Author's Note: I'm glad some people like this. I wasn't too sure if the plot would be good, but I like it so yeah xD
Clare didn't move her eyes away from my face. The wind blew and her short, black, matted hair didn't move. It was hardened. Clare finally stood up and I got a real good look at her.
Like I said before, she was skinny. But with her standing, I could see her bones. I wondered when the last time she ate was. Her hair...Her hair was disgusting. She wasn't wearing glasses anymore, and besides the eyeliner, her eyes were the same. I swallowed. "What happened to you?"
She shook her head and walked over to the bus stop and sat down on the bench in there. "I got tired of my mom, so I left. I couldn't find a job, so now I'm here,"
"Does your mom know?" I wondered.
Instead of answering me, she reached down her pants and pulled out a small baggy with white powder in it. She looked around, before dumping a little bit into the palm of her hand. She glanced around one more time before leaning down and snorting it all up. "You want some?" She held her hand out to me.
"Uh, no, I'm good. I don't do drugs anymore, and I never really did blow in the first place,"
She shrugged. "Really? It's the only thing I've done. It's perfect," She snorted the rest of it, then wiped her hands on her jeans and stuffed the baggy back into her pants.
"So," I began. "If you're homeless, then how do you aford money for cocaine?" I figured that I already knew the answer, but I wanted her to prove me wrong and tell me something else. I didn't want to believe she had let this happen to her.
Clare laughed. "How do you think?"
I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat. I couldn't picture her sleeping with various guys just to get her fix. But I knew what she was going through. I knew what it was like to have to cling to something. To never want to let it go. It wasn't pretty or fun, and I would help her. Even if it killed me.
I stood up. "Come on. I'm gonna buy you a burger - let's go,"
She sighed and stood up, too, swaying a little. Her buzz was kicking in. She giggled and followed me down to street to the nearest McDonalds.
I ordered her two burgers and two fries. I knew she would be hungry. We sat down and she dug in. I watched her when she wasn't looking. She crouched over her tray, like someone was gonna come behind her and steal it. She tried to shove all the food in her mouth at once like she couldn't get enough of it. Her skinny fingers could barely hold the Big Mac. My heart felt like it was breaking as I watched her. She was completely gone.
When she was finished, she glanced up at me with glazed blue eyes. Her pupils were beyond huge. She was stoned as a motherfucker. I checked my watch - it was about 8:30 and getting dark. Weighing my options, I stood up and put some money on the table. I grabbed her elbow and pulled her out of the booth.
"W-Wher are we going?" She asked. She was staggering as she walked and I lead her to my car.
"I'm not gonna let you sleep on the streets tonight. You can crash at my place,"
She stopped walking and yanked her arm away from me. "So that's what this is? You had to play me? Honey, if you wanted to fuck, you just had to throw me a twenty. You didn't have to buy dinner," She laughed and reached forward to ruffle my hair.
Once again, I felt my heart shatter because of this stranger. The Clare I met at the party would have never been like this. Hell, the Clare I met would have never even used the word fuck. I felt like puking.
Instead, I just grabbed her elbow again and helped her sit in the car. She brought her feet up, and curled into a ball, resting her head on her knees.
When we got back to my apartment, I walked her up the stairs. She was half asleep and high and she fell twice. I finally managed to get her into my bedroom. She smiled, her eyes half opened and walked forward. She placed her hands on my bed and sighed. "It's really soft, Eli,"
"You can sleep here tonight. I'll be on the couch,"
She nodded and crawled into my bed, snuggling deep into the covers and pillows. This must have been the first time in months she's slept in a bed. I sighed and turned the light off, walking into the living room.
She had changed to much. I didn't even know Clare that well when I met her, but I knew that this should have never happened to her. she wasn't just going downhill, she was already at the bottom. I felt for her, I did. When I got put into rehab, I felt like I was at the bottom. I know it isn't easy to climb back to the top. But I would help her and get her back on top of that beautiful hill where she belonged.
Author's note: