bound to you | drew starkey

27; irl

a/n: hi bbies. just dropping in to say that this chapter talks a lot about drug addiction and ODing and familial death. if any of this triggers you in anyway pls don't read this chap. if you need to skip this chapter there will be times in future chaps that you can catch onto what they talked about in this one with less detail and depth. let me know if you have any questions. also, don't do drugs bbies💓
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thalia didn't have time to overthink the baggy sweatpants she wore before there was a knock at her door and she was forced to accept her outfit choice.

her nerves slightly dissipated when she opened the door and saw drew standing in front of her, in a pair of sweatpants as promised. she smiled at the sight, watching his own grow at the sight of her.

the drive started off with small talk, mostly about work or what they did in the past few days. it wasn't anything too serious but it didn't need to be. they were both enjoying each other's company and that's all that really mattered to either of them.

when they started listening to music everything was fine for a while until a song she knew all too well came on the radio and she found herself slightly sulking. she leaned back in her seat and hummed the time softly, her heart clenching in her chest at the familiar melody.

"this was my dad's favorite song." she said it so soft she doubted drew had even heard her, but he did.

"tell me about him." she looked over at him, hesitant with his request. "not about his passing or anything, just him as a person. what was he like?"

"he was the best. life of the party, always made everyone laugh. he made everyone feel welcome the second they saw him, no matter where they were. he loved people and people loved him. he was happy, even at the end of it all." drew smiled at the clear joy in the girl's tone as she talked about her late father.

"he used to rub knots out of my shoulders when i had a bad week at school, and helped me as much as he could. he would stay up with me when i had nightmares at night and rubbed my back to help me fall back asleep." she was staring out of the window, her voice slightly hushed but clear enough to travel to the other end of the car.

"he was my rock, y'know? he did everything for me. so when he died it was like nothing made sense anymore. i had smoked before, it was high school and i had friends that did not so honorable things. it was never anything serious though. i came home drunk a few times and chase helped me sneak back into my house but that was the extent of it. and then i lost my dad and everything just, everything kind of turned upside down for a while." she shrugged softly, though drew noticed the way she chewed on the inside of her cheek, the aching in her chest all too familiar.

"i didn't intend on spiraling like i did. it's not like i went out one night looking to ruin my entire life, but that's what it ended up being. i took every bump, hit, or shot someone offered me. i never turned down anything. and one hit turned to ten, and one line turned to twenty and i ended up losing weight i didn't need to lose and chase found out. he tried to shake me out of it but i was too far gone."

she looked over at drew and watched him chew on his lip lightly. she knew what he was thinking, everyone always wanted to know.

"you can ask, you know?" she said softly and he glanced at her for a moment before sighing.

"what made you stop?" he was scared to find out something he might've found better left unheard but he couldn't resist the urge.

"i ODed." she watched his face drop slightly and felt the lump start to form in her throat. this is when people usually distanced themselves from her.

"what uh, what happened?"

"i passed out on my bedroom floor. chase found me, out of pure luck. he wasn't supposed to come over that day and that's why i got high in the first place. but he came over to hang out, after he had a rough day and then he found his best friend lying on her bathroom floor with no pulse." she sighed at the memory of waking up in the hospital, a terrified chase shaking in the chair by her bed.

"but i woke up, obviously. and my mom has never stopped thanking chase for that. and the look on his face is something i never want to see ever again. so i promised him i would get better, and it was really fucking hard, but i did it. i had a few hiccups but i made it out alive. so i call when i feel the itch, or i freeze up and panic when i see it or hear about it. sometimes the mere thought is triggering enough."

"we can stop talking about it." drew glanced at her for a moment but she just smiled and shook her head slightly.

"i'm okay. you make me comfortable." the simple affirmation made drew smile, loving that she felt like he did with her.

"i guess this all comes down to the point that i'm a little hard to deal with. i only keep a few people close, and others can barely get within arms reach. i'm not a mystery, a lot of people know about the drug problem and my dad, but i don't open
up to many people. that's why chase says i have attachment issues. it's not only the fact that i don't get attached very easily but when i do its a little, intense i guess." he nodded along with her slight rambling. he was invested in what she was telling him and he wanted to hear everything she offered him.

"i guess this is your ticket." she said softly, watching him turn to her for a moment before shaking his head and looking back at the road in front of him.

"i'm not going anywhere." she smiled widely at the boy, though he was still looking at the road.

drew laid a hand on thalia's thigh and she sighed, running her fingers over his in a gentle manner. she didn't know what to expect from drew but she didn't find herself wanting to know. she wanted to ride this out.