"Blythe?"
I'm shaken awake. I inhale a loud gasp, though the air traveling to my lungs feels like glass shards ripping into my throat. Panic lingers in my chest as fragments of my memory before I passed out rush back to me. I can't seem to make sense of the visions I'm seeing, recalling a dark-haired girl in a pitch black room.
"Blythe? Are you okay?"
Jacob's hands hold onto me tightly, clinging to my body to keep me upright. Concern is etched onto his facial features, worry shining brightly in his irises as lines of fear sketch the edges of his eyes and forehead.
I nod weakly, clutching my head. I'm unsure of exactly what just happened. One thing is certain, I feel sick.
"Sorry," I mumble. My voice is hoarse. "I think I drank too much."
This is the excuse I give for my odd actions, and the excuse I try to convince myself is the reason behind my cloudy memory and strange hallucination. After all, I did have a number of drinks, and I'm not one to consume alcohol often. This has to be the cause of my illness. I can't think of any other possible explanation.
"I'm so sorry," Jacob murmurs, rubbing his hand in a comforting circular motion on the small of my back. "You scared the hell out of me. You just . . . fainted. I should have monitored what you were drinking closer. And I'm sorry if I made you feel pressured into doing anything . . . I didn't mean to push you. I think maybe we should get you home . . ."
Normally, I would protest. My time with Jacob is something I never want to cut short. Yet something about the weird vision I had seems to have really bothered me. So instead I nod, allowing Jacob to help me rise to my feet. He keeps an arm wrapped around my frame as we exit the room and walk back down the stairs, heading for my dorm building, which is fortunately located pretty close by.
And though I know I'm safe—that the hallucination has ended and that it wasn't real—I still feel on edge.
———
a/n: so as some of you may know, i moved in w my girlfriend a few months ago. however, i ended up moving back in w my parents due to financial reasons. but now my family is moving to virginia (i'm from north carolina) and my girlfriend lives in south carolina. we've been long distance nearly two years now, but we're both still struggling w money. idk if i should just move to virginia w my parents and be even further from her, or say fuck it and finally end the distance and move to south carolina. LIFE IS SO STRESSFUL. anyway, thanks for coming to my ted talk. i love you if you read this far. <3