“‘Cause I’ve got friends in low places.” Luna sang off key as they walked, dancing on wobbling legs.

“Whoa.” Jake caught her as she stumbled. He propped her up, keeping an arm around her shoulders as she continued to try to dance. “Easy there, birthday girl.” He laughed.

He probably should have kept a closer eye on how much she was drinking when they were at the bar. He always forgot how quickly Luna succumbed to alcohol. Hopefully she hadn’t gone so far that she’d be stuck in bed all day tomorrow. She had school after all.

“Hey.” She whispered, giggling in his ear. “Are there any more cupcakes?”

“We’ll only find out once we get you home.”

“Onward then, good sir.” Luna laughed again.

Jake shook his head at her silliness as they continued toward her apartment. He was glad that they had agreed to meet there earlier, because that’s the only reason he knew where it was. He hadn’t even known that she and Ryan lived together until the later had answered the door.

Now, as Jake used Luna’s keys to get into the building, he wondered if Ryan was still awake. It was late, but not yet technically the next day, and Jake hoped that Ryan was still up. While the day had been about Luna, he had often found himself thinking about how much more fun the outing would have been with Ryan there.

Luna had mentioned, after her third drink, that Ryan did in fact like music. Apparently, he had been the one to introduce her to some of her favourite bands. Bands that she in turn introduced Jake to. That bit of information had gotten Jake wondering what other impacts Ryan had already had on his life.

Jake was pulled from his thoughts when they were in the elevator by a barking laugh coming from Luna. She was looking at him with a goofy grin. “What?”

“I was just thinking how funny this is.” She giggled. “My brother’s boyfriend is taking me home.”

Jake’s heart thudded in his chest. Boyfriend? He and Ryan hadn’t yet gotten to the subject of what label their relationship had. Did Ryan refer to Jake as his boyfriend when he was conversing with Luna? The thought made Jake happy.

But then, this was Luna he was talking to, and a drunk Luna at that. She had been known in the past to falsely label relationships however she wanted.

The elevator reached Luna’s floor and he guided her to her door. Once again, he used her keys to unlock it. He wasn’t sure whether to put the keys back in her purse, or place them safely on the counter where either she or Ryan would see them the next morning, just in case she had trouble remembering how she had gotten home.

In the end, much like always, Luna made the decision for him. As soon as the door was open, she strode inside and flopped down on the couch. Sighing, Jake quietly deposited the keys on the counter.

“Did you have fun?”

Jake was startled by the call that come from down the hall. Was Luna’s mother visiting?

“Uh huh.” Luna rolled off the couch, managing to end up on her feet instead of her face. “So much fun.” She took off down the hall.

Thinking she was going to throw up, Jake chased after her to make sure she was alright. When she threw open a door, he crashed into her back because she stopped abruptly.

He grabbed her arms, scared he would knock her over. “Luna?”

Then he saw where they were. It wasn’t a bathroom. It was a bedroom. More specifically, he guessed it was Ryan’s bedroom, considering the fact that Ryan was sitting at the desk without any pants on.

No pants, and a needle stuck in his thigh.

“Sorry.” Luna sounded like she had been shocked into a more sober state. “I didn’t realize…”

Ryan pulled the needle out of his leg. A bead of blood followed it, but he made no move for the bandage Jake could see on the desk. Instead, he just stared at them.

“It’s Tuesday.” He whispered.