by Tara Brown
I looked back over at him instantly startled by how intently he was looking at me.
He bit his lips for a second and then spoke softly, “So you aren’t in love with him?”
I shook my head as my brain whispered again, 'Just embarrassed.'
“You’re so amazing Aimee you don’t need boys on stand by. You just need to go for the right guy.”
His eyes locked on mine and he leaned slightly toward me. I could see it in his eyes he was fully going to kiss me, I felt nervous but didn’t move or breath in anticipation.
Hearing a crash behind us I knew my sister was coming out the back door off the stairs from the deck I could hear her from a mile. She was the skinniest elephant ever, stumbling and cussing as she made her way over.
“Shane are you out here, who’s that bitch with you?”
She was drunk already. I looked at her judging her harshly the entire time.
“It’s me you idiot.” I spoke clearly so my sister could catch every inch of my annoyance.
“Oh it’s just you, dear god Aims you scared the shit out of me. I thought some hooker was out here trying to steal my man.” She plopped herself down on the grass as ungracefully as was possible. Nearly landing on me she wedged herself between us.
“It was nice sitting in the quiet with you Shane, see you guys inside.” I spoke quietly as I stood up and left them. I looked back to see him watching me go, he looked like he wanted to say something but he didn’t. Instead Alise climbed on top of him.
I could hear the kissing and talking starting up as I walked along the dark grass back to the house.
I shook my head roughly disturbed I had believed he was into me when really he was probably drunk and just being pervy.
I shook my head at myself, I knew Shane better than that and he had noticed I was in mourning and not wearing colors. I truly wondered suddenly if he liked me like that. Secretly I knew I would never date him now that my sister ruined him forever so I let the thought leave my brain but I couldn’t make it leave my heart.
Blake was standing at the back door looking out at the back yard, knowing full well he was looking for me I ducked along the hedge next to me and crept to the other side of the house and slipped in the front door.
I wasn’t ready to go back to normal yet, what little pride I had left was wounded. My heart was sore, maybe not broken but sore to say the least. I was full of mixed emotions that I needed to analyze alone with my mom.
I pushed my feelings down again, making the depressing feelings take over my body as I fought my way through the hallways surrounded by noise and teenagers acting crazy.
The house was so full I couldn’t even place faces anymore; it was a sea of teens getting trashed. I knew everyone in the house in one-way or another but it was so crowed their faces seemed to blend together.
I walked up the stairs in the family room to the bedrooms; no one was up there yet. I sat in the hallway on the carpet against the wall feeling the house vibrate from the music. Giselle walked up the stairs smiling when I saw her.
“Hey girl, you’re just the person I wanted to see. I have a drink here we can share. Some hot guy just gave it to me, he looked familiar but I couldn’t see his face properly, it's yummy.” She passed me the glass thankfully before she sat down and potentially spilled it everywhere.
She shrugged up close and giggled, “Have some Lemonade Aimee.”
I smelled it and wrinkled my nose, “What’s in it?”
She laughed, “Nothing, just a bit of vodka, you deserve a little vodka every now and then.”
I wanted to turn her down but remembering the evening I had just endured I decided to be a rebel and share the drink. I took a sip feeling the warmth of the liquor heat the whole way down. For a cold drink it burned. I smiled at her, “Yeah it tastes good but it’s not really my thing. Besides you don't know who gave it to you.”
I wasn’t lying it did taste great and if it weren’t for the burn I never would have known there was even booze in it but it made me nervous some random gave her a drink.
Giselle took a sip and passed the glass back, “Hot guys give me drinks all the time dummy, I'm hot. You need a little more than that tiny sip you had. Its only one glass for two people, you need to relax. Have fun. Boys like fun girls."
I nodded thinking about what she said but then she started rambling again.
"You’re not like your sister you know. You’re easier to be around. She is really high maintenance.” The irony was that Alise would have said the same thing about Giselle.
I took the glass and drank a few big gulps amazed that it tasted so good. I didn’t know what I was doing but was able to rationalize that it was a small glass of booze between two people, we would get a little warm and that would be it. I knew I wouldn’t get drunk off of such a small amount. I had enjoyed wine with my father’s family several times and only ever got a little warm and less intense.
Giselle started to babble but my thoughts were stuck on Blake, I wished I could take back everything I had said and done. I loved him as a friend and wanted things to go back to normal.
Suddenly I was thinking about Shane, I wanted to taste his lips just once. Then suddenly the mystery man with the blue eyes was in my brain. I laughed out loud as I started to feel a little dirty enjoying the company of so many men in my head.
Unexpectedly the most awkward thing occurred, Giselle started making sense and I really liked her.
