I’ve no clue how I make it to the diner, but I’m humming to myself, slurping through my third soda at a table in the back, when Zach and Scar arrive.
“Are you high right now?” Scar whispers, giving me the once-over as she scoots into the booth alongside me.
“As a fucking kite,” I joke.
She frowns. “That’s pretty fucking reckless, Em.”
“I’m in a pretty fucking reckless mood, Scar.”
“Did something happen?” Zach asks.
“Nothing happened. That’s the issue.” I giggle, swiping my hand across my clammy brow. My eyes dart wildly around the diner, and I chase the dust particles floating through the air with my gaze. “They’re like the brightest stars,” I mutter.
“What are?” Zach asks.
“Dust stars. That’s what I’m going to call them.” I reach up, swiping at the air, curling my fingers around a handful. “I wonder what they taste like,” I say before slapping my palm against my mouth.
“Fuck, are we usually like this?” I hear Zach question Scar.
“You’re usually running around naked, slapping chicks with your big cock,” Scar tells him, and they laugh.
“Fuck. We can’t let her go back to class like that.”
“She has no choice. Bitchface checks her attendance reports. Hopefully, she’ll have come down by the time classes resume.” Scar stares at me, and I grin back at her. “Babe.” She grips my chin. “How long ago did you take it?”
I shrug. “It was before my first class.” A goofy smile spreads across my mouth. “I love you, chica. You know that, right?” Scar’s lips tug up at the corners. “And I love you too, Zach.”
“Love you too, babe,” he says with a knowing grin.
Briefly, I consider asking him to come to the bathroom and fuck my brains out, but it’s not Zach I want to fuck.
Adam’s handsome face appears in my mind’s eye, and I squirm as a host of fantasies involving him, me, a bed, and zero clothing lay siege to my body. A wave of euphoria ghosts over me, and I lean back against the booth, closing my eyes and murmuring contentedly.
The rest of lunch passes in a blur. I don’t even remember if I ate anything. Scar has a firm grip on my elbow as she guides me back to campus. I’m starting to come down from my buzz, and I shiver as cold chills tiptoe up my spine.
“You got any more Molly?” I ask, squinting, as we round the next corner. The sun or light is too fucking bright, and my head wants to explode.
“Shush.” She glances anxiously around her. “You’ve got to keep your voice down. And I’ve got nothing with me here.”
The farther we walk toward campus, the more reality sinks in. “Fuck.” I bury my head in my hands, feeling hot one second and cold the next. A line of sweat glides down my back, sticking my top to my spine. “I feel like shit.”
“Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to break your own rules,” Scar says.
“You don’t say!” I snap, rubbing my temples. “I need another high, not a lecture, Scar.”
Scar growls under her breath. “If you’re going to be a grumpy bitch, you’re on your own from here.”
“I don’t need a fucking babysitter anyway.”
“You know where you’re going?”
I glare at her. “Do I look like a fucking imbecile?” I throw my hands in the air. “Of course, I know where I’m going,” I lie, because I’m experiencing sudden brain freeze, and I can’t recall what class I have next.
“You’re lucky I love you and I understand.” She kisses me on the cheek, holding my shoulders and turning me around. “Go that way and call me later.”
“Scar!” I holler, turning around a couple beats later. “I’m sorry!” Butterflies flutter in my chest, comingling with the tight slicing pain cutting across me.
“I know, babe.” She blows me a kiss. “Hurry to class before you’re late!” I watch her disappear before pivoting on my heel, slamming face-first into a solid obstacle blocking my path.
