On these shaky feet, I walk through the crowd. My hair seems to have dried up from Colton's little splash from an hour ago but then some stupid girl spills her beer on my shirt while I'm trying to break through. I curse her out and she turns to look at me and gives me a bright smile, saying I'm cute. What the..?
"Go to hell. ", I mutter as I hold my stomach and squeeze in between two people making out since I found no other way to push through the crowd.
They push me upwards and I stumble up to the door. I open the door and look back, finding worried Jasper hurrying after me.
"Ross!", he yells and walks past his guests way easier than I did.
I grunt and lick my lips which feel so dry in this moment. The taste of vomit is still fresh in my mouth.
"I need to help Laura. ", I mumble.
"What?"
"She's sick. I don't know. ", I close my eyes.
"You can't go alone. I'll drive you. ", he offers and looks through his pockets, searching for car keys I assume.
"What about your party?", I slur. "And Rosie?"
He raises a brow at me when I call her Rosie and nods his head twice, approving it. "Who gives a fuck? The most important people seem to have scattered outside anyway. Well, besides Kate and Ethan. Anna and Lexi still haven't come back, Colton just left and Kate is back on the couch doing shots because they had a fight. Laura wasn't here from the beginning and now you are leaving. I'll go get Rosalyn and we can go. "
I nod, saving my voice for more important moments since my energy is draining. While waiting for him by the door, the space spins around me several times. I decide to walk out of the apartment and wait in the hall. I immediately feel better not smelling all those alcoholic, sweaty people and sit on the stairs.
A short while later, he's out with his niece in his arms. She's looking at me worried all the way down to his car. I focus on my breaths, one by one, living from one intake to the other.
Later when we arrive at campus and rush up to Laura's dorm room, I feel cold sweat taking me over. We knock at the door but there's no sound on the inside.
I give Jasper a reassuring look. "I'll walk in alone. I don't know how I'm going to find her. You stay here with her. "
He gives me a brief nod and steps away with Rosie, giving me space. She's half asleep on his shoulder, very tired from all the events I assume.
I grab for the doorknob and push. The door easily opens and I find no one inside.
"What?", I whisper to myself.
Laura is not here.
I walk further into the room and take a look around. Her bed is messy and there's an open book on it. My eyes scan across the space searching for any kind of sign. I find that her coat is gone as well as her boots. Laura's pj's are on the floor and when I take a closer look, I find a box of pills on the floor. Fear shoots through me right away and I grab the pills and put them in my pocket.
Is this how she acts when I'm not around? Does she expect that every time she gets high on the unnecessary medicine I'm going to be here to slap her and carry her to the showers to wake her up? Why can't she take care of herself? What am I supposed to do?
I angrily pace back to the door, now feeling slightly better and aware of the fact that Laura isn't okay and I don't know where she is. What was she thinking?
She promised she'd be here because her foot is hurting and she goes out just like that.
"What's up?", Jasper asks me.
I shake my head. "She's not here. "
"I'll phone Anna. Here, hold Rosalyn. ", he offers and turns the girl to me.
I gently take her into my arms, her front against my chest and head instantly buries into my neck. She's asleep. I tuck her into my own jacket, wrapping it around her back from behind. Now it looks like we are wearing it together. My hands are shaking a little as I hold her little figure, feeling some sort of connection.
Wait a sec.
If she is Naomi's daughter and Jasper's niece, and Jasper keeps talking about some sister that just moved here a while ago and Colton told me Naomi moved here recently as well... Then Naomi is Jasper's sister?
I put the pieces together just now and look at Jasper surprised. He is dialing Anna's number and fails to notice my stare. Only when he raises the phone to his ear, he glances at me.
Jasper Gibson. It never clicked inside me. How?
"Is Naomi Gibson your sister?", I quietly ask him.
Jasper looks at me as if I've lost it since he obviously talked about her before but I never listened. "Yes. Why?"
I swallow a big lump in my throat. How come I never came across him before? Did Naomi ever mention me to her family?
