Exit Wounds | Noah Sebastian

T W E N T Y O N E

"Come back with us, Dellllany," Sage drunkenly slurs.

"Oh, no, I should get back to the hotel," I say, I can't go home with these strangers. I don't know them. That would be so dangerous.

"Pleasssse," She begs, drawing out the word.

I try to protest again, but she sticks her bottom lip out. I decide I'm here to try things out, and if I get murdered, well at least I died trying to have fun.

"Fine, if you insist," Nick smiles at me over her head.

The five of us pile into Jolly's car, and I try to remember if I thought he was drunk, but I can only recall him having two drinks the whole night. I'm wedged in between Jesse and Nick in the back seat. There's still a lot of traffic out, but nothing like the other two times I've been out.

I'm not really sure who's house this is. It's huge, though. Do Jolly and Sage live here alone? How big is Jolly's band? Sage pulls me over to one of the couches and we sit together, Jesse hands me an unopened beer and I open it. I think I'm done drinking for the night, but I can just sip this. It's not long before Jesse brings out a guitar and starts singing. He has a beautiful voice.

The alcohol starts weighing on me, and my eyes close before I can stop them.

___

My eyes squint as I try to open them, but it's bright in this living room and my head is pounding. I look around and I'm the only one around. I still don't hear anyone around as I pull myself up and go into the kitchen in search of water. I down three glasses before I start to feel like a human.

"Are you as hungover as me?" Sage asks as she grabs her own glass to get water.

"Probably more," I groan, my head still pounding. I check my phone, I slept until lunchtime again.

The front door swings open and almost smacks the wall, "Did you miss me?"

I freeze as Sage goes to greet the voice. The voice I would know anywhere, despite not hearing it in five years. I finally look at him, he looks better than he did five years ago. He was a little bulkier and his short hair looked so damn good on him. His fingers are intertwined with the rumored girlfriend. She's tall, almost as tall as him, and thin. Her dark hair is pulled back in a sleek ponytail. She's gorgeous, and I'm hungover. I'm wearing last night's clothes, and my teeth are fuzzy. I want to die.

"Laney," he breathes, his voice much quieter than it was just a moment ago, but the same gentle tenor it has always been.

I feel the glass slip from my fingers as everything goes black.

"What the hell," Sage exclaims, but she sounds far away. "Noah, did you kill my new friend?"

"She fainted, she's not dead," Noah says defensively.

"Why?"

There's a pregnant pause in the room.

"Why, Noah?"

"We knew each other, but we haven't spoken in a long time."

"What a small world," a new voice comments, it is irritated.

Damnit, I need to wake up so I can get the hell out of here.

"Delaney," he says in the way I hate, and I find it's been so long I don't even hate it anymore, but I find my voice nonetheless.

"Noah," I mock, and two voices chuckle. The last voice doesn't. I finally force my eyes open. His are soft, and almost black when mine find his.

"Still hate that do you?" He quips and helps me sit up.