The Good Life

Alex

"What do you mean he's dead?" I asked Jack. I couldn't really comprehend what he was trying to tell me. It felt like I was having a nightmare.

"He was found in his penthouse. He apparently overdosed on a lot of stuff." He told me.

"But we just saw him before we left! How? Why would he do that?"

"He was probably really depressed, Babe." He said and tried to comfort me. I felt like I could have stopped this from happening.

"No maybe if I had stayed longer he wouldn't have done it." I thought out loud.

"Alex-" Jack said but I kept talking.

"Or maybe I shouldn't have went at all. I probably shouldn't have told him I was married or anything. Maybe he wouldn't have felt so bad."

"Alex, Honey no! Don't blame yourself. He probably accidentally overdosed, but if it wasn't an accident he would have done it regardless of if you visited him or not." He said, but I was barely paying attention. I felt so fucking guilty. I knew that this was mostly my fault.

"I don't know...I just...I don't know." I sighed and laid back staring straight up at the ceiling. It was helping me keep tears from falling from my eyes. I basically drove Vinny to killing himself. Visiting him was a mistake I should have never went there.

"Shhh it's okay." Jack laid down on my chest and I held his hand. I didn't want to lay down and cry about this though. I just didn't feel like dealing with these emotions right now.

"I need a drink." I said and sat up with Jack.

"You can't solve your problems with alcohol, Alex." Jack sighed.

"I know but I just don't feel like dealing with this right now." I said and got up to go find my shoes.

"Alcohol isn't going to make things better. If anything it's just going to intensify your emotions." He nagged.

"I wasn't asking for your permission. I was just telling you so you know where I would be at all night." I told him and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Excuse me?"

"Look I don't feel like fighting." I pulled on my last shoe. "I'll be back later." I came over and kissed him on the forehead.

"Alex!" He yelled and got up to follow me. I continued to walk until I was at the front door. Then I closed the door to stop him from coming out with me.

I walked to my car and drove to the bar I always went to with Oli, Rian, and Aus. I actually didn't feel like drinking alone so I opened our group message and asked them to meet me here. I ignored Jack's calls because I already knew what he was going to say.

Oli was the first to text that he was on his way and Aus was next. Rian texted a few minutes after them saying he was coming too. I went up to the bartender and had him pour me a drink while I waited. I sat at the table we usually sat at and drunk the whiskey I had.

I finished two drinks and was on my third one by the time Oli made it.

"Hey, what's wrong? You look like shit." He said worriedly. I left without fixing my hair or anything so I did probably look off.

"I want to wait until everyone is here so I won't have to repeat it." I said and I could tell he thought the worse. I just didn't want to have to announce that Vinny was dead three times.

"Is it anything to do with Izzy or Jack?" He asked.

"No no they're fine." I said and he exhaled in relief.

Austin and Rian showed up only a few minutes apart from each other. I could tell they were very confused because we just got back from Vegas and I was already asking them to come out with me again.

"So Vinny's dead." I said and picked up my glass to finish the rest of my drink.

They all gasped and looked at me shocked. I started to feel numb because of the drinks I had so I just nodded.

"What do you mean he's dead?" Austin asked.

"I mean they found his lifeless body in his penthouse." I clarified.

"How?" Rian asked. "Like how'd he die?"

"Drug overdose." I mumbled.

"Dude we literally just saw him this morning before we left. How is he dead now?" Oli said.

"He took a bunch of drugs and now he's dead." I stated bluntly.

"Like on accident or did he mean to?" Austin asked.

"I'm not really sure. I feel more like it was suicide than an accident." I said.

"It kind of makes since now that I think about it." Rian said. "I mean why else would he give us a lot of his stuff and say he wouldn't need it anymore."

I felt even stupider for not detecting that when it happened. "I need another drink." I sighed and went back to the bar for more drinks. I got us all glasses of whiskey.

I bought the drinks back to the table and we all sat silently. The silence didn't bother us because there wasn't anything to say about what happened. It caught us all of guard so of course we were all speechless.

I wanted another drink. I needed another drink. It would help me stop thinking about Vinny's death for the night. Of course the guys, mostly Rian, we're being over protective and didn't want me to drink too much. Plus I was drinking way before the guys got here so I was drunker than them and it began to show.

"Alex I don't think you should drink anymore tonight. It’s not really good to substitute your emotions with alcohol." Rian said worriedly.

"I'm fine Ri, I can have another." I said. I could see them look between each other to decide if they should stop me or not, but I got up before they could. I went to the bartender and asked for another. He reluctantly gave me the drink knowing that it wasn't really okay to sell a drunk person alcohol.

