Overdose (BXB) Completed/Editing

Chapter 47 - Eulogy

Overdose - Chapter 47

-Alex-

I watch quietly as Brian tries to unlock the storage closet door. He's using a paper clip that he probably stole from the front desk. I wanted to tell him that the doors in this place are all keycard entries despite having locks, but he seemed so determined. And I'm bored. It's good entertainment.

Brian is sixteen and he's addicted to Xanax and Percocet. He used to play soccer but when he suffered from an injury while playing, they gave him Percocet and he's been hooked since. His mom told him she had a surprise planned for him and he let her blindfold him. When the blindfold was removed, he was standing in the lobby and had already been checked in. That was a week ago and he's going through hell. Hence, him trying to get into the storage closet.

"Brian, there's nothing in there but towels and extra bed sheets," I finally intervene and step around the corner. He looks frightened for a moment before he realizes I'm a patient. He looks down at the lock and paper clip, jingling it again in hopes it'll work.

I've been here for three weeks. The first two weeks were an absolute nightmare. I couldn't hold down any food, I couldn't sleep, and every time I moved, it felt like someone was stabbing me in the stomach. Even though I felt like I would die at any minute, I kept in mind what I was doing it for. Who I was doing it for. The two people in this world who make life worth living.

"You got anything? This isn't your first time so did you sneak something in?" He asks, giving up on the idea of opening the door.

I shake my head no and walk past him. "I feel like I'm losing my mind," He catches up to me as I make a turn toward the common room. Today's therapy session didn't go too well because I was too tired to get into the trauma. Dr. Hayes could tell so she only asked questions about how I'm feeling now.

"It'll pass. You've only been here a week."

He groans because that's not what he wants to hear right now. "Why did you come back here?" He asks even though I already said why I'm back during the group meeting. He just wasn't listening. I turn to him, "Almost a year ago, I shot myself in the head. I survived and I got clean. That didn't last long because I still couldn't keep my past from bleeding into the present. I only knew one way to turn it off, so I relapsed. I kept it hidden from my boyfriend and my dad until my boyfriend found me passed out in the bathroom at his ex's Italian wedding with a bag of coke in my hand. Instead of admitting I had a problem, I left him there and came back home. Then, because my dad kept trying to push me to go to rehab, I left home and chose drugs. I came to my senses and realized that I love those people too much not to try to be better for them. Also, my liver put in its two weeks' notice a while back and I can't get a transplant until I can prove that I can change."

He stares at me with wide eyes. I offer him a smile before making my way to the couch. I need a nap and I need the days to go by faster. I let my body fall on the couch and I close my eyes. I saw Nico a week ago, he looked tired, but he came to see me anyway. He said he's really busy during this time of year and he's booked back-to-back. I miss him so much. I miss who we were before I ruined everything.

"Why were you at your boyfriend's ex's wedding?" I hear Brian ask above me. I guess that was the only part of the story that was interesting enough to have a follow-up question. "Because I punched him in the face and to get him not to press charges, my boyfriend agreed to photograph his wedding."

"You punched your boyfriend?"

"No. I punched his ex."

"Why?"

I don't know why I punched Daniel that day. I had just come back from talking to Jackson, so I wasn't in the best mood. Then, he opened Nico's door and showed me an engagement ring. For a split second, I thought Nico had actually asked Daniel to marry him. I reacted on impulse.