“You okay? Did he hurt you?” I ask in the kindest voice I can muster with the amount of rage pulsing through my veins.
She shakes her head, still crying. It keeps rolling to the side as the drugs threaten to take over.
“Give her to me.” I pull Ash from Lily’s hold and press her to my chest. Her nails dig into my arm. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now, I promise.” I turn to her friend. “You need to go home. I’ll have Shane come get her.”
“I’m not just gonna leave her!” she demands.
“Yes, you are. I promise she’ll be fine, but I can’t babysit you both. So go home.”
She stares at me for a moment, obstinance in her eyes.
“I’ll take you home. She’ll be fine, I swear.” Lily stands, running a hand across Nik’s back.
Eventually Nik nods, stalking out of the room with Lily.
I sit on the couch and hold onto the girl as she grows increasingly relaxed in my arms. Pulling out my phone, I dial Shane. Of course, it goes to voicemail.
“Fuck!” I shout, and she grips me harder. “Shh. Everything is fine. You’re gonna be fine.”
Brushing a hair out of her face, I notice the blood under her nails and smirk.
Good girl.
After trying to call Shane a dozen more times and getting his voicemail, I stand and carry the now passed-out girl upstairs. On the way, she whimpers a little before cracking open her eyes.
“Wow. You’re beautiful.” She giggles, and I can’t help but smile.
Once inside my apartment, I try to lay her on the couch, but she holds onto me for dear life. So instead, I sit with her still in my arms and drift to sleep.
I’m startled awake when Ash shoots up from where she was passed out in my lap. “Hey. Morning.”
“Morning?” Her brows pinch.
I close my eyes and exhale. “Do you remember anything from last night?”
She shakes her head. “I remember sneaking in here with Nik. Then some guys came over.” Her eyes widen. “Oh, no. Did I do something? Oh, God! Did we?”
“What? No! I think… I think someone slipped you something in a drink, but Nik and I found you before anything happened.”
She nods, but her brows don’t relax.
“I couldn’t get a hold of your brother, and you were out by the time we got up here, so I let you sleep it off. I texted him, but he still hasn’t responded. I can take you home when you’re ready.”
She starts to nod again, but then her face turns a unique shade of green, and her hands fly to cover her mouth as she vomits into them.
“Oh, shit. Are you okay?” I jump up to grab a waste basket.
“I’m so sorry,” she cries, her face crumpling.
“Hey, it’s fine. It’s not your fault.” I scoop up her hair to hold it back as she starts to heave again, careful not to get a handful of puke.
“Listen, why don’t you shower, and I’ll get you something to replace what you just ejected from your stomach. Then I’ll take you home, yeah?” I rub my hand in circles on her back.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asks, lifting her head from the trash can.
“You’re Shane’s sister. It’d make me a pretty shitty friend if I let something happen to you.”
“You don’t have to feed me. I’ll just rinse out my hair, and we can go.”