I took a sip while still standing at the bar and the guys all got up and walked over to me. I rolled my eyes as they stood around me trying to get me to listen to them.

"Alex, man, you've really had enough let me just take you home." Oli pleaded. They made it seem like I was an alcoholic or something. I really wanted to say no or ignore them but it looked like they were six seconds from grabbing me and forcefully taking me out the bar.

"I don't want to go home. Jack's just going to bitch at me for going out to get drunk." I slurred.
"Okay well just come stay with me for the night?" Oli suggested.

"Fine. Whatever." I hurried and finished the rest of my drink and Rian sat money down on the bar for the bartender.

Then we left out of there and went to the parking lot. My car was still where I parked it but it was going to have to stay overnight.

"Text us when you two make it home." Rian told Oli and he said okay. We told him and Austin bye and they left.

I followed Oli to his truck and he opened the door for me. Since his truck was kind of high off the ground I had to use the step on the side to get in. Oli helped me get in and put my seatbelt on before going to get in on the driver’s side. Then he began to drive us towards his house.

"You better tell me if you have to throw up so I can pull over. Because if you throw up in my truck I will kick your drunk ass." He warned and I chuckled. I didn't eat anything before coming to drink so it was likely that that would happen.

"Now I might do it on purpose." I joked and he glared at me.

"You think I'm kidding but I'm not." He laughed, but I knew he was dead serious.

"I know, Oli."

"And don't forget to tell Jack that you're staying with me tonight." He reminded me.

"Alright I will." I said, but made no attempt to text him.

"Do it now before you forget." He complained.

"I won't forget! I'll just do it when we get to your house." I didn't have reason not to do it. I guess I was just being difficult.

"I don't see why you can't just do it now!"

"Why is it-...pull over." I felt sick. My stomach felt like it was churning.

"What? Why?" He questioned.

"I'm gonna-" I covered my mouth and he got the hint. He quickly stopped his truck and moved to the shoulder of the road. All the movement didn't really help the situation.

"Door! Door! Door!" Oli yelled at me, trying to tell me to open the door.

I, by the grace of God, got the door opened and threw up everything outside of his truck. The feeling of all the alcohol coming up made me want to reconsider ever drinking again.

Once I made sure I was finished with the first wave of throwing up (I could feel that there was going to be a second) I leaned back into the truck and closed my door.

"You got so fucking lucky!" He scolded me and drove us back on the road. I nodded and laid my head back against the head rest, I felt horrible.

When we made it to Oli's house he helped me out of the truck and into his house. I couldn't walk straight and my stomach felt like it was on fire.

"You're back earlier than I thought you'd be." Hannah said to Oli.

"Yeah Alex drunk more than he needed to." He said and I huffed.

"Just get me to a toilet before I puke on your floor." I grumbled.

Oli took me to the guest bathroom and leaned me over the toilet. I laid on my arms over the toilet as I waited. I could tell I needed to throw up more but it wasn't happening yet.

"You're not leaving the bathroom until you do it." Oli said and I groaned in response. I felt too sick to give a real response. I was sweating and drooling plus I felt so weak.

"You two are so ridiculous." Hannah said as she walked pass the bathroom.

"Oli tell me a story." I asked out of breath. I was getting bored while waiting.

"A story? Um uh okay? Once there was a Papa bear, a Mama bea-" I stopped him mid-story with a grunt.

"-I've heard that before." I mumbled. I could sense his eyes rolling without me looking.

"Okay once there was a Papa squid, a mama squid, and a baby squid-"

"-that's the same fucking story." I complained and he sighed.

"I don't know why I'm even entertaining you. Just hurry up and throw up so I can go to bed."

"I can't!" I whined.

"I don't know just imagine your dad fucking his wife or something." As soon as he said that, the mental picture popped up in my head and I began throw up into the toilet. I heard him sigh in relief.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I coughed as I finished.

"What? I got you to throw up didn't I?" He said nonchalantly.

"You're fucking insane."

"No I'm fucking sleepy so get your ass up and go get in bed!" He yelled at me.

"Please don't yell at me. I don't feel good." I said sadly, trying to gain sympathy from him. This felt routine because we always ended up like this when one of us got too drunk.

He narrowed his eyes at me, but helped me up and to the guest bed. I wasn't shocked that he helped me out of my clothes because like I said we used to always do this for each other. He left me in my boxers and pulled the blanket back for me so I could lay down in bed. I laid down and he covered me up. I was so warm, comfortable, and drunk that I momentarily forgot about Vinny.

I also forgot to text Jack.

Notes

Thanks for reading!