I let Irène go, there wasn't much I could do about it.
She is drunk but so am I. I really need to lay down. My surroundings are spinning and my head is throbbing—likely because of Irène's confusing confession.
What was she even talking about? How did she kill her sister? She said it wasn't intentional but it's as if it was.
That girl is an enigma and I don't have enough brain cells to figure it out. Let alone deal with my own problems.
We came with my car so I can't leave her here, but I can use this moment to take a breath of fresh air.
She told me to go anyway.
No one is here. I force myself to walk to the living room again.
A few boys glance at me but I quickly look ahead of me, at the entrance.
When I stretch out my arm to open the door, the door is already ajar. I take a step back so it doesn't hit me.
A broad light-skinned man in tight jeans and a polo shirt appears in front of me. I squint my eyes to see better as the light from the porch blinds me and the alcohol is fully in my system now.
"Oh fuck," I mutter under my breath when I realize I'm standing in front of Alexander. He is grinning.
I'm not even surprised he is here, I should have expected it, but I fully forgot about his existence these past weeks, especially after he forcibly kissed me. He didn't even care I was kidnapped, didn't check once on me. He also didn't talk to Dominic who used to be his friend.
"What a nice surprise," he says. "Veronica."
"Not much of a surprise." I sigh. "Neither nice."
"Don't be mean. I actually really wanted to talk to you these days," he adds as he walks past me and closes the door. "Were you leaving?"
"Now yes."
"I am sorry, trust me. I truly am. I shouldn't have done that to you. I just... I don't know. I was so angry at Derek. I wanted him to stay away," he says with sincerity—I think. "He ruined you. How can you forget how he made you feel last year?"
"It's not an excuse to force yourself on me," I say as I make myself smaller and take a step backward. I'm scared of him now. If he could easily do that, what else could he do to harm me?
"Don't be like this... please," he murmurs. "Listen. Let's just talk, I'll help you understand."
I nod, knowing that he can't hurt me in a room filled with people, even if they are drunk and so am I.
Alex sits on the couch and puts his phone on the glass table screen down and I just stand in front of him, confused if I should give him a chance to explain. Is it even worth it after what he did?
"Ok. Fine. I'll get you a drink, wait here," he says as he walks away.
I don't want a drink, to be honest, if I drink more than this I'll probably just pass out.
I need to sit down because the nausea is getting to me.
His phone buzzes once but I ignore it as I sit on the couch, near the end.
Then the phone buzzes again, and again. Several times in a row in a desperate attempt to reach Alex.
The screen lights up and although I can't see much, I realize by the sound of the notifications someone is texting him.
Nothing unusual.
He doesn't come back with a drink quickly, and I can't see him anymore. The phone continues to buzz.
What the fuck? Who is even texting him that much? Not even Nicole is that insistent.
I'm not intrusive. I swear.
I stretch out my arm to reach the table and I grab his phone swiftly. Just one peek.
He has a password of course, but I don't even intend to lurk too much. Maybe it's the alcohol that is making me nosy.
I turn the screen upwards and I notice the number that sent him texts isn't saved. Then I scroll to the notifications.
"ecstasy, rohypnol, ketamine..."
"If you buy ecstasy its better to slip it into some snacks so she wouldn't notice. Rohypnol changes the color of the drink and it's too noticeable."
"piece of shit fucking reply. I dont have all day and u know he has no patience when it comes to this"
"do u need it tonight?"
"I dont think I can get u 30 grams of high purity cocaine like last time."
"Oh my god..." I mutter in a shaky voice as I throw the phone on the couch and I quickly stand up.
I look around, everyone is dancing and super drunk or high. The whole room starts spinning as the realization sets in...
Could it be... could it be that it was him all along? Oh my God.
This cannot be true.
I swallow the lump in my throat and I get away from the living room, hoping he doesn't come back that fast.
Fuck, I didn't put the phone back on the table.
My head is hurting and the heat feels like it's burning my skin, I can feel the sweat on my forehead as I run to the door, closing it fast behind me.
The cold breeze of fall hits me and I get goosebumps at how freezing it is now. It must be later than midnight.
I take the phone out of the back pocket and I dial the first number that comes to my mind.
Dominic told me to only call him if those men come after us. I know Derek didn't want me to have his number but now we are all in it.
I quickly type the number on the phone and I continue to look back at the house as I walk to my car.
Fuck, why did I park it so far away?!
I dial Derek and I wait for a few rings with my heart banging against my rib cage.
