“I don’t have a car, Star. How do you want me to pick you up?”
“Mhm. Comfy.” She breathed into the phone, sending a wave of crackling air through the speakers.
And then nothing. That was all I got. I tried yelling into the phone to wake her up, but I heard soft snoring and music playing softly, and that was it, until I heard the squeak of a door opening and the music was suddenly much louder.
A new voice entered the equation with an amused laugh. “Holy shit, dude! Star is passed the fuck out!”
I was right at my front door, panicking as I heard more laughter. “Get the fuck away from my sister!” I yelled, though it’d do nothing if I wasn’t on speaker.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Okay, Moon, get your shit together.
I pulled my wallet—which I’d finally found—out of my pocket and grabbed Emerson’s card. It was almost three in the morning, and ever since Crescent had started taking his meds,he’d been sleeping really heavy. It was a gamble on whether he’d answer, and I wouldn’t be able to reach his house in time.
There was a chance, right? No way in hell was I calling our parents. They lived too far, anyway. Cops knew how to drive fast, right? But Star was still on the phone with me, and if I called Emerson, I’d have to hang up on the call with Star. What if something happened when I did that?
A specific song played in my mind. It wasn’t on purpose, and it wasn’t wholly welcome. With it came the burning, awful taste of whiskey flowing down my throat, forcing a cough with enough force to knock my balance off. I could still remember how my throat felt the next morning, and how awful my mouth tasted. My breath alone had haunted me for years, like a demon in the distance, with no fear of vengeance. Vengeance was all I’d ever wanted back then, though I’d accepted I would never get it. Not for me, anyway.
“Hello?” Emerson’s voice sounded close to how I imagined mine did when I’d answered Star.
“It’s Moon. I just texted you an address. How fast can you get there?”
Wind carried through from his side. “It’s not far from me. I’m on my way. What’s going on?”
He sounded far more alert now, and I could hear what sounded like keys jingling together. “It’s my sister. She’s at some house party twenty minutes from me. She sounds really fucked up, and now she’s passed out. I heard some boys come into the room she passed out in, but I couldn’t get her to wake up. I’m really worried.”
“I got it. What’s her name? And do you have a picture you could send me, so I know who I’m looking for?”
“Her name is Star. Sending a picture and my address to you. Just bring her here safely, okay? I’m really worried someone might’ve spiked her drink or something.”
A door slammed, and the wind picked up even more. “Already at my car. I’ll call you.”
“Please do.”
“Hey, Moon?”
“Yeah?”
“Everything is going to be okay.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Pacingaround my living room was doing nothing for me, but I wasn’t about to stop myself. It was all I could do not to freak the fuck out about how long it was taking them to get here. Emerson had texted me he’d found her, and they were on their way a whole ten minutes ago. He didn’t have to be such a snail about driving her back.
Just as I was about to call him and demand an ETA, there was a knock on the door. I didn’t wait a single second, swinging it open immediately. Star had her arm around Emerson’s neck, her head tilted downward as she mumbled incoherent, drunken thoughts.
I looked over her, taking stock of every piece of her clothing. There didn’t seem to be any rips or anything too out of place, aside from a few stains, which were probably from the alcohol she’d been drinking. “Come on, we can put her on the couch for now.”
Emerson nodded and started his way over. “She was pretty much dead weight the whole time. Going up the stairs took a while, but I promise I broke a lot of traffic laws to get here as soon as I could.”
The moment her back hit the couch, I was right beside her. “Star? Star, can you hear me?”
She mumbled and rolled her head to the side, waving a hand up in the air. I scrubbed a hand over my face, sighing. “Thank you for getting her. All I have is my bike, and there was no way I could get to her in time. I don’t think I’ll be getting any answers from her tonight, at the very least.”
“Did she not go with any friends?”
“She said she did, but I guess they ditched her or got lost.”
