Counting Paths

Chapter 6.

"I know my place, you're the one acting like you're better than everyone!" I don't mean to say it, it just fucking slips. But Luna doesn't care. She refuses to put up with my shit because she knows she's the only person I can't fight. If I curse once, even if I'm cursing to myself, I won't hear from her for a few days. If I raise my voice, like I just did, I won't hear from her for a month. "Luna, I'm-" The line goes dead. "Fuck!" On impulsive anger, I throw my phone.

# # #

Many, many, glasses of scotch later, I find the enough to get off the floor and start picking up pieces of my broken phone. Half of the screen is next to the hamper. The clothes I loan Sterling are on top.

Fuck, I fucking forgot. Is she sleeping now? Or is the pain from her knee keeping her up? She tried to deny it but I've seen too many faces trying to hide pain to know when it really hurts.

I get up off the floor and stumble out of my room with a glass in my hand.

Approaching Sterling's door, I hear what sounds like muffled laughter coming from the other side. I gently knock on the plank of wood, but there's no answer. I open the door. "Sterling?" She's lying on the bed, facing the wall it's pressed against, with a lamp on her chest. She jumps as I enter the room.

"Oh, hey, what happened to you?" She props herself on her elbows.

"Nothing," I lie. "What are you doing?"

"Shadow puppets." She sits up and lets the lamp fall to her lamp. "Wanna join? I'm kinda good at it but I still make myself laugh."

"Uh...why aren't you sleeping? Didn't Kevin bring you your tea?"

She frowns. "He did and I drank it, but it didn't work. My heart's kind of racing now and my body's shaking."

"Yeah?" I cross the room, place my glass on the nightstand, and cup her face. The lamp's light shines on the wall but brightens this side of the room enough to actually see. "You're pale," I breathe. "And the bags under your eyes aren't helping. I thought you said you slept in the afternoon."

She shrugs. "I guess it doesn't count as sleeping if the sun's high in the sky."

I pull my hands away from her face and grab my drink. "Are you dizzy?"

"Only when I walk."

I sit on the edge of the bed. "Shit."

"What are you drinking?" She asks.

"Scotch."

"Can I have some?" Before I can call her insane, she snatches the glass from my hand and downs three-quarters of what's left of my drink.

"Are you fucking serious?!" I snatch the glass right back and slam it on the nightstand, glaring at her. She coughs and gags. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Don't do that," I snarl at her. "You're the child here, okay? I'm the adult, and as the adult, I can drink as much alcohol as I want, whenever I want, wherever I want. You do not pull that shit again! Don't even try it."

She mirrors my scowl for a moment then it drops and she frowns. "Why are you drinking? Did something happen?"

"Because I can. I'm the adult."

"You could've fooled me."

"Watch your mouth." I rise to my feet. "Fuck, I actually forgot how annoying you are."

"Are you okay?"

"What is your problem?" I finally ask her. "How are possible okay with this? Staying here, temporarily living with a grown man you haven't even known for three days! Jesus, look at where you are! And you're not phased by it at all, what is your problem?!"