"Allie and I are already great friends, don't you know?"
"Your brother is great," Allie chimed in, laughing a laugh that was sweet and infectious. "I got lucky that it was him fixing my car in the shop that day."
"Did someone mention my name?" Krist whooped, bounding towards the group and scooping them all into a bear hug.
"It was me. I was just talking about how you and my brother's friendship has secretly escalated and he's using Allie as a coverup," Lindy said seriously.
"True," Krist declared pointedly, before grabbing Trae by the neck and planting a kiss right on his lips. Lindy clapped her hand to her mouth, convulsing with laughter as Trae scrambled out of Krist's grasp. He too was laughing, though he wiped his lips.
"Alright, enough kid stuff. Look what party favor I secured tonight," Krist said slyly. He pulled a small fold of aluminum foil from his pocket and waved it deviously in the air.
"No way," Trae groaned. "Count me out. That shit makes me nuts."
Lindy didn't have to ask to know what was in the foil. She'd been around them all long enough and hell, she was street smart enough to immediately guess that sitting snugly in the folds of aluminum were tabs of acid.
Kurt's eyes zeroed in on the foil as Krist peeled it apart, revealing neat little paper squares. Lindy stared too, but she was unsure of what to think. She'd never done anything other than smoke weed before.
"I'll take one," Kurt requested. It happened in the blink of an eye -- Kurt had taken the foil from Krist, held it to his mouth to touch his tongue to one of the tabs, and handed it back to him. There was now an empty space on the foil. Kurt smiled sardonically.
"Lindy?" Krist offered, holding out the tabs like a tray of appetizers. She hesitated, but Trae was quick to step in.
"Eh, I don't know about that," Trae said holding up his hand. Lindy looked at him, aghast.
"Trae! You said you would never try to be my father!" she protested.
"That's some intense stuff, Linds," Trae warned. "You don't just mess around with it."
"Come on, Trae," piped in Kurt, who was lighting a cigarette. "Let her experience it for herself."
Lindy eyed the waiting tab again, feeling a pinch of anxiety. But there was adrenaline in her veins too, pumping fast and pressing her to take the chance before it was too late.
"Can you at least be careful?" Trae finally pleaded. Lindy nodded at him, and shakily accepted the foiled sheet, following Kurt's example and pressing it to her tongue.
"Let it sit," Kurt advised her. "It's gotta' dissolve there. Don't swallow it."
Lindy nodded, her lips mashed tightly shut. Everyone around her giggled at her expression except Trae, who looked worried as he took a swig of drink from his cup.
"Watch her Kurt," he mumbled in Kurt's ear, grabbing Allie's hand and leading her out of the crowd. Kurt put his arm around Lindy's waist, holding her closely to him.
"I've got you," he whispered. Lindy nodded her head in agreement, but didn't speak. She was still allowing the tiny little paper to melt away on her tongue, waiting for it to bleed into her system and take her far away.
_________
Everything was breathing. Or at least, that's how it seemed. The walls, furniture, and even picture frames appeared to be heaving deeply, rippling like they were taking slow and steady breaths. And the colors -- they were so bright. Everything was brighter.
twenty-three.
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