"What's the girl's last name?", I ask him, referring to Rosie.
She must have taken it from her father.
Jasper shrugs. "She's a Gibson. Naomi introduces her with our last name. She never mentioned to me whose daughter she is. It was most likely a one-night stand. "
My fire dies down. That's right. She had a lot of men. What are the chances of Rosie being mine? I immediately relax but my throat feels all dry from the memory of Naomi leaving to fuck with other guys. On top of all, the timing is just too on the spot.
"Where is your sister now?", I question.
"Who would know that? ", he shakes his head. "She is just so unpredictable. And hangs out with some pretty bad people. I wish I could know that too. "
"Where does she- "
That's when Banana picks up, cutting my sentence halfway. Jasper begins to speak to her, leading us down the hall. When we walk out of the building the wind is practically nonexistent in comparison to an hour ago and there are fewer snowflakes showering us. I take off my cap and put it on Rosalyn's small head, even though it's way too big for her. At least it'll keep her warm. She stirs in her sleep but doesn't wake up.
Breaths are able to be seen on the cold air, twirling around in shape of white smoke.
Smoke. It reminds me of cigarettes. I could use one right now but I won't because I'm still holding this child and I don't want her to breathe in that trash.
Where are you, Laura? Damn it.
Jasper hangs up and turns to me. "She has no clue where Laura is. She's with Lexi not far away from here. Lexi is throwing up her drinks from tonight and she needs to take her back to the dorms. I have a big favor to ask of you.."
My nose crinkles with anticipation, the cold running over the tip. It always turns bright red at this weather. "What?"
"I know you are searching for Laura and all but Anna asked me to go help her since Lexi can't walk and they are stuck at the park. You know Anna, she's skinny and can barely carry a quarter of her own weight, let alone Lexi's fat ass. She can't bring her back alone. Can you stay with Rosalyn until I go pick them up and then we can all search for Laura?", he looks away, feeling embarrassed and I sigh, frustrated.
"There's always something more important. I get it. ", I blurt out in anxiety. "But fine. I'll be with Rosie. Go get them and come back here. "
"Thank you a lot, man. I'll make it up to you.", he pats me on the shoulder and starts to run away.
I look up at the sky and the answers don't fall down at me as I expected. I then start to search around the campus with Rosie in my arms. I dial Laura's phone a few times but she doesn't reply.
When I find her nowhere around, I remember one place she could possibly be at. Only I have to wait for Jasper to take Rosalyn back to start searcing so I can't leave campus just yet.
Laura's POV
After I hang up on Ross, not being able to speak anymore from all the chill pills that have drained my energy, I lean back against the backrest of the small bench. I, unfortunately, took the medicine and later on bought a bottle of whiskey and drowned in it until now. My destination is obvious, the place where I'll spend another shitty Christmas.
My mom's grave.
It's covered in snow which I had no strength in me to clean off. I just sit there and stare at the picture, emotionless.
I know it's Ross' birthday and I am too selfish to be feeling sad now. I can't help it. Shame is running across my cheeks and that's why I don't congratulate him yet. I can't wish him a happy birthday while I'm unhappy. It doesn't make any sense. I hope tomorrow when I wake up, I'll be able to do it. I phoned him just so he would know what kind of condition I am currently in because I don't know what will happen after. My head's a mess and I truly feel sick.
I feel as if the world would be better without this night. If we could just skip it, that would be ideal.
My eyes scan the time on my phone.
Now is 2 am and I'm at the cemetery.
Maybe I'm a masochist. I don't know. I speak of the pain as something cruel but I always come back to it in the end. Maybe I can't learn how to live a life without constant torture. I have a problem.
The air is thin and easy to breathe but it goes hard on me. I hear shifting from my left, as if something is getting closer. My senses are high as I turn my head slowly to see what's coming.
