For a moment everything was perfectly fine.
"What do you plan on doing with this stuff when mom and dad get home?" Michael asked. "We're gonna be off the planet drunk and mom and dad are never letting you out again."
"Don't be an idiot," Cassy said. "I'm not that stupid."
"So what's your plan?" I asked, noticing my eight-year-old brother taking a sip of gin and enjoying it.
"While Katie and Eddie might get amazingly drunk, you and I will be fine." She said to Michael. "Me because I've had alcohol enough to know what I can handle --"
"What?"
"--and you because ... well, if you are drunk, I'll just make you do it anyway."
As much as it freaked me out that Cassy had planned the whole thing out, I definately did not mind the vodka she'd brought. I never questioned her reasons for bringing alcohol to her little brothers and sister, mainly because we'd both enjoyed the night and it lead to more interesting times when she'd take me out with her to parties.
I don't know if mom and dad ever found out, because the last thing I remember is falling off the kitchen table, and when I came to, I was in bed. They were perky the next morning, and Eddie didn't wake up until midday, which I think won the rest of us some points with mom and dad. So they didn't know straight away if at all, and I doubt they ever found out.
There was another time they found out about, which was much later, when I was seventeen, but that's a different story completely.