I looked her straight in the face and said as matter a fact as I could, “Giselle I love you. You’re so awesome.”
I knew then I was drunk. I didn’t know what the feeling was until the word awesome left my mouth followed by a giggle.
I was thinking about boys with no shirts on and giggling with Giselle. How had it happened, I started to panic but felt like I could do nothing about it.
It got progressively worse, we had only drank the one glass of lemonade as far as I knew but I found myself slipping down the wall laughing and unable to push myself back up.
Giselle lay down beside me and I tried to talk but my mouth couldn’t make words anymore.
Then suddenly noises and pictures came in fuzzy flashes. I saw my sister laughing, Giselle was being carried away randomly and I saw Blake, he was upset. I could see him and my sister talking for a second.
Suddenly my sister grabbed Blake’s face and started to kiss him, Blake grabbed her back and pulled her up into him. They were making out and as luck would have it my eyes were stuck open. For some reason I couldn’t get my eyes to shut so I watched a terribly painful moment while drooling on myself and unable to control my body.
I heard a voice, which made them stop and Alise went down the stairs leaving me with Blake.
He brushed my hair from my face and smiled. He said something I couldn’t catch and then suddenly my eyes shut.
After a while I felt really free, there was no sound what so ever, the music was gone but I was still in the hallway at Shane’s.
I was standing now though, facing the stairs still. I turned around and saw a figure slumped on the floor I was wearing the same shirt as her. I reached for her but my hand went through the girl’s body like mist. I looked carefully realizing I was the girl on the floor. I was the corpse girl on the floor turning blue.
I panicked screaming but no sound came from my mouth.
I tried to bang the walls, where was everyone.
My or rather her face was turning very blue, I looked closer at the pile of what appeared to be vomit by her lips. My body was choking, where were the idiots who had left me in the hallway to die. I looked up at the sky, well ceiling; I didn’t see a light or the ceiling opening ready to greet me, which freaked me out a bit. My mom was up in heaven there was no doubt about that and I had hoped if I was dying that was where I was going too but with no light to take me there how would I get there.
I didn’t feel finished with life. I looked over the edge of the railing and made sure the floor wasn’t opening up with hellfi
re licking the railings and stairs. Thankfully the stairs were just stairs.
Suddenly there he was, Wade from Port Handley was beside my body. He stuck his fingers into my throat and started fishing around in there. I grimaced watching a strange guy root around in my mouth and tried not to think about the sanitary issues and tried to remember, to at the very least, rinse with mouthwash when I woke from all of this.
Wade looked directly at me, his piercing blue eyes were wide, his mouth moved but I heard nothing.
I turned and looked behind me but no one was there, he was actually able to see me, I waved my arms back and forth as he waved me over to him. He put his hand into my mouth again and this time my body heaved and shook as piles of vomit started to pour out.
It was like the exorcist and I was barfing all over the hottest guy I had ever seen. His eyes were panicked as he pointed to my body again.
There was darkness and then I felt sick suddenly and dizzy as I reached my hand out and wiped my mouth off. I was on the floor and everything hurt in ways I didn’t know were possible.
Wade spoke softly, “Welcome back Aimee, you scared me.”
I was excited Wade knew my name. He was so handsome. The smell of my vomit was more than I could bear. I heaved again and threw up some more.
“Next time chew the veggie burger all the way through ok.” He picked me up off the floor.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.”
He lifted me like a princess as I laid my face against his chest and felt like I was floating.
He carried me to the bathroom but in the mirror he wasn’t there, my reflection was but his was missing.
I closed my eyes and pressed really hard but when I opened them he was still gone.
He smiled his beautiful smile at me and laughed softly, “Yeah you’re dreaming, weird things happen in dreams like people having no reflection.” His voice was like my favorite song as it floated into my ears sending a shiver down my spine.
I looked I was smiling at myself in the mirror but I was looking at him. He didn’t need a reflection to be perfect.
I felt my body ache before I even recognized I had a body. Everything was burning and hurting.
My skin ached and my head pounded.
I couldn’t move my head properly because something was in the way.
I cracked open one eye letting in the light, which burned everything so much more. I winced as my eye opened completely seeing a strange room.
Instantly assuming I was at Wade’s house I felt nervous. Who was Wade and why would he take me to his house. I opened my other eye feeling sick at not only the pain but also the empty hunger. My stomach was burning and grumbling with starvation but the very thought of food made me nauseous although my mouth tasted like I might have already been sick.
Straining I reached a hand above my head and felt the towel still wrapped on my head. I pulled at it slightly trying to get it off. It was folded in a bizarre way I had never folded my towel before. Giving up on the towel I looked around.
