Cat was the first one to start slipping away.
I could kick myself for not catching onto it sooner. Maybe I could have helped her. Who the fuck am I kidding? I was neck-deep in my own shit. That's why I didn't see it, and even if I had, I can't honestly say that I would have dropped all of my own problems to run to her side.
Her random outbursts and absurd stories about her brother slowly started to fade away. I think the majority of us were more relieved when we could have a conversation without "this one time, my brother..." interrupting someone's train of thought.
It sounds terrible, I know, but I'm really not interested in sugar coating any of the shit that went down with us. Nothing ever gets fixed that way. Nothing can ever be understood if you don't show it for what it really is.
We were at lunch when I first noticed something really weird going on. It was the beginning of our junior year, and from an outsider's perspective, I'm sure we all looked really fantastic and happy. And I guess we would even say that we were too. Except when I looked at Cat and saw that blank stare as she idly moved around the pasta on her plate with her fork.
"You okay, Kitty Cat?" I had asked as I took a drink from my water bottle. My inquiry had brought everyone's attention to our spaced out friend.
She looked up at me and gave me a wide smile, "I'm great. Really great." She said in that airy voice. Her glassy eyes barely locked on mine, lazily falling back down to her tray. My brow furrowed and I was about to pry further until Andre interrupted me.
"So there's a party going on tonight." He said with a grin as he slung an arm around Vega's shoulders. Oh yeah. They had started dating. I couldn't quite place the emotion that had been brought to life inside me, but I didn't like it. I didn't like the way she smiled and leaned into him like she was actually happy.
"Where at?" Beck asked excitedly as he pulled me closer to his side.
"Does it really matter?" Andre replied with a chuckle, "All I know is that some Northridge girl is throwing a bash, and we're all invited."
"How'd you swing that?" I asked in disbelief.
Andre jutted a thumb to his side, pointing at Robbie who had been carefully watching Cat. When he noticed the rest of us looking at him, he cleared his throat and gave a half-hearted smile, "Rex, technically. But who cares." Robbie said, trying to seem cavalier about the situation. I can't imagine knowing that your puppet was more popular than you could be a very comforting thought.
"So...We in?" Andre asked excitedly.
"Depends. You got the stuff?" Beck asked with a mischievous grin.
"Man, have I ever let you down?" Andre retorted, feigning insult. Vega and I exchanged confused glances as the two boys reached over us and slapped hands.
Once we got to the party, I found out that this 'stuff' that Beck had asked about was some seriously expensive pills. A plethora to be exact. Whatever you wanted, Andre had at least five. Cat swiped two heavy pain relievers and faded away into the crowd shortly after. Beck popped an Adderall and washed it down with straight whiskey. I pocketed two small tablets that Andre told me would make me fly like a kite. Whatever that meant. I watched as Vega shook her head politely when Andre offered his open hand to her. He shrugged and put the rest into the little plastic baggy and stuffed in his pocket.
"What, none for you, Andre?" I asked as I drank from my beer.
"Nah, I've got my eyes on something else." He said as he looked past me and waved some kid down. Him, Beck, and this strange boy went off into a different room. Robbie shuffled for a moment before excusing himself and walking into another room. This left Vega and I alone together. I let out a sigh and pulled another beer from Beck's bag that he had left by my feet.
"Want one?" I offered. She smiled lightly and accepted it, popping open the cap and taking a drink.
"You don't look to excited to be here." Vega commented as I crossed my arms.
"We're in Northridge." I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.
Vega surrendered with a laugh, "Fair enough."
"So what's up with Andre?" I asked, nodding in the direction of our retreating boyfriends.
Vega rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I don't know."
"He's your boyfriend." I said with a disbelieving laugh.
"Yeah, and when it comes to things like this, we've developed a don't-ask-don't-tell policy." She said with a shrug.
"Things like this being...?"
Vega chewed on her lip for a moment, as if she were debating on whether or not she could tell me whatever it was that was bothering her, "Powder." She whispered.
"What, like cocaine?" I said with a laugh. She gave me a dark look and my laughter stopped abruptly. "Shit." I said as I let out a low whistle.
"To each his own I suppose." She said in a quiet voice as she took another drink from her bottle. The conversation stopped there, and instead we took a moment to survey the party from where we stood. Cat could be seen sitting on the couch, listening to some boy, though it looked like it was taking quite a lot of what little energy she had to keep her head up. That smile never left her face, though, as her airy laugh made its way over to where we stood.
"Come on, let's go." I said, grabbing Beck's bag of beer and slinging it over my shoulder before reaching out and taking Vega by the hand and leading her up the stairs to the second story of the house.
"Where are we going?" Vega asked, and I heard a small giggle escape her lips.
I pulled her into a room and kept tugging her until we were by the window. I turned to look at her, "Do you trust me?" I asked with a devilish grin.
"I guess." She stammered, looking at me, unsure of my intentions. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the two pills I had taken from Andre. I took her hand and put one pill into her palm and held out my palm that had the other.
"What is it?" She asked nervously.
"Let's find out." I suggested with a smirk. She looked at me for a long while before letting out a sigh and shrugging, tossing the pill into her mouth and taking a swig out of her beer. I followed suit and then opened the window that we stood by.
"What are you doing?" She asked urgently.
"I scoped this out when we pulled up. This house has the perfect roof. Come on." I said as I popped off the screen and climbed out onto the eave. A few paces away from the window was a part of the roof that had a much less drastic angle to it and I shimmied my way over and sat down. Vega joined me moments later and we sat in a peaceful silence, looking over the backyard where the party was in full swing.
"It's nice up here." Vega said and I looked at her. Her mouth was pulled into a goofy smile, and I could tell that whatever we had taken was starting to affect her. I laughed and nodded as I slipped my hand into the V of my shirt, pulling a joint out of my bra. Vega's attention moved from the backyard and to what was now in my hand. "Where'd you get that?" She exclaimed with wide eyes.
I laughed, "Robbie gave it to me earlier." I said as I lit the joint and took a hit. I held the smoke in my lungs and looked over to Vega. She was looking at me quite intently and I nodded to the joint in my hand as a silent offer.
She worried her lip in between her teeth before accepting it and taking a drag. She held the smoke in as she leaned back on her elbows before finally opening her mouth and letting the smoke leak out between her lips. My tongue ran over my lower lip as I thought about what kissing her would feel like. Shocked by my own thought, I shook my head and took another hit from the joint, enjoying the way the high melded with whatever we had taken and the small buzz from the alcohol.
"Why'd you bring me up here, Jade?" She asked after we passed the joint back and forth a few times in silence.
"Neither of us want to be here. Figured we could use the company." I said as I puffed on the joint. My head was spinning slightly and my mouth grew dry so I drank deeply from my beer.
"Cat hasn't really been herself lately, has she?" Vega asked again, moving from one topic to the next.
I let out a sigh as I handed off the joint and looked at the bottle in my hand, "No, she hasn't."
"We haven't been too good of friends to her." Vega commented.
"We're doing all we know how." I said quietly.
"We're doing nothing." Vega retorted, sounding slightly upset.
"Well, what the fuck are we supposed to do, Vega?" I snapped, looking at her with harsh eyes.
She instantly surrendered her anger and dropped back onto her elbows, "Fuck. I don't know." She said, her voice hardly audible.
"She's...She's got a lot going on. We all cope differently. She'll be okay." I said, more for myself than for Vega's sake. I shook my head, throwing my empty bottle off of the roof and grabbing another. Vega stuck out her hand and I looked at her with a shocked expression. I handed her the bottle and our hands grazed when she took it, but I didn't let go. I don't know what it was, but I was stuck there, looking into those chocolate brown eyes as she looked back at me.
So I leaned in and kissed her, and when we pulled away, I kissed her again. Her empty hand snaked its way into my hair and tugged me closer to her. I bit down on her lip and reveled in the whimper that she let out.
"Well." She said when we finally pulled away from each other. I put out the roach out and stuck it back in my bra. We sat in a slightly uncomfortable silence as we sipped our beers.
"We should probably get back. Just in the off chance that the boys start wondering where we are." I offered, casting a glance that finally caught her eye. She nodded her head and began shimmying back to the open window. Once we were both back inside, I put the screen back in place and closed the actual window. When I turned back to face her, she was only inches away from me and that desire that engulfed me earlier came back full swing.
Our mouths crashed together and I wrapped my arms around her waist as I guided her backwards to the bed that was in the center of the room. Her back hit the mattress and my lips hit her neck as her fingers tangled in my hair. My hunger was fueled on by the way her body rolled into me and I slid my hands up her sides, taking her shirt with them. Just as I was about to yank the offending garment off of her, the door bursted open and we shot apart.
"What the fuck!" I shouted as I looked at the intruder.
A guy stumbled in with his lips sloppily trailing down the neck of a small redhead.
No fucking way.
"What. The. Fuck." I growled again, getting off of the bed and storming over to where that sleazeball was groping my best friend. I pried him away from her and shoved him into the closed door with my arm under his neck. I watched out of my periphery as Vega came to Cat's aid rather quickly as she ushered the small girl to the bed.
"Hey, step off. What do you think you're doing?" The guy said as he struggled to get away from me.
"What do you think you're doing, you fucking prick?" I snapped back at him.
"She wants it!" The guy argued as he gestured in Cat's direction.
"Does she look like she fucking even knows what's going on right now?" I yelled.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" The guy spat at me and I shoved him again.
"I'll be your worst fucking nightmare if you don't get your ass out of this room in the next thirty seconds. And if I ever see you go near my friend again, I'll make Saw seem like a nursery rhyme. Are we clear?" I snarled at the guy. The kid looked less than phased by what I had said, which was starting to really piss me off.
"Jade." I heard Vega say in a scolding manner from behind me.
"Jade...Jade West?" The kid's face had paled and I looked at him with a newfound realization.
"You better fucking believe it." I said with a malicious grin. "You didn't answer me. Are we clear?" He just nodded his head. I let him go and watched as he stumbled out of the room and down the hall rather quickly. I turned back to see Cat passed out on the bed and Vega sitting next to her.
"I'll stay with her." Vega offered, her voice soft as she gently stroked Cat's hair.
"I'm not fucking leaving her." I snapped harshly. Vega flinched and I let out a sigh, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I just meant..."
"I know, Jade." Vega said, giving me an understanding smile. I walked over to the bed and watched as Vega scooted over to give me some room. I sat with my back leaning against the headboard as I looked straight ahead and thought about everything that had happened. Everything that could have happened.
"Is she...okay?" I asked quietly.
"She'll be fine. She just needs to sleep it off." Vega said as she scooted down and laid her head in my lap. I was taken aback, my hand retracted up by my chest as I watched her make herself comfortable. I shimmied down so it would be more comfortable for both of us and Vega repositioned her head to the curve of my neck as she snaked her arm around my waist.
"Her brother's a fucking mess." I began, not really caring that she didn't ask any questions, "Her parents don't have the time to look after her, so she's been looking after herself. It was fine when we were younger. But he's gotten worse. He needs more attention, so what little time she got with them has been taken away. She thinks she's alone in the world. That's why she acts the way she does. If she can act like it doesn't hurt her, then she can convince herself that it really doesn't. I guess acting wasn't enough for her anymore. She needed something stronger to take the pain away." I said, tears streaming down my face at this point as I thought about my best friend.
Vega propped herself up and wiped away my tears, "Shh, Jade. It's okay. You're a good friend to her. She knows that." Vega cooed.
"Then why...why does she..." I choked out, trying my best not to wake the sleeping girl on the other side of Vega.
"You said it yourself. We all cope differently." Vega whispered as she kissed where my tears were falling. When her lips touched mine, I cupped her face and deepened the kiss. It didn't last too long, and soon she was back to being nestled in the crook of my neck, clinging to me desperately.
"I guess this goes without saying..." Vega began.
"What does?" I asked as I finally allowed myself to wrap my arm around her shoulders.
"What happened tonight...is never spoken of again." Vega rather stated more than asked. I said nothing, simply pulling her closer to me and kissing the top of her head. Soon I felt her breath even out as it basked over my skin. Not too long after did sleep take me as well.
I awoke what seemed like minutes later to snickering and the sun pouring through the window. My eyes slowly opened and I saw Beck, Andre, and Robbie standing at the foot of the bed staring at us with amused smiles. Shaking the remaining sleep from my mind, I looked at the predicament that we had found ourselves in. Vega was still glued to my side with half of her body covering mine, and on her other side was Cat spooning her with her face buried in brown hair.
"Guess we were in the wrong part of the party last night." Beck joked with that crooked grin. Bags were under his eyes and I got the feeling he hadn't even been to bed.
"Get out of here, you fucking perverts." I growled as I pulled a pillow out from behind my head and threw it at them. They all laughed and shuffled out of the room, leaving me with a still-asleep Cat and Vega who was just waking up.
"No. Go back to bed." She mumbled as she buried herself deeper in my neck, her lips grazing my collar bone and giving me chills.
I let out a sigh, "Wake up, Vega."
Her eyes shot open and she sat up quickly disentangling herself from Cat and staring at me with an open mouth.
"What's your deal?" I asked as I sat up and stretched my back.
Vega looked at me for another moment longer, clearly anticipating me yelling at her for touching me. She shut her mouth and shook her head, "Nothing. Not a thing."
We shared a silent look of understanding before we both fixed our attention to our sleeping friend. We sat there for a moment before Cat began to stir. She rubbed at her eyes and her lithe body stretched out and her eyes slowly slid open.
"Morning." She said in a sleepy voice with a smile. Vega and I exchanged disbelieving expressions as we watched Cat sit up and crack her back.
"Morning." We replied in confused unison.
"Let's get pancakes." Cat giggled as she jumped onto me and began tickling me.
"No, Cat, No!" I shouted despite the laughter that was threatening to burst out of me. Vega soon joined in on the assault to my body and my hips involuntarily bucked into her and a moan escaped her lips, mingled in with my laughter. Luckily it didn't register to Cat who had given up on tickling me and instead was on her back, laughing at Lord knows what. Vega's hands froze and we looked at each other, momentarily shot back to last night as images of my hands on her body and her lips on mine engulfed my mind.
"Pancakes." Vega said as a blush crept up her neck.
"Yay!" Cat exclaimed as she ran out of the room.
We were left alone again, her leg still in between mine and her arms positioned on either side of me. She looked at me with that same heated stare as last night and I felt my heart start to clamor in my chest.
"Pancakes, right?" I mentioned again, hoping to break us out of this spell.
"Right. I just..." She trailed off as she leaned in and gently pressed a kiss to my lips.
We pulled apart and she cleared her throat as she climbed off of me and stood up next to the bed, "Well. She seemed...normal."
"Normal for her." I said with a scoff.
"Yeah." Vega agreed lightly as she stood there awkwardly. "So, what do we do?"
"I don't know. Keep an eye on her, I guess. Let her know someone's there. I'm not the greatest in situations like this." I said quietly.
Cat came bursting back into the room with Andre hot on her heels, "Come on you guys! I want pancakes!" She said loudly, running to the bed and practically yanking me onto my feet. I groaned as I allowed myself to be dragged out of the room, casting a look back and watching Andre lean in and kiss Vega the same way she had just kissed me and my stomach tied itself in knots.
I drove with Cat to the diner while everyone else piled into Beck's truck. It was silent between the two of us for a while, just the low hum of the radio in the background. I watched as she tried to subtly pull something out of her purse and slip it into her mouth. I let out a sigh, already having a pretty good idea as to what that could have been.
"You okay, baby girl?" I asked, casting her a worried glance.
She had been staring out the window blankly, but looked at me quickly, "I'm great, Jade, really." She said with that smile I had long ago learned not to believe.
I hadn't anticipated making this more than a one-shot, but out of the reviews I received, I got the impression that some might like it if I continued. So...I did. Lemme know what you guys think.