Author's note: I promise the next chapter will be longer. I felt like this one needed to end where it does for impact. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy
When Marissa woke up she could hear talking in the living room. She rolled over and realized that Alex wasn't laying next to her anymore. She slowly got out of bed and opened the door listening to the conversation going on as she walked towards it.
"What did he say?" Serena asked.
Alex shrugged as she cut some fruit on the counter in the kitchen. She was clad in a green cami and black shorts. "He told me to get out of his apartment."
"Is this before or after you punched him?" Serena asked.
"After," Alex answered taking a bite of the apple.
As Marissa neared, Alex smiled, "Hey sleepy head."
"You okay now?" Marissa asked sweetly, running a finger down Alex's lightly bruised arm.
Alex nodded, "Yeah. Still a little sore, but much better."
Marissa picked up Alex's free hand and kissed the cuts and bruises on her knuckles, "Feel free to continue your discussion."
Serena joined the other two in the kitchen, "So he opened the door and you punched him?"
"I was really mad at that point because I'd been thinking of what…he did," Alex swallowed hard after the last part.
"You're lucky you didn't kill him," Serena added.
"If Newport was any farther away I may have," Alex answered. She picked up another slice of apple and offered it to Marissa. Marissa took it with a thankful smile and took a bite.
"I have to run to the office for a while," Serena smiled, "Will you two be okay alone?"
"Gee I don't know," Alex gave Serena a mischievous grin.
"Okay, I don't need to know," Serena picked up her bag and walked out the door with a quick goodbye.
Alex turned to Marissa, "I took the day off so what do you want to do?"
Marissa shrugged, "I don't care."
"I am going to go grab a record and then we can go surfing," Alex grinned eagerly.
Marissa chuckled because Alex was rarely eager. She followed Alex down the short hallway and into the guest room, or as it currently being referred to, Marissa's room.
While Alex sorted through the records on the dresser, Marissa sat on her bed and watched. "Oh," Marissa added, "Get 'Better Live Than Dead' please."
Alex smiled, "You and The Sex Pistols." Alex pulled the album, but as she turned to hand it to Marissa, Alex knocked Marissa's purse off the dresser with her elbow.
"Sorry," Alex winced and put the album back to pick up the contents of Marissa's purse, but Marissa sank to her knees and quickly tried to scoop everything back in her bag before Alex could get to it.
Once she was sure she got everything off the floor, Marissa put her purse on the bed, but she noticed that Alex had not moved from her crouching position.
Marissa watched curiously as Alex slowly stood up and turned to face her. Alex was staring at something in her hand. Marissa gulped and was sure she knew what Alex was looking at. It was subsequently what she was trying to keep Alex from seeing.
Finally Alex looked at Marissa and held the orange vial between two fingers. Alex closed her eyes and swallowed hard, "Please tell me this isn't what I think this is." Alex kept her eyes closed because she wanted to catch every word Marissa would say so nothing could be misinterpreted.
"It's not…" Marissa started, but knew lying to Alex at this point was trivial. "It's…yeah."
Alex slowly opened her eyes and saw Marissa sitting on the edge of the bed looking up at her, waiting for a reaction. The heartbroken look on Alex's face was eating Marissa up inside more than if Alex started yelling.
"How did it get this far?" The blonde asked in a disturbingly quiet voice. Alex enclosed the vial in her hand and gripped it so tight Marissa was sure it would burst any moment. "Did you go straight from alcohol to coke?" The last statement came out more accusatory that Alex had intended it, but she wasn't about to take it back.
"I…needed an escape," Marissa looked at the ground and explained. She picked at the blanket under her trying to avoid looking at any part of Alex.
"Is there any more?" Alex clenched her jaw.
Marissa shook her head, "That's it."
"Don't lie to me, Marissa," Alex warned.
This made Marissa looked up. Alex never called her Marissa. It had always been Riss or baby or babe. Never her whole name. Something about the way Alex said the last sentence was condescending and Marissa started to resent her for it. She looked back at the ground and shook her head, "I'm not. That's it." Marissa's words came out hostile and abrupt.
Alex crossed her arms and dropped her head, "How long?"
Marissa still felt that Alex was being condescending. The way she was talking made it seem that Alex was trying to parent Marissa and she definitely wasn't in a mood to be parented by anyone.
"None of your business," Marissa growled, standing up.
The blonde's eyes got wide, "I have a right to know if my girlf-" Alex caught herself in the middle of the word neither one had discussed yet. She quickly covered it up, "I have a right to know if there's drugs in my own house."
"Don't be so high and mighty," Marissa rolled her eyes, "It's not like you hide the bong in your room."
"This is different," Alex muttered, holding up the vial to exhibit to the taller girl, "It's cocaine Marissa. This will completely fuck you up."
Marissa snatched the vial away, "It's not like you don't think I'm fucked up already."
"Marissa," Alex started, but Marissa cut her off.
"It's my life," Marissa barked.
Alex froze in place for a little over two minutes before finally speaking in a cool, even tone, "Well if that's," she pointed to the vial in Marissa's hand, "Going to be part of your life, then don't expect me to be part of it." With that Alex walked out the door, leaving Marissa alone.
Marissa angrily slammed the door and sunk onto the floor, staring at the door until tears clouded her vision so much it was just a white space in front of her.