Heartbreak At Motel 7!

Chapter 10

Booksmart, by the Oxford definition, is to have a lot of academic knowledge.
This knowledge is learned from books and studying.
Simultaneously, You may also not know much about people and living in the real world.

I was booksmart.

My brain was filled with a library's worth of information.
Unfortunately my body had yet to even touch a real life experience, despite the fact that I craved it ever so desperately.

On the plus side, I was completely sheltered from the dangers and monstrosities of the real world.

I had the vaguest of memories of my mother switching off the news channel when I was just a little girl, just as they started speaking about gang violence and the alarming rate at which poverty and crime were increasing.

"You shouldn't watch that, honey. It doesn't concern you." she would say to me in a soothing tone, putting a cup of hot cocoa and a plate of shortbread biscuits in front of me.
I accepted the food graciously, and of course, I never questioned her.

I never had to struggle for anything in life, and I never had to be exposed to anything outside of the perfect little bubble which was my life.

I would also never attempt to be one of those suburban kids that behave as if they're apart of a lifestyle that they know nothing about just for street cred.
If anything, I would get second hand embarrassment from watching, for example, the white boys in my class act like they're from the ghetto.

There's a certain level of annoyance swirled in with some disbelief that courses through my veins whenever I see or hear someone behaving like something that they are not.

(Just be yourself?)

But I digress.
What I was trying to say is that I am privileged. I acknowledge that.
My problems were all very first world, I've never known anything different.
My parents worked hard to able to give my brother and I a certain lifestyle and for that, I am eternally grateful.
However there were certain situations that would snap me back to reality.

The reality was, was that being booksmart wasn't enough.
Some problems called for real life solutions.
Real life solutions that you would only know about, if you've had experience.

For instance, if an almost unconscious woman had to be laying at your feet, roofied out of her mind, what would you do?

(That sounds awfully similar to "What Would Jesus Do?")

As a girl whose previous biggest problem was fighting with her kid brother over which cereal brand to purchase, I was completely at a loss.

"Vera?" I said pathetically, completely unaware of what to do. My feet felt like they were glued to the ground.
"Charlie." my name left her mouth again.

I took a deep breath, not only gathering myself, but reminding myself to stay f̶u̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ calm.

This woman that was so strong, so intimidating, was laying so completely helplessly.

Another deep breath, Charlie...

I locked the bathroom door and got on my knees, gently taking her and lifting her up so that she was sat up against the wall.

"Vera? Can you hear me?" I asked, trying to figure out how aware she was of her surroundings.
She nodded slowly in response, wincing slightly at the cold wall against the skin on her back.
"I don't know what to do. I don't know what you need." I admitted, trying to keep my cool.

No coherent response from. Just slurred sounds that barely sounded like words.

I racked my brain.
She appeared to have been drugged. The next best step would be to get it out of her system, right?