Kate
I had spent a few days without talking Tadashi and I missed him but I wasn't sure how to talk to him. I had been going to classes and lab but he was giving me my space…the space I didn't really want anymore. I had overreacted. I just didn't know how to apologize.
It was Saturday and I hadn't been outside yet. I was going stir crazy. I decided that I wanted to out that night. I didn't usually go to parties but I did know of a club not too far away. I looked in the mirror and ran a hand through my blonde hair. I felt weak. I looked too innocent, too easy to take advantage of. It was time to change that.
I sat in the chair, afraid to look at myself. Maybe I shouldn't have done it. But the hairdresser smiled and handed me a mirror. My eyes widened and I smiled before looking up at her. "Thank you. I love it."
My red hair gave me a boost of confidence and I walked into the club like I had done it a thousand times before. I talked to a lot of people but every time a guy asked me to dance, I declined. I wasn't interested in another guy. I just wanted a distraction. I met a group of girls and spent most of the night with them. We went up to the bar and they questioned me when I ordered water. "I'm here to have fun not get wasted and spend the night next to the toilet." They shrugged and took their drinks.
Soon, they were all up dancing with guys they didn't know but I stayed in my seat. Even though I had only been drinking water, I was starting to feel strange. Could someone have spiked my drink? I pulled out my phone, thinking about calling Tadashi but just set it on the table in front of me. My head was spinning and I couldn't think. Someone slid into the seat across from me and I looked up. Cole. I groaned.
"What do you want?"
"You don't look so good, Red. Can't hold your liquor?"
"I don't drink. Its water." He took my glass and sniffed it.
"Huh. Why do you look drunk then?"
"I think someone spiked it," I whispered.
"You left your drink alone?"
"No," I said angrily, standing up. "I don't want to talk to you anymore." I didn't make it very far before getting dizzy. Cole stood quickly and caught me before I could hit the ground.
"Woah, Red. You're really out of it. Can I call someone for you?"
I leaned against his chest, gripping his shirt, trying to stay upright even though he was still holding me. "No," I murmured. "I'm going home."
"Not alone, you're not."
"Are you gonna try to stop me?" I challenged.
He chuckled. "I wouldn't have to try very hard. You can't even stand up by yourself." He helped me back into a seat and I leaned against the wall, sighing. He took my phone and dialed but everything was getting blurry. I rested my head on the table and squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't care that Cole had my phone anymore. I was just trying to stay conscious.
Cole
I dialed her last call. Tadashi. I wonder who he is. A brother? Boyfriend? Coworker?
He answered quickly, "Kate? Are you okay?"
"So that's her name…" I smiled.
"Who is this? Where is Kate?" He sounded worried. Really worried…and angry. Gotta be either a brother or boyfriend.
"Don't freak out, dude. My name is Cole. As for Kate…well she says she isn't drunk but it doesn't look that way to me."
"Kate doesn't drink. Where is she?"
I told him the name of the club and he said he would be there in ten minutes. He made it in five.
Tadashi
Who was Cole and why was Kate with him? Why was she even at that club? She doesn't party. I borrowed Aunt Cass' car and drove as fast as I could without getting pulled over. If Kate really was drunk, I didn't want to risk driving the moped. I didn't want to worry about whether or not she couldn't hold on. I rushed into the club and looked around for Kate. When I found her, my jaw dropped. Her hair was red! When did she do that? What is going on? "Kate?"
Kate
I heard someone say my name and looked up. Tadashi? Why was he here? "Cole called me." I would have turned to glare at Cole but I had hardly been able to lift my head from the table. "Come on, Kate. Let's get you home." I was too exhausted to even think about moving, let alone fighting so I let him pulled me into his arms.
Tadashi
I picked her up and she rested her head against my chest. I had missed her being so close. I turned to Cole and thanked him for calling me.
"No problem. I think she was actually about to call you herself but got too dizzy. I think she realized something was off but it was too late to do anything about it."
"So you don't think she just got drunk?" He shook his head and pointed to a glass.
"She stuck with water."
I tried to keep my eyes on the road but Kate was whimpering in the passenger seat. I glanced at her and my eyes softened. She looked miserable. I put my hand on her leg to comfort her. She started to cry and my heart lurched. "Shh."
"I'm sorry I yelled at you before," she managed to choke out. My hand moved to stroke her hair and she whispered, "I don't want to lose you."
We made it to the café and I pulled over before turning to her but she wouldn't look at me. I wiped her tears away with my thumbs and kissed her forehead. She finally looked up and I spoke softly. "I'm not going anywhere, Kate. Not without you."