Diamond
Icouldn’t tell you exactly when this night went to shit.
Maybe we were doomed from the moment we pulled up to Theo’s house. Or maybe things went downhill when I spotted Finn in the living room. Sure, the night wasn’t promising to begin with, but if I had to guess? I’d say we reached the point of no return when Lacey brought up the magic mushrooms in front of Aveena.
“Dia, Axel’s got the magic mushrooms. Let’s go,” Lacey said.
What’s worse is I’d told Lacey about my promise to Aveena before. Obviously, she was too drunk to remember. But the look on Aveena’s face was a no-brainer. She remembered it all too well. I could see her thoughts flashing in her eyes.
“No more hard drugs, Dia. You promised.”
As much as I hate to admit it, the disappointment in her gaze was familiar. I’d seen it many times. Mostly at parties. Aveena doesn’t approve of the new Dia. Hell, I don’t even approve of the new Dia, but it didn’t stop me from caving to the peer pressure when Lacey added, “D, come on! It was your idea!”
Aveena couldn’t hide her shock when she learned I was the one who suggested that we do drugs. She wasn’t mad, though. She was sad. But she didn’t feel what I felt inside. She didn’t feel the agony clinging to me like a shadow. The desperate need to escape the pain. I pushed off the couch, but the guilt kept me rooted in place. I couldn’t leave Aveena alone, considering she only came to this party for me.
“Vee, I…”
“It’s fine, I’m leaving anyway.” Aveena rose to her feet.
She started pushing through the crowd in no time. I called her name, but I was too late. She was out of the house in a heartbeat.
“Let her go. She was ruining the night, anyway.” Lacey grabbed my arm before I could follow my best friend. “Come on, Axel’s waiting for us.”
“I’m not going.” I flung my arm out of her grasp.
Lacey cocked an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I’m not going.”
Her face twisted with irritation. “What’s your problem?”
“You knew what you were doing by saying that shit in front of her. Why do you hate her so much?”
Lacey shrugged. “Maybe I’m not a fan of the girl, so what?”
“What did she ever do to you? Just because she doesn’t get wasted for fun, she’s not good enough?” I said defensively.
“Do you even hear yourself? This whole thing was your idea. It’s not my fault your friend is a fucking loser.”
“She’s a loser? You’re the one getting fucked-up every weekend to forget about your absentee parents.”
I knew I’d gone too far from the moment the words flew out of my mouth. Lacey’s expression evolved from pissed off to hurt in a matter of seconds.
“You know what? Fuck this. Go back to your loser friend,” she spat before disappearing into the crowd.
It’s been fifteen minutes since Lacey stormed off, driving the nail into our friendship’s coffin, and here I am, walking around the party aimlessly. I’m sipping on a glass of water, waiting until I’m sober enough to drive home. Unfortunately for me, my head is spinning like a fucking ballerina, and I don’t see myself getting behind the wheel anytime soon.
I have no idea where Aveena ran off to. I searched Theo’s front yard after Lacey and I got into a fight, but Aveena was nowhere to be found. I’m guessing she called her mom for a ride? I considered texting her to make sure, but I doubt she’d answer with how we left things.
I notice my glass of water is almost empty a moment later and make a beeline for the kitchen to fill it up. The kitchen isn’t nearly as crowded as the living room, but I still manage to get pushed by two guys wrestling each other on my way to the fridge. The two airheads are so drunk they don’t even notice the glass slipping from my hand and smashing against the kitchen tiles. It immediately breaks into a thousand pieces.
Shit, it seemed like an expensive glass, too. You know the old, fancy shit you save for special occasions? I grabbed the first glass I could find in Theo’s cabinets since he was out of red cups.
Cursing under my breath, I kneel before the mess and start picking up the pieces. I should probably find a broom, but I wouldn’t even know where to look. I make a few trips to the trash can to throw away the glass one piece at a time.
This is taking forever. I’m this close to texting Theo and asking him where he keeps his broom when I feel a presence. Next thing I know, someone is crouching down in front of me.
“Need a hand?”