Chapter 16 #3
“Oh, and you think you can give her better?” There was a bite to Lily’s voice that she didn’t recognize; she had never heard that from herself before. “Do you, like, have a crush on her or something? Because last time I checked, you’re straight, and she’s my girlfriend.”
Wren stumbled towards them at that moment, plopping herself down in the seat next to Lily, her messy grin firmly in place.
“My two favorite people,” she exclaimed, arm looping around Lily, words still slurring.
“My best friend,” she said, green eyes locking with her gaze.
Then, without moving her arm, she turned her head to Sydney. “And my girlfriend.”
All the air in Lily’s lungs evaporated, replaced by an overwhelming hurt. What the fuck was Wren talking about? She was just drunk…right?
The silence that followed was the loudest Lily had ever experienced, interrupted only by the bass of a popular song she now suddenly hated.
Sydney didn’t look away or say anything, but a slow, cruel smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth. They both knew Wren hadn’t meant the girlfriend comment, but they both knew exactly how much it was killing Lily.
Lily felt Wren’s arm heavy around her shoulders, a physical weight she wanted to get out from underneath. She looked at Wren, searching glassy green eyes for some kind of glimmer of “just kidding,” but Wren wasn’t saying anything.
“Wren.” Lily’s voice was a whisper as she spoke. “What did you just say?”
Wren giggled, a sound that usually filled Lily with overwhelming happiness, but now felt like ice in her veins. She leaned onto Lily, oblivious to how this whole interaction was making her feel. “I said… I love you guys. I’m s’lucky to have you both.”
Lily shot a glance at Sydney, whose smirk only widened as she took a slow sip of her beer, watching Lily over the rim of the glass with eyes that said I told you so.
The metaphorical lid that had been blown off her anger a few minutes ago? That wasn’t just gone; the whole container had disintegrated. The hurt was cold and sharp as white-hot rage turned into the realization that she couldn’t stay here anymore.
She reached up, firmly unhooking Wren’s arm from around her as she stood.
“Where are you going?” Wren whined, her head lolling back.
“We,” Lily said firmly, pulling Wren by the hand, “are leaving.” Her voice was flat, devoid of the heat that flared in her chest moments ago. She really needed to be anywhere but here right now.
“Oh come on, Gallagher,” Sydney droned, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. “The party is just getting started. Don’t be a downer and ruin her night.”
Lily didn’t even look at Sydney. She couldn’t. Not right now. Not when she knew that if she looked at Sydney, she couldn’t be held responsible for the high likelihood that her fist would make contact with her face. She pulled Wren’s hand again. “Wren. Stand up. We’re leaving. Now,” she urged.
“But—” Wren stumbled as Lily hauled her to her feet, tripping slightly—coordination completely shot, thanks in part to the alcohol. “Lily, wait, you’re squeezing too hard.”
Lily immediately loosened her grip, but she didn’t let go. She simply looked at Wren, the girl she loved with her whole heart, but unsure if Wren still felt the same way about her.
Wren blinked, looking intently at Lily’s face—really looking at her for the first time all evening—and something finally seemed to pierce through the blurred haze of the alcohol for a split second.
“Lils.” Her voice was soft as she brought a gentle hand to cup her cheek that Lily wanted so badly to lean into. “Why are you…why are you crying?”
“I’m not.” Lily sniffed, wiping away a stray tear with her free hand before turning on her heel, pulling Wren towards the exit. “Let’s go.”
Out on the street, Lily fumbled with her phone, trying to call a car to take them back to the ferry.
They were supposed to go back to Wren’s apartment after this, but Lily couldn’t think of anywhere else she wanted to be less at this moment.
The cool spring air wrapped around them as she pulled Wren down the sidewalk, trying to put as much distance between them and Sydney as possible.
“L-lil, stop, wait.” Wren stumbled, her worn Converse sneakers scruffing against the concrete sidewalk.
She yanked her hand back, and this time Lily let her go, rolling her eyes at the way Wren swayed, her gaze glassy and unfocused as she leaned against a parking meter.
“Why are you being like this? It’s my birthday. Everyone was having fun. Syd did—”
“Oh my god, stop talking about Sydney!” Lily hated the way her voice cracked, betraying her in a time like this.
Hated how childish it made her sound. “She spent the whole night taking credit for everything I did. Spent the whole night taking dig after dig at me, acting like I’m some kind of anchor dragging you down, and then you stood there and called her your girlfriend. ”
A dizzy giggle left Wren, her hand waving dismissively in a way that only pissed Lily off more.
“It was an accident, Lils. Look at me.” She used both hands to motion to her current state.
“I’m kind of trashed and having fun. I didn’t mean it.
Don’t be so dramatic.” She reached a hand into her coat pocket, pulling out a miniature bottle of vodka with a bow tied around the neck.
Lily watched in disbelief as Wren started to unscrew the cap of the tiny bottle in her hands.
The sight of it snapped the last bit of rational thought Lily still had.
Before Wren even had a chance to bring the bottle to her lips, Lily lunged forward, smacking the bottle from her hands.
