Battlefield ｡ Tony Stark

6 - DOWN THOSE DRUGS

Drugs was one of those things your parents warned you about when you were a little kid. They were the hushed tones, the pointed fingers and the warning that those things could kill you. The terrible thing was, our parents liked to tell us all that stuff, but leave out the part that they too, did a little weed back in the day or once took a pill from a cute boy in college and the whole night was a blur of colour. They forgot all that though, when a child asked what that green leafy stuff was on television. My mother once told me to stay very clear of drugs, all the while she was downing a bottle of red wine. Sometimes parents were just hypocrites.

I didn't see drugs as the problem, more of the solution.

They filled that hole in my heart which felt so empty. I didn't really know how it got there, or when or even why. But one day, I realised that life wasn't all that great. I saw the horror, the sorrow, the terrible ways people treated others. I saw every dark and horrific truth, and at that point, things just fell away and a little pill seemed to make everything better for a while. That bliss made my veins buzz and my head swim, it made me feel alive.

And that's all I really truly wanted. Was to feel something other than the dark hole that sucked the joy out of me. To feel as if living in this world wasn't just so sad.

The beat of the music flooded my system, that heavy drum snapping through my bones. I loved when the music was so loud you couldn't even hear yourself think. I swayed with the music, letting the body of people move me around like a pinball. Hands grazed my skin, limbs knocking into me but none of that mattered. I was like a floating girl in a sea of other people, maybe trying to drown out the darkness in their own heads. That's what we did, tried to find ways to make sunlight in our eyes. Whether that be finding love, getting good grades to please our parents, the ecstasy of sex, the blissfulness of drugs. Whatever it was, whatever each of us was looking for, it gave us hope for something better then just this.

When I opened my eyes, the flashing lights blinding me and for a second I saw him. He was standing next to his friend, the tall handsome dark skinned boy that I met at his loft. Rhodey was his name, I think. They were near a booth shoved in the corner, talking to a bunch of girls in tight skirts. But Tony wasn't staring down at the blonde beauty hovering by his side, his eyes were stuck on me. I couldn't help but wonder how long he had been watching me dance without a care in the world.

I felt my shoulders tense, a trickle of sweat running down my spine. Why did this boy somehow find me everywhere? Not that it was surprising him being here, this was the biggest party off campus and he was all the rage these days, no doubt he was invited by everyone that thought he was cool. I just felt as if it was more than just simple fate that he had spotted me in the massive crowd of people dancing away their problems.

With one smirk from him, my stomach rolled.

Then I was twisting on my heel, pushing through the mess of people, trying to find the nearest exit. I didn't need Tony Stark watching me try to let go tonight. It took a lot of shoving, a lot of people too careless to notice I was trying to get out of the mess of dancing bodies. I actually found Lucy in the crowd, a boy stuck to her lips like he was her oxygen. I shook my head naturally, smiling as she threw her head back and laughed, her hands running down his chest.

Once I reached the nearest exit, I pushed on the heavy door and stumbled into the back alley. A group of boys were standing by a dumpster smoking cigarettes. I stepped away before I noticed a familiar face. "Benjamin, I'm really glad I found you." I grinned, slinking over to him.

His friends all snickered, one even blowing some smoke in my face. Benjamin was a kid I went to high school and middle school with. We had once played in a kiddie pool together, stark naked while our mothers laughed and took photos of the day. Now, he was my drug dealer, or well, one of them.

"Tilly, you're looking pretty as always." Benjamin grinned, offering me a drag of his cigarette. I took it with another smile, already feeling this night getting better. His eyes slipped over my dress, narrowing in on my number written on my skin in black sharpie.

I moved my hand out of his sight, not wanting to draw attention to it. "Do you have some goodies for me tonight?" I questioned, eyeing the boy on my left. He wasn't one of the usual guys Benjamin hung out with.

"Always, for an old friend." Benjamin nodded, holding out a hand to his new friend. This boy pulled out a plastic bag from his jacket pocket, his eyes flickering in the low lighting. I leaned forward, seeing the small white pills. Without question, I was reaching into my bra, pulling out a roll of twenties. I slipped them into his hand, grabbing the bag and holding it up to the light casted by the outdoor lamp.

My eyes lifted up to glance at his friend, the boy who had handed over the drugs. I didn't like getting pills from new boys I didn't know. I could trust Benjamin, but not this kid. "These are safe, right?" I questioned Benjamin. "Your new boy here, looks a little shifty."

Benjamin gave me a grin, "When are my drugs never not safe enough? I wouldn't hand over product that I didn't trust."

He words didn't seem so convincing, not with the shifty guy watching me with a creepy gaze in his dark eyes. I stepped in closer to my friend, making sure he heard every word. "If something goes wrong and your drugs kill me. I will rise from the dead and tell your mother you deal. She wouldn't like hearing that her darling son is nothing but a druggie."

The light faded in his eyes, knowing I was dead serious. His mother thought her son walked on water and if something ever went wrong with his drugs, he knew she would be the first person I would go to. I pressed my lips to his cheek. "But in case that doesn't happen, thank you."

I was already walking away, taking a pill and placing in on the tip of my tongue, my eyes closing slightly as it did it's magic. I found my way back inside, the music loud and soothing. My body tingled all over, that blissfulness seeping into my soul. I didn't know how long I danced for, didn't know how long it took for the drugs to finally take hold of my mind and body. It seemed like forever I was swirling around that club with the flash lights and pumping music. But suddenly, things came crashing down. My head throbbed like someone was knocking on my skull. My legs wobbled underneath me, my stomach turning. I pushed my way through the crowd, knowing something was wrong. My head was growing too cloudy, sleep begging to take me away.

My hands slapped against the hard wall, the couple making out jumping back with the sound. The girl looked across at me, her eyes so blue I wanted to swim in them. I watched as her mouth opened, words coming out but I couldn't hear anything. My eyes rolled back in my head, my balance slipping away from me. Suddenly, I was on the ground, the girl's face looming over me. I couldn't speak, my mouth feeling too relaxed. I think she was asking how I was doing, or maybe trying to locate my purse, but that was at home. With no phone on me, she couldn't do much. I leaned forward, my stomach threatening to open up and release everything. My blurry vision spotted the blotchy numbers on my hand. I quickly shoved my hand out for the girl to see, hoping she would make sense of my actions and know what to do. Thankfully, she understood. Her boyfriend was pressing a phone into her hand and I watched as she called whoever that number belonged too. I was hoping it was Justin's number.

Sweat dripped down my hairline, making my skin feel too sticky and hot. My world spun around, nothing but spinning colours and faces.

But then it cleared when a face dipped down into my vision, someone kneeling down to my level. A hand caught mine, holding me tightly.

It was Tony Stark.