Was Alexander planning to drug me? Jesus Christ.
Was it the first time? I remember many times being with him and forgetting almost everything the next day... I remember when a year ago I fought with Derek because I was apparently high and I promised him to not do it again. I swore I didn't do anything...
"This number is currently unreachable. Press one if you want to leave a voice message," the robotic voice says and I press one.
When I reach my car I realize I left the car key in my jacket on the couch.
FUCK. I need to get far away from here. Alex will know I know the truth. He will come after me.
Thirty grams of high purity cocaine... it's the same amount and quality we had the day Derek was arrested.
Oh no... no!
My mind is blurry but everything is slowly starting to make sense.
It was him all along and I fell for it. I cried on his shoulder when Derek was arrested.
I try to speak but my voice is trembling and I keep canceling the voice message.
"Derek! I need to tell you something. Please let's meet at the fraternity house, it's near the campus by the cafeteria!" I say while panting. When I'm about to tell him I found out the truth, I hear footsteps behind me.
I'm dead...
I slowly turn, knowing that I have no way out and I see Alexander staring at me with a serious expression. No smile, no words. No reaction at all in the slightest.
I stop breathing, I force myself to let out any air out or in, hoping to make myself so small in sink into the ground and disappear.
I know everything and he won't let me go easy.
"Why..." I ask slowly, afraid of his reaction.
He takes a few steps toward me and I shiver as I press my back against my car.
"I didn't want you to find out like this..."
I let out an accidental whimper and he comes closer to me. Too close.
"You are so drunk," he mutters against my ear and I furrow my eyebrows in disgust.
"You won't even remember what you think you saw. Who even trusts an alcoholic stupid bitch?"
He puts his hand on the car window near my head and I say through cries, "no one trusts you either."
Alexander grabs my wrist violently and I wince in pain as he squeezes it.
"Yeah?" he mocks me and laughs.
"Why... why did you do it?"
My phone starts ringing and I remember I called Derek and he lives far away from campus, enough for Alex to hurt me. I should have called Dominic. Fuck!
"Turn off your phone," he says through gritted teeth and I wince, but I don't turn it off.
"Turn off your fucking phone!" he yells and I take the phone out of my pocket and I turn it off. Alex opens his hand and I hand it to him.
"Remember when you overdosed? It was so easy. I knew you would look for it. That's why it was stronger cocaine. I fooled you so many times. You are so stupid, Veronica." A few tears slide on my cheeks and Alex wipes them with his thumb. "I can't believe Derek didn't give up on you sooner. Not even when he found the necklace he gifted you in my bed—which was really easy to steal, by the way. He was adamant but I knew prison would work."
"Why- why would you do all of that?!" I raise my voice and he tightens his jaw.
"Because I couldn't get you out of my fucking head. I did what I had to do, my poor Ronnie. We could have had this. It was so easy. It's all your fault, really." His lips brush against my cheek and I look around. No one is here, not a fucking soul.
"We could have never had this," I say as I kick him in the groin without hesitation.
He takes a few steps backward and he yells, "fuck! I'll ruin you!" But it's too late and I am already running away toward the street.
I have nowhere to go without a car. I could have gone back to the frat house but I don't know where Irène is and who to trust.
I run in the middle of the street and when I notice some cars coming my way I quickly go to the sidewalk. One of the cars honks and an old woman yells at me.
The coldness of late November hitting my skin while I run as fast as I can.
I quickly glance behind me and I don't see him. Maybe I just hurt him too badly.
Fuck, how am I even going to have any proof? I'll have to see him on campus or hide forever.
I need to talk to Derek, but I don't have the phone anymore.
I continue running as fast as I can without looking back, hoping I won't trip. Not as drunk as before but enough to feel dizzy. I wish the alcohol kept me warmer but I'm so terrified it just doesn't work.
Alexander did all of that... he stole the necklace that day and made Derek think I slept with him, he drugged me several times, he convinced me to abuse cocaine and alcohol before all of that. He lied about his ex-girlfriend dying. He lied about Derek being the bad guy. He indirectly contributed to my overdose—he knew all along I would steal his coke but he planned it so that I could overdose. Now it makes sense, the cocaine was higher quality than what I was used to and I could never have three lines of it without a seizure. He framed Derek and me. That's why he put it in my bag, he knew Derek would take the blame, and even if he didn't... it was Alex's revenge on me, for not wanting him.
It was him all along.