Nicotine & Gravy

Wensleydale

Chapter 2: It's Time to Party

In Which Harsh Words Are Said
and
Drama Kids Are a Strange Bunch

            The tutoring went smoothly after that strange hiccup, and Maximilien added one more condition to the arrangement—a tray of cookies at least once a week.

Two weeks had passed, and Maximilien headed out towards the lunch hangout. He waved to Lia when out of nowhere a heavy slap on the back sent him sprawling to the dirt.

"Oh, man, I didn't mean to hit you so hard! I..." Durand picked up a far-flung book and stretched out a hand to help Maximilien up, but this was ignored as the blonde picked himself up, cursing loudly.

"Fuck it, Durand! Why do you have to..." Maximilien was about to go off, but Lia had run forward.

"Hey, is everything alright, you guys?"

Maximilien momentarily lost his ire as Lia searched his face, making sure he seemed okay. As soon as she met his gaze, she determined he was fine and turned to Durand. Maximilien was a bit disappointed—he wanted more time to study her full lips, or her eyes, or any part of her, really.

He dusted himself off as Durand kept apologizing. "...so sorry, I don't know what came over me, I'm just still used to football and I was so excited that I got a C on my test, man, I passed it, thanks to you, you know, and..."

Maximilien was about to open his mouth and tell off Durand when Lia remarked, "You passed the test? Awesome, Durand!" She hugged him, inducing a nauseous feeling in Maximilien. He turned away, walking towards the bricks when arms wrapped around him and Lia said, "You're doing a great job tutoring him." He tensed up, caught by surprise; the nausea disappeared, and he found himself grinning. But like before, it was over too soon.

He looked back at Durand, who sported a sheepish smile. "Next time, you can just tell me that you passed." He took his book back and turned towards Lia, who had planted herself against the wall. She offered him a smoke, and started rummaging through her purse.

She gave an 'Aha!' and then pulled out two white slips of paper, which she handed to the boys. "Party this weekend, guys. Parents are out of town, and hey, you two have something to celebrate now."

Maximilien squinted at the invitation. "There aren't any directions on this...?"

Lia chuckled. "There aren't any directions because I don't want the school calling the cops or anything. The people I'm inviting either know how to get to my house or I'm going to tell them where I live."

"So what are the dire—"

"We can carpool, Max!" Durand raised his arm as if to slap Maximilien's back, and stopped himself when he received a furious glare from his tutor.

Maximilien was more upset that Durand knew where Lia lived than about being called Max—what was he doing at Lia's house? "I'd still like directi—"

"So you guys will carpool over? Great, that way you won't get lost, Max." Lia chuckled again, and lit her cigarette.

The nonchalance of Lia and Durand towards this matter infuriated Maximilien, and even if he didn't know the details of how Durand had visited the de Beaumont's house, the jealous rage that welled up inside assumed the worst. The thought of a party at Lia's had initially gotten his hopes up, but this new revelation...and he'd have to carpool with Durand just to get there!

He snatched the lighter from Lia's hand and sat the rest of the lunch smoking in silence while Durand and Lia chatted.

Robespierre was still in the middle of choosing an outfit when the doorbell rang. He fumbled with the buttons while stumbling down the steps to the door, and remembered it was just going to be Durand. He flung the door open and greeted him coldly. "I'm ready."

Durand kept trying to start a conversation on the way to the car, but Maximilien ignored him until the ignition started. "Why weren't you around to tutor me yesterday?"

Maximilien stared out the window and finished buttoning his shirt, refusing to look at Durand. "You're smart enough now, what do you think?"

"Is this about Lia?"

"Gold star for you, Durand! Why were you hanging out with Lia? Why do you have to keep hanging out with us during lunch, anyway? I mean, she probably just wants the cigarettes, what does she see in you other than that?" The past twenty-four hours of fuming had erupted into this terrifying fury, and Maximilien took some satisfaction in the surprise and panic that covered Durand's face.

Durand was silent, narrowly missing cars as he swerved through traffic. Maximilien realized that going off on the driver may have not been the best idea, but restrained himself from showing worry at the aggressive driving. Maximilien flung himself back into the seat, muttering to himself about agreeing to tutor Durand.

"Shut up, Max." Robespierre was taken aback at the calm response, the unreadable expression now on Durand's face. "I've had to drop Lia's brother off on the few days that she's left early or been sick—I'm the only person she knows well enough with a car that stays after, as her brother does some after-school club. Not that any of this is your business, and I shouldn't have to tell you anyway." He paused and looked to his left, trying to make a right turn at a red light. "And she talks about you anyway, how smart you are, and how she's glad she doesn't have to smoke alone during lunch. Once your tutoring helps me raise my grades enough, I'll be leaving you two alone during lunch again when I can go to the team meetings." He made a hard right, throwing Maximilien into the door.

Maximilien processed all this information between the bouts of fear at Durand's driving habits. He should be ecstatic, but he just felt sick—he hadn't expected Durand to react so strangely. Did this mean....? He looked up into Durand's face. "You like Lia too, don't you?" he murmured slowly.

