Drunk

DELILAH

I have always hated Elena. I don’t know where it began, but I know this much: we were both adopted into the Blackwater family, and from the very start, she wanted all the attention. She thrived on being the better one.

Better grades.

More loved by our parents.

More friends.

More beautiful.

She had that model’s body, the flawless blonde hair, those bright blue eyes that everyone seemed to melt for. I hate to admit it, but yeah....she was that girl.

And then there was I. Delilah. The black sheep. The one who always seemed to do everything wrong. The one everybody overlooked. At home, at school....everywhere.

If I played piano, she wanted to play piano, and of course, she had to play it better. Whatever I tried, Elena swooped in to prove she could shine brighter than I. And I let her.... Finally, I got accustomed to the truth that Elena Blackwater, my adoptive sister, was just… that great.

Until high school.

Until the day I saw Damien Salvatore.

He was the most handsome man I had ever seen, and I don’t even know what it was that captured me. I was just sitting on the lawn when he walked by with his friends, wearing his basketball jacket.

At first, I thought, Ugh, jocks, because we all knew what those sports guys were like. But then I saw him.

And I froze.

I was rooted to the spot, staring at him with my mouth half-open. I had never seen a boy, no, a man who looked so captivating and mouth-watering. There was something in his eyes, in the way he carried himself. His walk had power. His gaze had confidence. His entire aura demanded attention.

And I hated to admit it, but the minute he passed, when I glanced around, I noticed every girl had gone quiet, their eyes following him the same way mine had.

That’s when someone bumped into me.

“Oh....sorry!” I blurted out, being the first to apologize.

I turned, expecting just another careless face, but instead, I found myself staring at a girl who was just as beautiful as she was striking. And I knew girls like her..... She looked like money. She looked polished. The kind of girl who would probably end up as one of Elena’s friends.

So I turned away to let her pass. But she surprised me.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “It was my fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

That took me by surprise, but I wanted to get this over with quickly. You never knew when someone was playing a prank, probably one of Elena’s minions, or worse, her best friend.

“Oh no, it’s fine. It was nothing,” I said quickly.

But the girl just smiled and raised her hand toward me.

“My name is Aria,” she said.

I hesitated, staring at her hand before finally placing mine in hers.

“My name is Delilah.”

“That’s good. How do you like the school?” she asked.

It was that simple. And soon… we became friends.

I don’t know how it happened, how I, the black sheep, ended up with someone who actually wanted to talk to me. But Aria became that: my first real friend.

And then, I learned something else. She was Damien’s younger sister. Aria Salvatore.

They had one of those love-hate sibling relationships. At school, he completely ignored her, as if she didn’t exist. But at home, there was always banter, him teasing her, making jokes at her expense, that kind of thing.

And me? He ignored me, too. Like I wasn’t even there. But I didn’t mind. Not really. Because I felt guilty even thinking it… But I loved going to Aria’s house. Loved the chance of maybe catching a glimpse of Damien—heading for a swim, his upper body bare, or stumbling through the hallway half-asleep after a late night.

I was getting pulled into Damien Salvatore's world in a way I never thought I would. And now, do you remember when I told you how much I hated Elena?

Yeah..... Elena started dating Damien.

The day I found out was the worst day of my life.

Aria and I were in the cafeteria, sitting with our trays, laughing about something small, when Elena and Damien walked in. Hand in hand.

I frowned at their joined fingers, but then I realized, I wasn’t the only one. Everyone else turned to stare, too.

“Are they… dating?” I whispered.

Before I could process it, Elena slid right into Damien’s lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world. My chest tightened.

Aria shook her head, just as stunned as I was. “No. Damien’s a man-whore. He doesn’t do girlfriends.”

She laughed bitterly, adding, “Seriously, my brother’s no good. You don’t want to know how he treats women. He’s got this little alcove at the back of our house. I’ve told you before, don’t ever go there. It’s where he takes his… conquests.” She made a face. “Ugly. Disgusting. Filthy. Typical Damien.”

And she was right. Damien Salvatore never had girlfriends. He never showed interest in anyone for longer than a few days. But then there was Elena. Sitting in his lap. His arm wrapped around her waist like it belonged there.

I told myself it wouldn’t last. That Aria was right, and this thing with Elena would die quickly, just like the rest.

But it didn’t..... It never did.

A year later, when we were in our final year, it was a well-known fact: Damien Salvatore and Elena Blackwater were the power couple of the school. The basketball star and the cheerleader.

And nobody questioned it. Because they looked perfect. They were perfect.

But I.....was dying inside.

*****

Fast forward, we were in our last year at the university. We were two months into our new semester, and Linda, one of the socialites, had decided to throw a big birthday party, where everyone who was someone was invited except for me.

But I did attend. Why?

Because my bestie was invited, and she dragged me along. I didn’t even want to be there. It wasn’t my kind of thing. But she insisted she couldn’t go alone, so I tagged along.

I was just holding a beer bottle in my hand. I wasn’t really into drinking. Aria had a crush on a guy, Matt, who was on the swimming team, and she had gone over to talk to him. And me? I was just sitting by myself because, as usual, everybody ignored me.

I decided to go outside and sit on the front steps. Most people who were outside were at the back of the house, but I wanted the quiet. I wanted to be myself.

I was just sitting there when someone stumbled away from the house, running through the flowerbeds, and started vomiting into them.

I screwed my nose in disgust. Then he raised his head. And I froze.

It was Damien. I felt the world stop. He and I had never been alone together. There had never been a chance for that, and I didn’t know how to act around him.

I knew we were outside. There was nothing cute or romantic between us, but still… he walked towards me. I froze as he took a seat next to me, and we were silent like that. I kept giving him side glances before he finally said,

“She broke up with me.”

I frowned. Does he mean what I thought he meant?

“Elena,” he added into the air, “she broke up with me.”

I stayed silent. I didn’t know what to say. He looked like shit, and there I was, being the good girl, or whatever.

“I’ll get you some water,” I said softly.

He nodded lazily. I went inside the house, bought him a bottle of water, and brought it back. But he was slumped on his legs and hands. I walked over to him carefully.

He looked up at me and then. I didn’t even know if he knew my name.

He took the bottle of water I offered him, washed his mouth, and drank a bit. Then he stood up, pulled out his car keys, and said,

“I’m going home.”

“You can’t,” I immediately said. “You’re drunk.”

He smiled at me in that lazy, teasing way.

“Yeah, you’re a rule follower,” he said mockingly

“You know what? I’ll drive.”

I took the keys from him and started walking in front of him. As he followed behind me.

I knew his car. I mean, of course I did. I got to his car, opened the door, and as he came behind me, he said,

“Wow… what a nice ass.”

That just froze me in place. I was like… did that man just compliment my butt?