Substances... stay away
"Party girl went pretty hard tonight." She says.
"I just let myself have a bit of fun. That's all."
"I didn't know you can dance." She says bringing out makeup wipes.
I take one from her, "I was a dancer before I began running. It's just a hobby now."
"You and Carlos were very close tonight." She smirks.
I shake my head, "we weren't that close."
Lola begins to cackle, "not that close? You were grinding on each other for the last 20 minutes before you went to sit down."
If I had a lighter complexion my face would be beet red. "The whisper song is my guilty pleasure, I have no control over what I do when the song is involved."
Lo and I laugh. We see Joey walk past the door and I frown.
"Yikes, what happened there?"
I sigh, "I tried talking to Joey and Val guarded him with her life, then I saw him alone after my salsa with Carlos. I walked up to him and he was in a bad mood. I've noticed that lately. I grabbed his hand because I wanted to dance with him and he yanked it out of my grasp and told me I should go dance with Carlos." I mimic the way he said his name.
"Sounds like he's jealous."
"Why would he be?"
"Chica he likes you more than a friend duh." She exaggerates.
Impossible. We have our rules.
I change out of Lola's dress. And put on a robe. I try to open Joey's door and it's locked.
"Joey open the door." I knock.
I stand there for five minutes and he doesn't open it.
I trail back to Lola's room. "He won't open the door." I huff.
"Well, you were very friendly with Carlos. I don't blame him for being angry."
"I'm not going to believe what you say. We are all just friends."
She rolls her eyes at me, "just stay, sleep in my room until he cools off, and here." She tosses me an oversized shirt to sleep in.
...
I wake up and run to Lola's bathroom, I kneel over the open toilet seat and let it out. I feel so tired.
In an instant. I see Corey hop through the open window.
He pulls back the long hair. Lo told me the glue will wear off in two to five days.
"Thanks, Corey." I groan.
"No problem Izzy. This may be my job but you are like a part of our family now. We take care of each other. Plus you look like you are having it worse than Carlos. Tom wouldn't let him leave the penthouse suite this morning." He says.
"Carlos is sick too?" I lean against the wall.
"Yep, but he is looking better than you are. What did you guys do last night?"
I shake my head slowly, "what about Bev or Jen?"
"Tom caught them but they are one hundred percent fine," Corey answers me.
"Izzy?"
I look up, "Lola he's part of my team he's not an intruder!" I rush out raising my voice.
She's holding a frying pan. Tangled style.
I'm surprised I remember that, I haven't even seen the movie. Ha. Ha. Ha...
Lola lowers the pan. "Are you okay?"
"I feel like crap. Is anyone else sick?" I ask her.
She shakes her head.
I let out a shaky breath, "then why are Carlos and I the only people-"
It all just came back up. Corey helps again.
"Sick." I huff.
"What did you drink?" She asks me.
My head is pounding, "all I drank was water from a bottle... wait Joey gave me a red solo cup of grape juice. Carlos and I both drank it."
Joey and Elena both walk into Lola's room.
Lola rips on Joey, "you gave her the drink on purpose. You were angry that you didn't go with her. You gave her a spiked drink and now look at her!"
Joey looks ultimately confused and I just want to lay on the cold tiles.
"Isabella, what happened?" He asks.
Wow, that kinda stung, he called me Isabella.
"Grape juice." Is all I whispered before falling asleep.
...
Why is it that I'm always the one to blackout?
I just hear bickering in two different languages.
"Can you guys shut up." I groan taking the cooling pack off my head.
"Izzy you have a fever, your blood pressure is unbelievably high for your age. And your pulse is erratic. You need to rest." Tom says.
"I didn't spike her drink!" Through the window, I see Carlos and Joey.
Through Tom's protest, I walk outside the Easterbrook house.
"Carlos stop it. I thought you were still at the penthouse? Anyways, I trust him. If he said he didn't do it. He didn't." I place my hand on the bricks to stabilize myself.
"I broke out when I heard you were sick. It'll take more than a locked door to keep me in."