The room was small with a queen bed and a floral print. It screamed guest room in every way. I lifted the covers to reveal my naked body and blushed hoping I had gotten into bed on my own. There was a water glass on the right bedside table. I knew instantly it was someone else’s as I always put my glass of water on the left.
Using every inch of strength I sat up wrapping myself with the sheet I looked for clothes, none were there. I pulled the towel off after some work, it reminded me of the way African women folded their headdresses. My hair was still wet of course as thick wavy hair would never dry in a towel, which was why I would never fall asleep with one on.
Pulling the sheet tighter to cover myself I realized my ring was gone. My mom’s ring was missing from my right hand where it always was. I showered, slept and lived in that ring from the day my mom died. I had cleaned the blood off of it myself.
The sick feeling in my stomach got much worse. I swung my legs around the side of the bed and prepared myself to stand. A wave of nausea and sweat instantly covered me. I breathed through the chills and put my hand on the bedside table to stand. The door creaked open as Alise peaked her head through.
I looked anxiously at her as she walked in, “Oh my god you’re okay.”
I put a hand up to stop her, “No I don’t think I would say that but please stop shouting at me.”
She laughed softly still wearing her disturbed expression, “What do you remember Aimee?”
I shrugged, “I remember dad asking me to get groceries with his truck and you wanted me to drop you off at Shane’s house. I don’t know, everything is really foggy or black I guess. I remember that guy.”
She gasped, “Oh Aimee that was two days ago. You’ve lost yesterday completely. Giselle is in the hospital Aimee we think someone drugged you guys.”
Alise sat on the bed beside me rubbing my arms noticing I was shivering suddenly. Her hand felt like razor blades dragging up my skin.
“We need to take you there now. You’ve been throwing up all night.” She put an arm under me to help me stand. “I need to get you in a robe at least ok?”
I nodded I felt it. I needed a hospital. I was sick in a way I had never been before.
“Where is, uhm, ah, you know what’s his name?” I asked still foggy on everything.
“Blake” Alise asked blushing.
I frowned, “No Wade. Wade with the eyes.”
Alise frowned, “You remember Wade?”
I nodded, “he helped me I think.”
“He’s been gone for a while Aims I think maybe you’re confused. Ready?” She asked pulling at me.
I nodded. She got me standing and dressed reasonably with only a minor amount of pain everywhere including my hair.
I wondered what Giselle had to do with me being poisoned, I hated Giselle. Shane walked into the room smiling at me, “Hey Aimee, are you okay?” He asked gently. I didn’t understand what was happening in any way. I was with my sister and Shane.
I looked at my sister, “What did you do to me?”
Alise frowned remorsefully, “I never did anything I swear.”
I felt the room moving like a choppy ocean as glimpses rolled back into my mind. I looked at Shane and winced remembering some parts of the evening. I shook my head swaying back and forth slightly, “I got sick on your hallway. I’m so sorry Shane.” My words were thick in my mouth.
He shook his head, “No, really please don’t be sorry. I’m the one who should be sorry. I clearly have friends who are sleazy fuckers. Someone did this to you Aimee and I will find out who it was. Now I’m going to carry you to the truck okay. Ready?” His sweet face was truly and genuinely distressed.
I nodded as he picked me up like a princess, “Wow you are way lighter than Alise.” He snickered as he said it and Alise smacked the back of his head.
“Owe, easy I’m sorry I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” He carried me down the stairs like I was air, it was familiar to me. Something about this was creepily similar in my mind about me being carried on his stairs.
My dad was in the truck; he was wearing his not happy face. We called it his stress face and it wasn’t a pretty picture. He got out quickly when he saw us and opened the passenger door so Shane could lay me inside.
“Aimee are you okay?” He looked so terrified.
I nodded, “Yeah dad I just need a doctor. I feel really sick.”
He frowned at Shane, “You, young man, are going to stay away from both of my daughters for good.” He swung around to look at Alise with a burning hate in his eyes, “You did this to her, you conned her into coming to this when you know she isn’t a partier like you. You get home now and don’t leave your bedroom for a month, GO.” He screamed tearing my head apart.
Alise looked painfully at me, I saw an apologetic look I had never seen before. My sister was ashamed of herself.
I would have defended them both but I was too feeble. Shane handed me the bowl that had been on the ground beside the truck,
“In case you get sick.”
I nodded, “Thanks for everything, I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head, “Feel better Aimee.”
My dad got in the truck slamming the door again ripping my head apart. I groaned in agony as Shane closed my door softly. My dad drove very quickly to the emergency. He never spoke the whole way. He was seething and it was better for my head if he didn’t talk. I threw up twice on the way in the bowl, mostly it was heaving and spitting. I had never felt this sick in my life, even with food poisoning.