Blue Money | Nick Robinson

Chapter Six: Pink Pills

Eileen lights up and tackles me onto the bed to hug me, crinkling my homework papers with her knees. "Thank you, thank you!" She plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek.

"Yeah, yeah'" I sit up, pushing her off.

She tosses my headphones back at me and jumps up, spinning.

"t starts at midnight," She clasps her hands together like an ecstatic 2nd grader. "I got to go meet up with Miles for something, So, you need to go across the hall and tell Layla and Sav I'm getting them on the list. Thanks love ya!"

"Sure," I say just as Eileen vanishes from the room, almost slamming into the door on her way out.

The hallway smells faintly of lavender air freshener.

I knock on Savannah's door. Layla answers.

Instantly, I feel nervous. There's something intimidating about her. She kind of scares me and not the good kind of scared.

Layla is wearing leather shorts paired with black heels. She's in a black bra, her black coffee hair spilling over her pale and bony shoulders.

"Nice shirt," She muses, a leer on her lips.

I look down and remember I changed into one of my dad's old t shirts. It's grey and it's covered in bleach stains, there's a hole in the sleeve.

"Uh, thanks," I cross my arms. "Is Sav here?"

"She's in the shower, do you need something?" She's dripping with fake kindness, a smile plastered on her face. I return it.

"I just came to tell you guys Eileen is getting you into that party tonight."

"Aww, that's sweet," Layla grins. It feels so phony and I don't trust her. My skin is crawling with uncertainty towards her. "Thanks, honey."

"Yeah, no problem," I'm backing away now, I want to go hide under my blanket for a bit after this. Layla feels like broken brake lines to me and the person driving doesn't know they're broken so you could just slam into something at any time. She's a car crash waiting to happen.

"Will you be there?" She leans against the doorframe, that silky smile on her mouth.

"Uh, yeah," I freeze.

"I am so looking forward to it," She shrugs happily and then shuts the door. I shake out a shiver.

I feel like she hates me, the fake niceness is basically pouring out of her and I can't quite figure out why she's trying to mess with me.

Or maybe I'm crazy and she's not messing with me at all and I need to take a few a chill pills. Maybe I just shouldn't worry as Sav would say.

***

MIDNIGHT

A lot can happen in one night. Things can shift, knuckles can get broken, drinks can be spilled, in one night, in a span of a few hours everything can either break you who you are or change you for the better. It can take one group of people and throw them inside a blender, press on and shred them up, mix them together until they're nothing without the other.

I get to the party right at 12:03 am with Eileen having her tiny arm tucked over mine. The roof is shining with Christmas lights and lanterns, gold watches and shiny glasses filled with liquor.

Nick is leaning on the edge of the roof a drink in hand, separated from the small cluster of dancing teens that fumble around.

Eileen spots Blake and Sav. She unlinks with me and flounces towards them, her tiny black dress edging up.