He throws his head back, laughing as I wink at him and walk away.
The last couple weeks, Easton has been everything I always knew he would be. A friend, a shoulder to lean on, a confidant. The night he gave me the first pill, we laid there for hours. I told him everything that happened the last couple months, including how I ended up sleeping and living with my English teacher. It may have taken being high on oxy for me to talk about it, but he sat there and listened to every word.
I originally came here because I knew the first place Asher would look for me was at Lennon’s, but I stayed because Easton ended up being everything I needed. He’s one of my best friends, and I love him for that.
THE MORE I DRINK, the hazier everything gets, but it does nothing to improve my mood. A part of me considers going to sleep, but I promised myself I would at least try to have fun tonight, and that’s what I’m doing.
I’m walking through the living room when I trip and stumble directly into the back of some guy. I mumble an apology as I put my hand on his shoulder to find my balance. However, the second his face becomes clear, I yank it away as if it burned me.
“You don’t look so good, babe,” a guy I don’t know says as he appears in front of me. “Why don’t you come with us? We’ll make you feel better.”
“No, I’m waiting for my friend.”
Him and his friend lift me up anyway. “I’ll come back down to get her. Don’t worry.”
They bring me upstairs and lay me on the bed before locking the door. Asher. Where’s Asher? Fuck. Everything is spinning.
“You,” I gasp.
His brows furrow. “You okay?”
I walk backward, jumping when I bump into someone else. I glance back with fear in my eyes that only calms slightly after noticing it’s Easton. He grabs my waist.
“Tess?”
Shaking my head, I look back at the guy who has starred in almost as many nightmares as my uncle has over the last couple months.
“H-he…”
Everything is getting tight and suddenly, it feels like the air is too thick to breathe. Easton turns me around and places his hands on my face—focusing my attention on only him.
“Talk to me. What’s wrong?”
My bottom lip starts to quiver. “He’s the guy from the party. The one that drugged me.”
He glances over my shoulder at the douchebag who still hasn’t looked away from me. “Are you sure?”
I nod.
Releasing me, he moves me so I’m standing behind him. Once I’m out of his way, he storms over and grabs the guy by the front of his shirt. Asshole’s eyes narrow.
“The fuck, man? Get the hell off me.”
Easton pulls him through the house and out the front door, throwing him down on the grass. “You think you can drug my best friend and get away with it? What kind of sick fuck does that?”
He swings first, striking the guy in the side of the jaw. Everyone comes pouring out of the house to watch the fight go down, but no one makes an attempt to stop it. Fists fly as the two of them pummel each other. I try to scream Easton’s name to stop him, but it’s no use.
Thankfully, after what feels like forever, Zayn comes running out of the house and pulls Easton off the guy. He struggles in his hold, trying to get away as the douchebag stands up and spits blood onto the lawn.
“Let go of me! He fucking drugged Tessa!”
My breath hitches as Zayn looks
at me with wide eyes. He must see the fear etched across my face because, in an instant, he releases Easton and goes after him himself. Having been trained by Knox, fighting Zayn is a losing battle for anyone, let alone someone who couldn’t even hold his own with Easton. By the time they’re done, the guy is curled up in a ball on the lawn, groaning in pain.
“Don’t ever let me see you around here again, you got it?” Zayn growls, and the guy croaks out a faint yeah.
Easton shoves past Z and over to where I’m standing. He wraps an arm around me and brings me inside, going straight through the crowd that seems to jump out of his way. The two of us go upstairs and into his bedroom. He shuts the door behind him, leaning against it and sighing.