Find Me : The Poison Ivy Series Book One

Chapter 11

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The music pumps loudly, the dance floor is packed, and Rhett is pressed firmly behind me as we move to the beat of the music. I inhale the smoky air, riding my high with him as his hands hold onto my hips. I’m way further gone than I thought I would be at 11p.m. on a Wednesday night, and I didn’t expect to go so hard on one of my few days off work. At this point, I’m just looking for an escape, and Rhett is looking for entertainment, so here we are.

Rhett’s chin dips as he leans in to whisper in my ear, and his fingers brush the hair stuck to the side of my face, damp with sweat from the past hour of dancing, my heart pumping quicker than usual.

“I have something else for you.” His voice is loud enough to be heard over the bass.

I lean back into him, feeling his smile against my cheek. I look down as his hands move from my hips, reaching into his pocket and producing a baggie of pills.

“Swallow this,” he instructs as he hands one to me.

I do as he says, barely missing a beat as I continue to dance, choosing to chase a high and have fun as I lose myself in the music.

Thirty minutes later, I feel like I am flying. My body no longer feels like my own. My limbs are heavy yet free, and everything is in slow motion, yet not. The colors are brighter, the music is louder, and I’m smiling earnestly, blissfully happy in this moment.

It takes me a while to notice Rhett is no longer behind me, and I look around until I spot him sitting at a booth with a few guys I’ve never met before. He’s never confirmed why he hasn’t introduced me to his family and friends, but I have my suspicions. He probably doesn’t want me impacting his social standing. I can only imagine what people would say to him if they knew he was dating me, the once successful trust fund baby who’s now scraping to get by. But it looks like that might change tonight, as he gestures to me to join him at the table.

I begin to walk, and stumble, over to the table, ready to introduce myself and socialize with the people I have never met, but I’m cut off by a familiar face standing in front of me.

“Hey, Evi,” Sam says, trailing off as she looks me up and down.

The excitement that started to spark when I first saw her is replaced with dread as I remember I told her I was going to be at home tonight.

“Sam!” I yell at her, my words feeling unnatural as they come out of my mouth. I must be higher than I realize, I think.

“You okay, Evi?” she asks, crossing her arms in front of her.

“I’m great!” I slur. “You know, decided to come out at the last minute.” I glance behind her, and she follows my gaze as it lands on Rhett.

“You came out when he invited you, but not when I did?” She seethes, and I feel my stomach drop under her stare.

“Let’s grab a drink together!” I suggest trying to diffuse the situation, unsure of why she is so mad. I take a step towards her but trip, and she catches me as I start to fall into her.

“Jesus Christ, Evi, how many drinks have you had tonight?”

“Oh, it’s not the alcohol—” I start before catching myself.

Shit.

“Of course it isn’t,” she chides, the disappointment clear in her voice. “Your pupils gave you away the second I saw you.”

I feel like a child being scolded, and I can’t figure out why she’s blowing this way out of proportion. I just want to have fun with her, to ride this high as we catch up and have a drink just like old times.

She takes a deep breath, grabbing my hand gently.

“I miss you, Evi, and I’m worried about you. You haven’t been acting yourself since Rhett came into the picture. I never see you anymore, and when I happen to bump into you, you’re absolutely out of it. What’s going on?”

I feel a small wave of panic surge within me in response to all of her questions, unable to answer them without unlocking everything I try to keep hidden below the surface. How do I tell my best friend I’m not fine, and that every day is a struggle unless I distract myself with Rhett or make myself numb enough that the loneliness doesn’t drown me?

I quickly shift the conversation back to her. “I’m fine, Sam, honestly!” I say simply, not wanting to get knocked off the wave of euphoria I’m currently riding. “You’re such a mother hen, worrying about everything so much! I’ll text you soon, I promise, we’ll hang out!”

I pull my hand away from her, stepping around her and continuing to make my way back to Rhett, not bothering to look over my shoulder to see if she’s still watching me.

My thoughts about Sam evaporate as I approach the booth, sliding onto the leather seat to sit next to Rhett. His friends are all laughing, their faces flushed from the alcohol and their voices loud, too deep in their own conversation to acknowledge me.

Rhett’s hand finds its way to my thigh quickly, and he holds onto me firmly, claiming me as his.

Finally, they look towards me. “So this must be Evi,” one of them says smiling.

Introductions are made as Rhett casually takes out some more pills and coke for us, cutting lines on the table. I can’t help but remember the first time I noticed a trace of white powder left behind on one of these booths, and how I carefully dusted it onto the floor, not wanting to risk touching it while I had a drink with Sam. It never even crossed my mind that one day I would be the person leaving it behind.

“Ladies first.” Rhett offers, and I lean forward, quickly snorting the white powder before taking two of the pills, using Rhett’s drink to wash them down. His friends not far behind me.

“Oh, I think we’ll be fast friends,” one of them says, smiling broadly as he watches me do another line.