The brakes squealed from a sudden stop. "Wow, way to go, brainiac! How long did that take? I buy her cigarettes, I offer to drive her brother home...it wasn't exactly easy going to you for tutoring when she talked about you so much!" He pulled to a curb; Maximilien thought to admonish him for stopping before the party, but Durand was livid. "It's still not that easy going to tutoring, as if you care, all intellectual-like! You've been rubbing it in my face every day, even just now! I'd much rather be at practice, talking to Lia like I used to!"

For once, Maximilien was at a loss for words. He had never guessed that Durand liked Lia, nor had he ever thought about how he treated Durand. He always assumed that Durand probably wasn't smart enough to pick up on his put-downs...though he would have been doing that with anyone he tutored.

"You're a dick, Max." Durand had turned away and sighed loudly, rubbing his forehead. "You really aren't good with people."

This cut to the bone—Maximilien had few friends. Well, he really only had Lia. He sort of thought of Durand as a friend, but obviously that was a different type of friendship—and rethinking all the times he called Durand an 'idiot' made him wince. "I haven't been treating you well at all, Durand. I'm..." He paused, gritting his teeth. "...sorry."

An eyebrow rose in response, and the footballer stared. "What?"

"I'm sorry, okay! I've been...pretty jealous, I must admit, especially since all your extra time with Lia led me to believe...well, anyway, you're right, I'm not good with people."
He adjusted his glasses out of a nervous habit, and attempted a grin. So Lia talks about me all the time, huh? That bit of information raised his spirits considerably, though it helped that Maximilien didn't see Durand as much of a threat anymore. "Thanks...thanks for the cookies, all things considered."

Durand's lip twitched and he smiled, putting the car back in gear. "Do you think I have a chance on that Trig test this coming Monday?"

Maximilien realized he was completely out of his element even before he reached the party; the bass was pumping so loud that even outside, one could feel the beat.

Cars were littered across the driveway and in the street, and Maximilien's stomach knotted the entire walk to the door. It caught in his throat when a familiar face greeted them; Lia had let her hair out of its familiar ponytail, and it wreathed her face in a glowing frame, curls bouncing lightly as she stepped out. "Hey guys! Glad you could make it! Come on in!" She had to shout over the music, but neither Durand nor Robespierre noticed. Both were too busy taking in the rest of Lia, who had traded in her jeans for an extremely short skirt, something that would never comply with the school dress-code or be very practical for riding motorcycles. Every other article of clothing also seemed like it wouldn't work with the dress-code—knee-high leather boots, low-cut blouse, cleavage-spilling corset.

Maximilien followed Lia inside, and it was certainly difficult not to let his eyes wander. His mind kept wandering as well, which wasn't typical—especially considering what it was wandering to. He tried instead to focus on the party, and was overwhelmed by the scene: people dancing, people talking, people smoking and drinking all throughout the living room. He couldn't hear himself think over the music, and kept following Lia (and Durand, who got ahead of him) to the somewhat quieter kitchen.

Lia tossed Durand a beer from the fridge, which he caught effortlessly and opened up with a loud snap. Maximilien, staring, did not notice the second beer Lia tossed until it hit him on the side of his head. "GODDAMMIT!"

Lia rushed over, stifling laughter. "Ah, ah, are you okay, Max? I figured you could catch it!" She placed her hands on either side of his head and checked out where the can hit him. "Doubt it will bruise, you've got a hard head." She rubbed the point of impact and Maximilien grimaced as she touched the tender spot. "Aw shit, I'm sorry, it was only funny at the moment. Please accept my apology." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, sending chills down his spine with this small gesture.

Durand had started sucking down the booze, and belched loudly. "C'mon Max, have a drink. You'll feel better!" He kicked the can towards his tutor. "Drink up!"

Curiosity and peer pressure got the better of him, and Robespierre lifted the drink to his mouth. He nearly gagged trying to swallow down the first mouthful, but upon seeing Lia smiling at him with a can herself he finished the rest within the minute.

It was disgusting.

"Wow, I didn't know you were the type! Awesome!" Durand took another swig, and patted Robespierre on the back.

Lia looked surprised. "Well, you don't have to actually chug it, Max." She tossed him another, which he managed to catch—as much as he wanted Lia to kiss him again, he didn't want to look like a complete loser. She gave him a devilish grin and asked, "So, ready to party?"

The rest of the night was a blur—though whether this was a result of inebriation remained to be realized. There was dancing on furniture, meeting classmates he'd always ignored, and of course, alcohol. While the beer was initially disgusting, he couldn't taste it anymore; Lia was drinking, and so he would drink. Right now, the party had started winding down and Lia decided that Truth or Dare would be a fun game to play at the moment.

"Do I know you?" Maximilien shakily asked, as he sat down next to a rather strangely-attired blonde girl with a bit too much eyeliner. Her heavy-lidded eyes fixed on him, but she made no motion to move or talk.

"Ah, don't mind Lorenza, she's always that way!" A pudgy guy with an exaggerated voice sat on the other side of the strange girl, and held out his hand expectantly. Maximilien hesitated, then extended his to the stranger, who shook his hand vigorously. "Name's Alessandro, but you can call me Alex. I've introduced Lorenza," he nodded to the blonde, "and you might know us from the school productions!" The rotund boy laughed heartily, and moved forward into Robespierre's personal space.

