Page 56 of Revelry

“This is a really fluffy blanket,” I whisper, staring at the screen because if I stare at Josh I’m going to lose my shit.I mean, lose my shit even more.

“You can keep it,” Josh says, as if he’s talking to a mental patient, and maybe I do need to be committed because … I’m in Josh Holme’s fucking house under his fluffy blanketthat he just gave to me, and I’m in his house and on his couch and … wow.

“I can?” I whisper.

“Sure. It’s all yours.”

“That’s really nice of you.”

“Hey Red, why don’t you show Josh how it’s done?”

“Oh I couldn’t—”

“Take the fucking controller, babe,” Levi says.Okay, so I’m definitely acting like I need to be committed. What the hell hope do I have of a career in the music industry if I fall apart and fangirl and demand fluffy blankets from mega stars? I don’t need a damn blanket; I need a bullet.

I take the controller from Josh and try not to freak out when his hand brushes mine, and then I set about something I’ve been wanting to do for months. I kill a butt load of motherfucking scary zombies. “How do you even have this? It’s not due out for another three months.”

He shrugs. At least, I think that’s what he’s doing. I’m not taking my eyes off the screen for a single damn second, so I’m kinda relying on periphery here. “The company send them over to me.”

“Dude, you’re a gamer?”

“Err … not really.”

“You’re not even a gamer and they send the Holy Grail of zombie games to you? Man, I have got to get famous.”

“Keep acting the way you are, Red, and we’ll put it up on YouTube. You’ll go viral within minutes,” Levi says, and I cringe. I don’t reply though, because a zombie jumps up out of nowhere and I have to use all my nervous energy to beat the shit out of him with a broken bottle.

More and more people arrive as the night draws out. Levi sits down on the couch beside me, and Josh gets up to greet his guests all while I remain there under my fluffy blanket. A host of blurred faces cheer me on when I take down zombie after zombie, and I’m plied with more liquor than I’m sure is good for me. I must be more than halfway through the game when my bladder lets me know it’s really pissed off because I’ve spent the last couple of hours filling it with booze and ignoring its insistence to go tinkle. I stand up and stumble around, not having any idea of where I’m going and hoping I’ll just walk and miraculously run into a bathroom. Before long I’m careening into a wall, and Levi is propping me up.

“Jesus, Red. Drunk much?” He says. “What are you doing?”

“I need to pee, and I need my blanket.” I say, turning in the direction I’d just come. “Where’s my fluffy blanket?”

“I got it. It’s here,” Levi says, holding it up, and then he turns me around and points to a door in front of us. “And the bathroom is there.”

“Oh, thank god.”

“Just when I think you can’t get any weirder, you go and shock the shit out of me.”

“I like fluffy blankets. I need another drink.”

“Are you sure? I’m thinking you’ve met your quota of embarrassing fangirl moments for the day.” He chuckles.

“Shut up, Vlad, and find me some booze while I pee.”

I slip into the bathroom, taking my blanket and setting it down on the pristine chaise lounge in the corner, so no one will steal it from me as I pee.

When I’m done, Levi and I walk through the house to the enormous kitchen, where there’s food of every colour and kind spread out on the bench, and an assortment of drinks too. I slap at Levi’s chest when I see several well-known singers from rock bands whose music I grew up on snorting lines with a rolled up bill “Holy shit, is that—”

“Yeah, you wanna come say hi?” He smiles and then adds, “Wait, are you gonna flip out and fangirl again? I want to know so I can have my camera phone ready.”

“Shut the fuck up. It was motherfucking Josh Holme, man. Haven’t you ever pulled out your inner fanboy?”

“Nope. I’m a rock star, baby. I don’t fangirl; I get fangirled over.”

“You’re a cocky motherfucker who needs to be knocked down a few pegs,” I reply, taking the beer he offers me. I sip it and then squeal on the inside because I’m drinking Josh Holme’s beer.

“Cocky is true enough,” he says. “Grab your blanky, Red. I’ll introduce you.”

---