I wake up on my bed and don't remember getting home. Last night me and Hardin's friends drink for a little while longer before heading to the rave. I remember taking my LSD and getting there, and the rest is a blur. Dancing, jumping around until the morning. Did I take any other drugs? I guess so.
I look at the watch and it's already 6PM. I text Hardin who tells me he brought me home and put me in bed. I'm relieved. When I take multiple drugs, I sometimes black out and can't remember things. I didn't want to go back to that life, but here I am. I don't know why I get myself into these messes. I can't go out with those people again. First and last time.
***
I invite Martina for dinner in my studio. I want to get closer to my old friends again. They're better for me than getting in trouble with troubled people like me.
"Has Hardin been with you?" I ask her as I bit into my pasta. We're both at the table at this point.
"Yeah. Maybe not as much as he did when you were together, but at least he shows up once or twice a week. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing special." I don't want to tell her where I was Saturday, or the kind of party we attended. "And how's Becky? Is she still upset at me?"
"I don't know, she doesn't really talk about you. At first she was and cursed you out, but once she saw no one was taking the bait, she stopped doing it. Now her and Peter always act like nothing happened. No one talks about those things. But everyone misses you. Why don't you hang out with us again? Might be weird at first, but that'll fade."
"Yeah, I miss you guys. But it's not easy going back to a group where there's two ex-boyfriends. Hard enough with one, let alone two." I laugh, and so does she.
"Alright listen, we're planning a trip to Paris, and I'd like you to come. We're going there for Christmas break and it'll be like a send-off, because as you know Marcus and I are leaving in January. We're thinking about going for a week and renting a house for the whole gang."
"Wow, that sounds awesome. Of course I'll think about it."
"Maybe the best thing would be for you to slowly get back into the group before we go, so all the weirdness goes away!"
"Yeah, I'll do that."
***
The following day, I go home for lunch after class, and I ponder this trip Martina talked about. I've always wanted to see Paris, and I miss Peter. I can't help it.
But for today I'm gonna have to focus on my studies because my exams are starting soon and I want to pass the three with good grades. I sit at my desk ready for an afternoon of studying and pile up my books and notebooks. A few pills would help make this a lot easier.
My phone rings, and it's Marcus calling me on WhatsApp. There goes my afternoon of studying; he's gonna invite me somewhere and I'm gonna say yes. This time I have to go.
"Hey Marcus, what's up?"
"Hey Kelly. Everything's good. Listen, I'm calling you because Peter got in an accident and I figured you'd like to know." When I hear this, I feel my heart racing in my chest.
"What? How is he? And where is he?"
"I'm here at the Martini hospital, he..." I interrupt.
"I'm heading there right now. We'll talk in a bit." And I hang up.
I find the taxi cab number online and call for a cab. It took what seemed like forever to get here, and I'm nervous all the way to the hospital and chewing on my gel fingernails. What happened? I hope it's nothing serious. My stomach's in a knot.
YOU ARE READING
Good at Games, Bad at Love (18+)
Romance"Can I give you a hug?" Is it possible to want and not want something at the same time? "Please?" he insists and I nod. He approaches me and my breathing becomes irregular, our bodies are too close. He doesn't hug me. Instead, his hands touch mine...