Carlos does look bad but not as bad as me.
A thought comes to mind. "Carlos, who was the person who gave me my first drink?"
"Valerie. But I tossed it before you even took a sip."
"Joey you gave me a drink and I was going to thank you but who pulled you away?"
"Val..."
"Do you think she did it? There was enough time for her to put something in my drink and pull you away." I note.
"She's in the Solon with Liv."
I don't care how weak I'm feeling I want answers.
Joey, Carlos, Able, Darnel, Tom and I go to the salon.
We all enter a back room with Olivia and Valerie.
"Why do those two look like they got hit by a bus?" Valerie looks disgusted at Carlos and me.
"Val, did you put something in Izzy's drink yesterday?" Joey asks her.
"No I tried to give her some punch yet he tossed it." She points at Carlos.
He speaks up, "you put something in that one. You were being suspiciously nice."
"Okay, I spiked that one. But not the other one." She rolls her eyes with some sarcasm.
Then she continues, "Liv put something in that drink."
All eyes are on Olivia.
"Liv wasn't even at the party," Joey says.
"She was there with Mason." Val sings.
"Olivia what did you put in her drink?"
"I got it from Val." She says.
"You put my crushed snacks in her drink? Tell me you didn't put the whole thing?" Valerie exclaims.
"The pack was this big." Olivia shows with her fingers.
Joey slams his fists on the table. "You gave my baby sister Ecstasy. And you took it from her and placed it in her drink. That small package is concentrated." He turns to me, "that's why you were so energetic last night."
"I'm sorry Isabella." Olivia apologizes to me.
I am freaking out. I've never taken drugs before. I am terrified of them. What if it affects my running or something else?
"Izzy?" Able asks me. I stay silent and wide-eyed.
I audibly swallow.
"Tom how seriously can Ex affect me if I regularly take a high dosage of NSAIDs?"
"I would've been informed on all your medical records. It depends on what it treats?"
"Can all of you leave for a moment? Except for Tom?" I look down at my hands.
Everyone trails out and Tom takes a seat.
"I tore my ACL a while ago and I still take the same dosage as I did then. I take the NSAIDs, then I take anti-depressants a couple time's a month. Then I was also born with a heart defect, but I'm so scared to undergo surgery. So I just take meds."
"Isabella, this is important information that should be on your records. Why haven't you told Afi?"
"If they knew about any of this, they wouldn't have let me go to Rio or Tokyo. I wouldn't have ran another day in my life. I wouldn't have gotten gold. I pushed my limits every day to stay in my craft. I went off the grid for a year. I was doing physical therapy and I was going through a strong depressive state. I have never taken a drug like that before. I'm sicker than Carlos. Do you think it's because of the other medications I take?" I hold back tears. I am genuinely scared of whatever Tom is going to tell me.
What he says makes this ten times worse. "I'm sorry Izzy I don't know."
Tom and I exit the room.
"Darnel get the car ready we are going to the hospital. Able call Jonathan and Michael. If this is serious we are taking the jet back at once. Carlos come with you are mildly affected, we'll see if your come down gets better or worse. But we leave in under five minutes or you will see everything go down. DISPERSE!"
I've never seen Tom so serious and frightening at the same time.
Darnel and Able run out of sight.
The rest of us begin to walk away.
Joey pulls me back, "Hey what's going on?"
I pull away, "I'm sorry I need to go, I'll try and text you later." My voice breaks.
I walk back to the others and I get into the car.
I take a risk every day I get out of bed. I just want good news when I get to the hospital.
Carlos says that he's fine when we walk into the emergency room.
Tom gets me settled quickly, my name has some perks I guess.
We walk past a garbage bin and I immediately feel sick all over again.
I haven't eaten a thing since before the party yesterday and I'm just throwing up at every chance.
I'm placed on a bed and a bunch of people surround me. My team is either in the room, in the hall or surrounding the area.
Doctors and nurses are scattered. Soon enough everyone leaves but Tom, Carlos and a Doctor.