Relaxation hits me slowly when I realize it's a woman. Young woman. Her features are barely seen since the only source of light is the small lamppost near us but I am easily intimidated. She doesn't look well at all. Her facial lines seem fine, seem to be carrying such beauty, but the weight loss is ruining it for her. Her hair is dark brown and her skin a bit darker than mine. That's understandable since my complexion is the lightest in this world and everyone seems dark-skinned in comparison to my blinding whiteness.
She's wearing a black coat with a hood over her head. Big curls are falling from it, spreading across her shoulders. The woman is skinny and her leg actually can be compared to the width of my wrist.
She makes a stop at the grave next to the one I'm standing at and I can't help but read the name off of it.
Kevin Taylor
The name sounds familiar. I had a confrontation with a guy named Kevin in the past. It didn't leave such great memories since he was practically forcing himself on me. I can't help but wander through my mind when hearing the name.
A while after, I return to the present, laying my eyes on the gravestone. It doesn't even have a picture. It has a small square where it should be but it looks like it's been scratched.
He died about four years ago. She still seems to be grieving.
"I've had an amazing day, Kev. There were finally some customers. ", she quietly speaks and I look away, trying to give her some kind of privacy but I can still hear her. "I feel bad about leaving Rosalyn home but I had to work in order to pay the shitty water bill and buy her that stupid doll she wants. I'm sorry that I moved here a month ago and this is the first time I visit you since. I've had a really tough time signing into NYU..."
My college? Shit now I'm interested.
My phone is vibrating in the pocket but I put it on silent, trying to listen. I'm such a space invader, gosh.
Heavy breaths leave her mouth and even though she's hidden beneath the hood, I can easily tell she's crying. Trying to do it quietly. The quiet type. Just like me.
"Maybe I'll join you soon, who knows? I've come to the point where it's a matter of time before I'm finished. Even my work is slowing down because, who would want a skinny witch like me?", her sad little laugh surprises me. "I just need to secure Rosalyn first..", she sniffs and wipes her nose with her sleeve. "I have to find him. I have to let him know. I can't rest until she is safe. It will be too much, I know. But he's always been the responsible type..unlike me. Or Hunter."
I watch carefully as she pushes the hand inside her bag and pulls out the smaller, transparent bag as well as a bottle of water. She mixes something with it, preparing the content in the bottle. When she's done, she searches through her bag for something again and my eyes nearly pop out when I see a syringe with a needle on it. She stabs the needle into the bottle and pulls it into the syringe. My pupils are wide as I watch her. I can't seem to look away. She's consuming heroine most likely.
Am I really witnessing this? What am I gonna do? Did this really have to be next to my mom's resting place? I am stunned.
With shaky hands, she stabs the sharp pin into her arm and breathes out, rushing the liquid inside. I feel sick and I gag. She doesn't pay attention to me at all. I'm absolutely horrified because who knows what kind of hormonal disbalance this unfamiliar drug causes in the stranger I'm standing next to at two am.
Just as I make a step back out of observation, I feel a pair of arms wrap around me forcefully from behind and pull me to a hard chest. Before I get to be scared at all, my favorite voice speaks my name slowly, gratefully. My lips turn down at the corner and I cover my face with my hands.
"Laura. Are you alright baby?", Ross speaks to me, using that soothing calling for the first time.
I've always hated pet names but right now I realize that he could call me anything he wants and it wouldn't sound anything but pretty.
"Ross.. " I whisper, becoming emotional that he found me in such a tough moment. This time it's not Colton. It's him. I selfishly hope it's always him who finds me when I'm on the notch.
I only shiver and watch as the woman's syringe falls to the ground. She turns around unsteadily, the big hood covering her crying eyes. Ross only then notices her and squeezes me tighter against him.
"Let's leave.", he whispers, obviously intimidated.
It feels to me as if this was actually meant to happen. We don't know fate until we catch up to it, but when we do, it's easily recognizable what was destined for us.
*******
I can't believe I just did that. It wasn't planned lol. Let's just go with the flow, you and me both, and see what the hell will my imagination do from now on xD I don't know either.
By the way, thank you all for 1k+ votes! I'm very grateful!
Leave me a vote and comment! See ya soon!