"Er, Maximilien. School productions?" His class memories were hazy and distant, but he was sure he had never seen these two. He also moved further back, away from Alex.

"We're in the drama club. We put on the school plays." Lorenza finally opened her mouth, stating all of this without much inflection. Maximilien realized why he'd never seen these two—the drama kids were a strange lot, keeping to their selves and their stage. These two probably lived up to most of the drama stereotypes, just by the way they looked.

"And how do you two know Lia de Beaumont?"

"Well...we don't. Her younger brother was an extra in the fall play though. We heard about this from word-of-mouth, and as ACTORS," Alex thumped a fist on his chest, "we must go where the drama goes!" Lorenza rolled her eyes, and Robespierre had to stop himself from following suit.

"Okay everyone! We're playing a game." Lia caught the small group's attention—Robespierre now realized that the party had dwindled to the drama kids, Durand, Lia, and himself.

"If you aren't prepared for some crazy dares, go leave upstairs!" Alex was shut up by a smack from Lorenza, but apparently not soon enough.

A few rounds in, and Alex had been smacked at least five more times, all for daring Lorenza to 'show her tits'. Lia, much to Maximilien's chagrin, kept picking 'dare', so that the truth of whether she liked him or Durand kept going unanswered. Everyone now knew Maximilien's middle name (or names, rather) and Durand...well, he was sitting in his boxers by now, and Lia found the hearts on them cute.

It was Durand's turn again, and unsurprisingly, he chose a dare. So far, Lia had been doing most of the dare-making, and she sat with her head in her hand, deep in thought.

"Liiiiiaaaaaaaaa......" Durand was getting impatient, and sprawled out on the floor with a groan.

Another minute passed, and Alex stood up. "I think I'm going to head back, if there's no chance of seeing anyone's boobs."

Lorenza pointed to Durand's bare chest. "You can see his." Maximilien snickered, and watched the Alex's ego deflate as he shook his head.

"No, no, Lorenza! Supple, round, delicious girl breasts...like yours, or de Beaumont's over there-ouch!" Lorenza had smacked him again. "Anyway, that's a guy, and he's hairy, and I'm not really into that sort of thing. If that's the only chance of seeing a topless chick tonight, it's time to leave." He got up slowly, and made his way up the stairs.

Lorenza followed him, rubbing her eyes. "We drove together, it's my car, and I'm sober. Nice meeting you all." Durand and Maximilien both bade her a good night, but Lia was still concentrating.

Maximilien's head buzzed pleasantly—if Durand fell asleep or went upstairs, he might finally have time alone with Lia. At the moment, confessing his crush seemed like a good idea.

"Okay, guys, I've finally got it." Lia looked extremely pleased with herself, an impish grin filling her face. Durand propped himself up on one arm, and Maximilien scooted closer. "Durand, I dare you to make out with Max!"

Durand looked unfazed, but Maximilien sat up indignantly. "What?! What kind of dare is that?!"

Lia shrugged, still smiling. "You admitted you'd never been kissed, remember? You're the one who kept picking 'truth'."

It was true, though Maximilien hoped his first real kiss could have been from Lia. He was quite conflicted—he wanted to impress Lia by staying cool and going along, but at the same time he didn't think he wanted to make out with Durand.

Meanwhile, the beefy quarterback had already closed the gap between himself and his tutor. Maximilien hastily retreated backwards, but was stopped by the wall. It was just him, Lia, and Durand; at least it seemed like whatever happened down here would stay down here. He closed his eyes and hoped it would be over soon.

Maximilien could feel Durand over him, pressing against his lips. He thought that would be it, until a wet tongue pushed into his mouth. He tried to protest, but his mouth was occupied and his body (which had been so geared up all evening anytime Lia so much as looked at him) wanted more. Fortunately, Durand had far more experience in these endeavors than Robespierre, and held Max in his arm. The slight academic pushed his tongue into Durand's mouth, marveling at the sensation; his hands dug in to skin on broad shoulders, his legs splayed out on either side of his partner. The past month of pent-up sexual frustration was being satiated by the wrong person, but at the moment it didn't matter. All that mattered was feeling good, and this felt great.

Maximilien was not used to having Durand teach him things; after all, he was the tutor. Still, these thoughts were dropped as quickly as most of his initial misgivings, though by now Durand had managed to sneak his hand up Maximilien's shirt.

"Hey guys, uh, do you need a room now?" Lia cleared her throat loudly, interrupting the dare. This had an immediate effect on Maximilien, who suddenly realized the full extent of what was going on and attempted to shove the much-heavier Durand off his body. "I think I'm going to clean up a bit, but you guys can feel free to crash here."

Durand steadied himself up and walked back to pick up his clothes, freeing Robespierre. "I'll just sleep down here then," Durand said, motioning to a couch. Maximilien was taken aback by his casual manner over what just transpired, and ran after Lia.

"Can I sleep on the couch upstairs?"

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