Dalliance - Z.M. (An Exquisites Original Story)

45; Until I Bleed Out

Chapter 45

"I don't wanna touch the sky no more, I just wanna feel the ground when I'm coming down."

(Raine's POV)

Racing into the restroom, I race to the sink and take off my blood-stained jacket, my hands shaking as I run it under the sink. As the blood runs with the water, I check the stalls, opening them one by one to see that nobody is in them. Relieved, I grab a trashcan and position it under the door handle, hoping nobody walks in right now.

Swallowing hard, I stand behind the door for a moment, trying to make sense of the situation that just unfolded in front of me. My mind runs in circles, my breath shallow but impatient at the same time. I'm not sure how long I stay there, remembering every single detail of what just went down, but once I finally get a hold of myself, I walk back to the sink.

Before I can make it to my bloody jacket, my eyes fall on the mirror in front of me. My mouth falls agape, my heart stopping abruptly.

As if I'm staring at a stranger, I bring my hand up to my face, running my bloody hands over my cheek, unsure if it's the blood from my fingers or the blood on my face that I'm touching. Strands of my hair frame my face messily, sweat glistening on my forehead, the metallic blood splattered across my skin like a painting. When I look down at my hands, I'm not sure when they got so covered in blood, but I can't seem to tear my eyes away from the sight.

It isn't until I hear water trickling on the floor do I finally look up at the overflown sink. Snapping back into reality, I curse under my breath and shut off the faucet. Grabbing a roll of paper towels, I hastily try to clean the water from the floor and sink, shaking my head at myself as I do so.

I flush the paper towels down the toilet then run back to my jacket, realizing that the blood has settled in the denim despite my efforts.

"Fuck," I whisper, wringing out the red water to the best of my ability. After it's as dry as I can get it, I fold it and put it on the counter. "Fucking stupid, Raine," I scold myself, opening the faucet as I run my hands under the cold water. I empty the soap dispenser as I rub my face and hands clean, trying to get every last drop of blood off of me. It feels like a good twenty minutes for me to do this, but once I'm as clean as I can look, I clean up the counter of every trace of blood and flush all the paper towels I've used.

Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I reach into my jacket pocket and grab the phone Ruiz gave me. With a deep breath, I hit dial on JP. As the bell rings, I tap my foot impatiently, shutting my eyes to soothe my mind.

The bell cuts, and a man's voice speaks up. "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for JP," I blurt out. "This is Raine. Ruiz told me to-"

"What is your current address?" The man asks.

Cursing under my breath, I realize I don't even remember the name of the club I'm in. With the man still on the other line, I run through the bathroom, looking for a name anywhere. It isn't until my eyes fall on the back of the stall door when I see a flyer promoting a cowboys night. The club's name is written on the bottom, the address underlined.

"I'm in Hammond," I say into the phone, "2343 Bishop Road. The club's name is Cosmo."

"Thank you," the man says, his tone robotic. "JP will be there shortly."

"Do you know how long? Because I-"

The line cuts before I have the chance to finish my sentence. My eyes widen as I stare at the screen of my phone, swallowing hard. A wave of anger washes over me as I get the urge to throw my phone against the wall, but I don't. Instead, I just slam my hand against the wall, cursing.