"Isabella, how are you feeling?"
I groan, "doc I feel like absolute crap I thought I said this already." I squirm around.
"Your body isn't used to the various substances in your system. It's just trying to detoxify them, which is why you are throwing up so much. I want you to stay in the hospital for at least two days. We will provide medication for your throat, I assume it's burning a bit. If you need anything just ask."
I nod and the doctor walks away.
"Are you hungry?" Tom asks me.
I shake my head I don't think I can hold down solid food right now. "Can I just have some water, preferably ice cold?"
Tom leaves and Carlos sits at my bedside.
"This is my fault. I should've been watching you more carefully. I shouldn't have left your side." He says looking at the ceiling.
"Carlos no one saw Olivia. This drug is like bitter candy, it just tasted like grape juice because it's sweet with that concentrate aftertaste. It's not your fault. I told you to have fun."
"No, you didn't. I don't have fun. This is my job and you are in a hospital bed because I took my eyes off of you for a moment." He stands up frustrated.
"Carlos-"
"I'm sorry, Miss Jackson this isn't right." He walks out of the room.
Miss Jackson...
I feel like I always make people upset. Joey is upset with me. Olivia spiked my drink. Valerie tried to get me. Carlos is conflicted about his job. My family... my blood family are all disappointed in me. This pressure is so much.
I take out my phone and call the one person who will comfort me.
"Hey, girl wassup?"
"Afi stop yelling." I groan.
"You sound awful, what happened!"
I sigh, she's going to find out either way, "I went to a party and I was drugged now I'm in the hospital puking my guts out."
"And why hasn't this been reported to me by the team captain?" She sounds angry.
"Afi, Tom has been dealing with a lot. He's doing a really good job."
"If anything happens to you I don't know what I will do. Where were my security!"
"I took Carlos, Bev and Jen were also there. Carlos stopped the first attempt, but no one saw the second. But don't blame Carlos, he drank the drink after I did and he's sick too."
Afi's breathing is erratic, "if I was there all of them would've lost their jobs! I just saw your little salsa. You got Carlos. My top agent to smile and go to a club?"
"Can someone just tell me what's the big deal about Carlos?"
From the beginning it's been Carlos this and Carlos that! What's so different about him!
Afi sighs, "that man has been made a cadet from the moment he was born. He was in the military following his father and brother's footsteps, and on one of his assignments, he had to go defuse a bomb. The team didn't make it time. His mom was in the explosion. He never stayed in the military long. He was recruited to the Agency and he is the best. He is collected. He takes his job seriously. Carlos doesn't smile, I've never seen him like this. How the hell did you break him?"
That's a lot of information to swallow, "I-I don't know...all I did was learn all of their names and hang out with all of them. They are really cool."
"You can not be serious, Bella why do you think it's okay to get involved with your security on a personal level?"
"You are making it seem like I slept with him Afi! Anyone of them could've come with me and they elected Carlos."
"You danced to the whisper song with him!" She seethes.
I hate the internet!
"We were on drugs!"
"Stay away from my security Bella. They are there to protect you. Not fool around." Afi hangs up.
So much for comfort.
Tom finally comes with my water. I thank him and I text Joey.
He wants to see me...
Twenty minutes later he's sitting beside me.
I keep down my liquids more than my solids. Elena made me some very smooth smoothies. Joey brought them for me.
"I'm sorry I upset you for the last couple of days," I tell him.
"Princess, you didn't upset me, I may have seemed a tad bit off, but I'm stressed about my dad's auto shop. Business isn't doing as well as Ma's salon. The debt is just horrific."
"Lola tried convincing me that you were jealous that I went to the party with Carlos... it's ridiculous, right?" I utter lightheartedly.
"Yeah," Joey bursts out laughing.
I smile at him, then glance at the door. Carlos and I lock eyes for a moment, yet he walks away.
Remember to always keep your eyes on your drinks ladies and gets.
Izzy's secret is out... will it affect her future?
What do y'all think?