is.’
She frowned. ‘How much have you drunk?’
‘Just this jug. And the other jug.’
‘What other jug?’
I shook my head. ‘No, same jug. Same jug, but different jug. Two jugs. But also one jug.’
She sighed. ‘I’m going to take you back to your room.’
‘No! No, I’ll go by myself. Sorry, I’m kind of…’ I slid off my stool, and felt a little dizzy. ‘You can’t get drunk on that stuff anyway. It’s all sugar.’
‘Well, apparently you’re the first person in the world to get drunk on it.’ Laura shook her head. ‘All right, come on then.’
‘I can go by myself,’ I insisted.
‘Yeah, sure you can.’ She grabbed our bags and coats, and linked her arm through mine. She marched me out of the club and back across the dark campus to the dorms.
Somewhere along the way, I realised that I was crying. I tried to be quiet about it, but it was cold, and that made my nose run even more than the tears, and soon I was sniffing and snuffling like an asthmatic bulldog. Laura didn’t say anything; she hustled me along back into the dorm building, then along into my bedroom.
She pushed me onto my bed, and while I curled up in a ball and wailed into my pillow, she went to the kitchen and came back with half a packet of pink wafers and a cup of tea. She put them on my desk, and then came and sat on my bed. She patted my shoulder. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’
I shook my head. I couldn’t think about anything; I just wanted to cry and sleep. ‘You can go back, I’m sorry I made you leave.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t going to let you leave like that.’
I sniffed deeply, and tried to smile at her. ‘I’m okay. I really am. You go back. I think I just got brain freeze, and it kind of combined with essay stress, and I’m just really tired. I just need an early night.’
Laura teetered, clearly torn.
‘Go on,’ I said, giving her a little shove. ‘I’ll be really cross if you don’t go back and enjoy yourself.’
‘Well, all right,’ she said. ‘If you’re sure.’
‘I am sure.’
‘Okay.’
‘Don’t—don’t tell the others that I was crying. Just say I was tired.’
‘Okay.’ She smiled at me. ‘You go to sleep. And drink your tea. I put about half the sugar bowl in it, just how you like it.’
I almost started crying again at that, but I just gave her a watery smile as she went out the door. I wanted to just sleep and cry, but I forced myself to sit upright. I sat for a moment with my head in my hands, then I made the packet of biscuits float towards me. I chewed on a pink wafer, but it was dry in my mouth, and the tea was too hot to drink.
I scrubbed at my face, leaving black makeup stains on my wrist, and left my room for the kitchen. The dorm floor was dark and quiet. When I flicked on the kitchen light, the brightness hurt my eyes, so I turned it off again and felt my way to the sink. I found a clean glass, and filled it with cold water.
When I turned around, Dmitri was standing right next to me. I choked on my water, and coughed and snorted for a good five minutes.
‘Why are you crying?’ he asked, looking concerned. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes,’ I said. Then, ‘No.’
‘Ah.’ He paused, and cocked his head to one side. The gesture reminded me so much of Liam that I almost dropped the glass. I burst into tears again.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Um. Maybe you should go to bed? Yeah? You’ll feel better then?’
I nodded blindly, and stumbled out of the kitchen back to my bedroom. I sat down on my bed, then realised that I was still holding the glass. A sob choked me, and I made it float back towards the desk.
A small sound made me look up blearily. Dmitri was standing in the doorway, and he was looking at me curiously. ‘Is that your power?’
‘Yeah.’ A fresh wave of tears burst out of me. My
She frowned. ‘How much have you drunk?’
‘Just this jug. And the other jug.’
‘What other jug?’
I shook my head. ‘No, same jug. Same jug, but different jug. Two jugs. But also one jug.’
She sighed. ‘I’m going to take you back to your room.’
‘No! No, I’ll go by myself. Sorry, I’m kind of…’ I slid off my stool, and felt a little dizzy. ‘You can’t get drunk on that stuff anyway. It’s all sugar.’
‘Well, apparently you’re the first person in the world to get drunk on it.’ Laura shook her head. ‘All right, come on then.’
‘I can go by myself,’ I insisted.
‘Yeah, sure you can.’ She grabbed our bags and coats, and linked her arm through mine. She marched me out of the club and back across the dark campus to the dorms.
Somewhere along the way, I realised that I was crying. I tried to be quiet about it, but it was cold, and that made my nose run even more than the tears, and soon I was sniffing and snuffling like an asthmatic bulldog. Laura didn’t say anything; she hustled me along back into the dorm building, then along into my bedroom.
She pushed me onto my bed, and while I curled up in a ball and wailed into my pillow, she went to the kitchen and came back with half a packet of pink wafers and a cup of tea. She put them on my desk, and then came and sat on my bed. She patted my shoulder. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’
I shook my head. I couldn’t think about anything; I just wanted to cry and sleep. ‘You can go back, I’m sorry I made you leave.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t going to let you leave like that.’
I sniffed deeply, and tried to smile at her. ‘I’m okay. I really am. You go back. I think I just got brain freeze, and it kind of combined with essay stress, and I’m just really tired. I just need an early night.’
Laura teetered, clearly torn.
‘Go on,’ I said, giving her a little shove. ‘I’ll be really cross if you don’t go back and enjoy yourself.’
‘Well, all right,’ she said. ‘If you’re sure.’
‘I am sure.’
‘Okay.’
‘Don’t—don’t tell the others that I was crying. Just say I was tired.’
‘Okay.’ She smiled at me. ‘You go to sleep. And drink your tea. I put about half the sugar bowl in it, just how you like it.’
I almost started crying again at that, but I just gave her a watery smile as she went out the door. I wanted to just sleep and cry, but I forced myself to sit upright. I sat for a moment with my head in my hands, then I made the packet of biscuits float towards me. I chewed on a pink wafer, but it was dry in my mouth, and the tea was too hot to drink.
I scrubbed at my face, leaving black makeup stains on my wrist, and left my room for the kitchen. The dorm floor was dark and quiet. When I flicked on the kitchen light, the brightness hurt my eyes, so I turned it off again and felt my way to the sink. I found a clean glass, and filled it with cold water.
When I turned around, Dmitri was standing right next to me. I choked on my water, and coughed and snorted for a good five minutes.
‘Why are you crying?’ he asked, looking concerned. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes,’ I said. Then, ‘No.’
‘Ah.’ He paused, and cocked his head to one side. The gesture reminded me so much of Liam that I almost dropped the glass. I burst into tears again.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Um. Maybe you should go to bed? Yeah? You’ll feel better then?’
I nodded blindly, and stumbled out of the kitchen back to my bedroom. I sat down on my bed, then realised that I was still holding the glass. A sob choked me, and I made it float back towards the desk.
A small sound made me look up blearily. Dmitri was standing in the doorway, and he was looking at me curiously. ‘Is that your power?’
‘Yeah.’ A fresh wave of tears burst out of me. My
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