It flew out of her reach, hitting the pavement with a sharp clink as the cheap glass shattered, liquid slipping out across the cracks of the sidewalk.
“What the fuck!” Wren yelled, her face twisting with drunken anger. “That was a birthday gift.”
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough? You literally just told me how trashed you are.
” Lily crossed her arms, but Wren wasn’t listening as she reached back into her pocket, producing another tiny bottle with a defiant glint in her eyes.
“Wren, stop!” Lily begged, half blinded by the tears that were freely falling now.
Wren’s grasp on the tiny bottle slipped, the two of them watching as it fell from her hands to the ground, shattering next to the first. “Shoot,” Wren grumbled, attempting to bend down, but instead swaying on the spot.
“Don’t! You’re going to hurt yourself.” Lily huffed in exasperation. The last thing she needed was for Wren to cut herself on one of the jagged pieces of glass. “Can you stand over there for a second?” She motioned to a parking paystation a few feet away.
Wren took a step to the side as Lily made to bend over to pick up the shards of glass on the ground, not wanting to leave them where someone could get hurt. But as she reached, her foot caught on a piece of uneven sidewalk, taking her balance with her.
A sudden whoosh of air blew in her ears as she fell, holding out her palms to break her fall, slamming into the remains of the broken bottle on the ground.
Pain, sharp and sudden and searing, exploded in her hand. She gasped, pulling back to see a gash along her palm, blood already beginning to seep from the wound.
“Lily!?” Wren took an uneasy step, reaching an arm out towards her, but stopping mid-movement, swaying, steadying herself against the pay station a few feet away from where Lily still crouched, cradling her hand.
“Everything okay here?” came a low, authoritative voice.
Lily glanced up, her stomach dropping. No, no, no.
A female police officer was approaching them from a parked police cruiser.
She took in the scene before her in three short seconds: the shattered glass, the smell of alcohol, Lily crying on the ground, and Wren looking green and moments away from throwing up.
“She’s fine. We’re fine,” Wren started, her words clumsily tumbling over each other. “She tripped on the sidewalk—an accident—it’s my birthday—we’re celebrating—”
“Wren. Stop talking,” Lily grumbled, getting to her feet, still clutching her hand.
“Girls, I’m going to need you to take a step away from each other,” the officer said, her hand resting on her belt. She looked at Lily’s hand. “That’s a deep cut. I’m going to need both of you to come with me. We’re going to the precinct to get this sorted out.”
The officer turned, talking quickly into the walkie-talkie positioned on her shoulder. In the snippets Lily caught she heard the words additional units, public drunkenness, and other things that made her stomach twist.
“No, no, we can’t go. I have training tomorrow—” Wren’s voice was high-pitched and only getting higher.
Lily could feel Wren’s panic rising as she realized the severity of the situation they’d found themselves in and its potential implications. She elbowed Wren hard, urging her to, for once, be quiet and contain her need to ramble nervously.
“Wren, shut up!” she said frantically, the pain in her hand finally getting the best of her. “Don’t say anything else until my mom gets here. Understood?” She looked intently at Wren, silently urging her not to speak until they could fix this.
The officer moved Wren to the other side of the cruiser as a second car pulled up and another officer stepped out to join them.
“What’s going to happen to her?” Lily asked shakily.
The officer looked at her, then glanced over his shoulder to where Wren and the original officer were talking. God. Why wouldn’t Wren stop talking?
“I’m not sure. Give me a second and I’ll find out.”
Lily stood rooted to the spot still clutching at her hand, blood dripping from the open wound. The second officer reappeared, this time wearing blue rubber gloves and holding a first-aid kit. “Let’s get you cleaned up, and then we’re going to take you and your friend to the precinct.”
“Am I in trouble?” Lily asked tentatively, holding her hand out to the officer, wincing as he dabbed at it with a clean piece of gauze.
“You’re not, but your friend is most likely getting booked for disorderly conduct and creating a glass hazard that injured someone. Once we’re at the precinct, you’ll get the chance to make a statement and press any charges—”
Her heart pounded in her chest at that word. “Charges? What charges? I don’t want to press any charges. Nothing happened, I tripped on the sidewalk,” she said quickly.
“We’ll talk about it more once we get downtown. Is there anyone you want to call?”
Lily nodded slowly, thinking as she pulled out her phone, pressing her mom’s name. It rang twice before she answered.
“Hey sweetie, how’s Wren’s birthday—”
Lily cut her off, speaking quickly. “Mom—Mommy, I’m in trouble—Wren’s in trouble—we’re in trouble.” She winced as the officer wrapped her hand.
Her mom’s tone shifted in an instant. “Lily, what’s wrong? What happened?”
“We’re getting taken to the police station downtown. Wren’s in trouble. I told her to stay quiet until you get there, but she doesn’t listen, and I’m scared.”
“Okay. I’m on my way, Lily. Don’t say anything or sign anything until I get there. It’s going to be okay, baby.” Her mom’s voice was soothing, exactly what she needed to hear right then as she gulped down air, trying not to panic more than she already was. How had the night gone so wrong?