Coder Girl 2 /Dreamwastaken/

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Eliza's P.O.V.

I tried to hide how uncomfortable I felt after the flower incident, but it was all I could think about while everyone was partying in the club.

For the most part, I blamed myself for not asking more questions and accepting the flowers. But in that moment, I was so overwhelmed after stepping down from the stage and so certain that they were from Clay that nothing else crossed my mind.

And while everyone was drinking and having fun, I sat in the corner at a table, questioning what had happened and how it had happened.

It wasn't until one of my friends approached with two drinks in her hands. One was for me, but I left it untouched. Here's a funny story about it, actually.

My past experiences with alcohol were so bad that the day after Nick's birthday party, I ended up in the hospital. After running tests, they told me I don't have the enzyme needed to break down alcohol, therefore, I'm intolerant.

And I couldn't have a lamer intolerance, it had to be alcohol.

I still drink sometimes to see how close I can come to death, though.

I headed to the bar and ordered a non-alcoholic drink, then returned to my spot, sipping it and finally soaking in the atmosphere. Just as I was getting comfortable, my phone rang, and it was Clay. I had to go outside to take the call.

His voice never failed to put a smile on my face.

"Heyy, how are you?" he asked, his words somewhat muffled by the lingering effects of the loud music.

"I'm good, I'm good," I replied, "how about you?"

"Is everything okay?" He disregarded my question and asked another one.

"Yeah, just a bit bored, but that's fine," chuckling, I glanced at the time, "are you getting ready to stream?"

"Yeah, in a minute. Just setting up my stuff," he replied, "Alright, just wanted to make sure you're okay. Go have fun, angel."

I wished him good luck on the stream and we exchanged I love yous before hanging up.

Lost in my phone screen, I returned inside and accidentally bumped into someone. I didn't get the chance to even look up and see who it was or just apologize, they quickly stormed out of the club.

Anyways.

I had some unopened notifications that piqued my interest more than what was happening on the dancefloor. So, I returned to my corner, opened the texts to reply, and took a big gulp of my drink. Then another one. However, I slowed down to small sips as a strange aftertaste hit me.

It was only after a few seconds, as I smacked my lips, that I detected a distinct bitter taste, nothing like the initial grapefruit flavor.

This taste wasn't there when I first got the drink.

I looked away from my phone to look at my drink. The lighting in the club wasn't favorable for me to identify anything in the liquid, but it was enough for me to notice something on the table, right next to my glass.

My breath caught in my throat as I inched closer to the table. I spotted a grainy white powder sprawled next to my glass. And it didn't look like sugar to me.

But maybe it was here on the table, before I came to sit here. Maybe it's just sugar. Maybe it's-

Fuck, I don't even know.

I grabbed my glass, all my belongings and headed straight to the bathroom. Locking myself in one of the stalls, I placed the drink on top of the toilet tank. It was only in the bathroom light that I noticed the white residue settled at the bottom of my drink.

My hands were shaking as I took out my phone and immediately texted Nick.

Lizzy: hey come pls

Lizzy: if anything ill be in the bathrimm

Lizzy: bathroom

I sent him a warning just in case I ended up passing out in there, because, well, I am dramatic.

St. Nicholas✝️: wdym if anything

St. Nicholas✝️: u okay?

St. Nicholas✝️: drop the address

I followed his instructions, and after he saw the text, he immediately called me. As I picked up, the first thing I heard was the sound of a door slamming shut, likely indicating that he had left the house.

"Liz? Are you okay? Did you drink?" He asked immediately and I heard him getting into the car.

"I didn't drink- well, I did drink something non alcoholic, but I think there's some powder at the bottom of my glass? Could be that I'm just dumb and it's sugar, but my drink tasted weird and there was something powdery on the table too- ugh, I don't know."

I spilled it all out in one breath, deciding it was better to share in case things took a turn for the worse and I regretted keeping it to myself.

Nick mumbled something under his breath, too muffled for me to catch. However, the rest of his sentence came through loud and clear.

"Are you alone right now? In the bathroom?"

"Yeah, I locked myself in," I responded.

"How are you feeling right now?" He asked again, and I heard him honking his car at someone.

"I'm okay, I don't feel anything weird, just a bit scared," my hands were shaking so much.

"Stay there, I'll be there in 20 minutes," I was sure driving here from our house took longer than that, "do you wanna stay on call?"

As I had already heard him honking at someone and the "20 minutes" suggested he was driving quickly, I didn't want to risk his safety, so I declined.

"No, I'm okay, just drive safely. Call me when you're here."

I paced back and forth in the stall so much that eventually I got dizzy. I had to take a seat on the toilet lid, even though I was disgusted to do it. But my head was spinning so bad because of how much I panicked, that I had no other choice.

Or maybe there was a more apparent reason for my dizziness, cause my head began to feel numb.

I remember Nick calling, but in my panicked state, I accidentally swiped the wrong way and declined it. I anxiously waited for another call, but to my surprise, instead of calling my phone he burst into the bathroom and called my name.

I stood up immediately, unlocking the door and letting go of a relieved sigh as I saw him.

"Thank god, let's home- let's go- let's go home, please." I realized that I was slurring my words only after trying to speak.

Nick grabbed both my forearms probably to stabilize my body, "Holy fuck, Liz, look at me?"

I widened my eyes at him to inspect, and realized that my vision was very bad. I could see his face, but I'd lose focus of it repeatedly, even though I was wearing my contacts.

"Is that the drink?" He held me with one arm and reached out to grab the drink with the other.

I nodded and watched him carefully spill the liquid part out of the glass, until all was left was the residue of the powder at the bottom.

Nick dipped his pinky in it and brought it to his mouth, his face twisting probably from the bitterness.

"That's not sugar," he shook his head, "and I'm about to fuck someone up."