A Symphony of Devotion: The Start [Demi Lovato]

[17] Magenta

"What on Earth is going on in here?"

I freeze. Devonne breaks away. Kayleigh laughs and holds a bottle out to my father. "Just a little game of spin the bottle, sir. Would you care to join us?"

My father straightens his jacket as he sizes the situation up before speaking. "No, thank you, Kayleigh. I expect you've patched things up with Kenzie already, and it's wonderful to see you again. Just reminding you that I have guests over, so you kids will need to keep your noise level down. Understood?"

"Understood," I whisper.

"Understood," Devonne says under her breath.

"Understood, sir," Kayleigh chimes cheerfully. "We'll be sure to keep the noise level down."

With a nod towards Kayleigh and a look of disapproval towards Devonne, my father is gone. Kayleigh immediately throws her bottle away and grabs a new one. "So, since you kissed her, is it my turn now?"

Devonne's arms wrap around me protectively. "Finders keepers, losers weepers!" She sings.

"Well, technically, I found her first."

Oh no, not again.

"Well, technically," Devonne copies. "You lost her. Which makes me the finder."

"Well, technically, she loves me more."

"Well, technically, you hurt her, and she came to me, so she loves me more."

"Well, technically, I didn't hurt her. I made people hurt her."

"Hah! So you admit it. I would never hurt Kenzie."

"Well, technically, you broke the well technically streak. So I win!"

"Well, technically," I snap, now thoroughly agitated. "You broke up with me; ruined me, in fact, and you..." Now I turn to Devonne. "...told me anything I thought we had in common was all in my head, so you guys can stop arguing now!"

Devonne pouts, removing her arms off me as she takes up another bottle of alcohol. "You're such a killjoy! Learn to take a joke, can you?"

Kayleigh puts a bottle into her bag. "Yeah, listen to your girlfriend and learn to take a joke."

I grimace. I hate when people tell me to learn to take a joke. "You know what you should learn?" I retort. "The difference between a joke and an insult."

Kayleigh rolls her eyes before slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Well, I'm going to go now." She eyes Devonne, who's stumbled to the bin, thrown her bottle away, and begun chugging down a new bottle. "And I'd advice you to take your girl to the bathroom, because she's about to blow."

I quickly stand and guide Devonne to the bathroom, ignoring her weak protesting. Kayleigh has an amazing eye for watching signs of when drunk people are going to act up, and if she says Devonne's going to blow, she's going to blow.

The door has barely closed behind Kayleigh when Devonne's face turns a sickly pale shade of green and she mumbles, "I don't feel so good," before throwing up in the toilet.

I give a sigh as I hold Devonne's blonde hair from falling into her face as she pukes, letting her collapse in my arms when she's done. "Dev, maybe you should go home too. We're pretty much done with the project anyway."

"No!" Devonne protests, as she hauls herself to her feet and rinses her mouth with water. "I wanna drink more!"

She runs out the door, but I grab her hand before she can reach for another drink. "Go home," I tell her firmly.