Lyfers: Amnesia

Chapter 9 - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High

 – What the fuck happened?! How many times do I have to tell you to call me, rather than doing fuckin' bullshit!

Venom's worried tone got welcomed by both a delirious laughter and a bottle thrown at his face. He easily dodged the bottle, but not the laugh; his friend was in a pitiful state, and seeing him like that pained him more than he would ever admit. Inside the living room of the previously luxurious but now messy apartment, a man was laying down, between empty bottles, syringes and broken glass. His middle-long, pale blue hair was covered in blood on the front, and the blonde immediately knew it was his own: his hands were full of cuts, and the glass coffee table was in pieces. His eyes, of a similar color, were reddened by hours of crying as well as injecting himself various drugs. Venom joined him, reaching his hand out to him.

– Get up, Dusk, you can't stay like that.

– Go away!

His help got slapped by another beer bottle, and he frowned at such a gesture. Dusk wouldn't do that if he weren't really, really low, and he knew it. He sighed loudly, and this time, rather than asking him his opinion, he caught his friend by the shirt, pulling him on his feet.

– Okay, enough, he growled. What kinda shit did you take, today?

– Fuck you, Ven, I took nothing... I'm clean, can't you see?

His wobbling legs were saying otherwise, and the blond-haired man had to refrain the desire to punch him in the face. He dragged him to the closest couch and threw him on it, irritated.

– Oh yeah, you really look clean!

– The needles ain't mine, that's from the girls I invited over...

– Seriously dude, do you really need to go apeshit everytime something goes wrong?

Without waiting for an answer, he left his side to stomp towards the kitchen, and grabbed a bin, then coming back. Slowly, he began to pick up the trash from the parquet floor, throwing it away in the barrel, an angry look on his face. From the sofa, Dusk eyed him, sadly:

– You have no idea how I fucked up this time, bro.

– I do. Ether told us what happened. We have your back, so stop worrying and get some rest.

– What are you going to do?

– I'll tell you when you'll be sober. Now, shut up and sleep.

Venom continued to clean up, breaking the needles before shoving them in the trash can to make sure nobody could reuse them. Cold from all the things he ingested, Dusk drew a blanket over himself, staring at the ceiling. His thoughts weren't clear, but there was something that stuck to his mind, no matter what he did.

– She was beautiful, right? He said, almost in a sob.

– Who?

– Dawn.

Hearing this name, Venom suddenly stopped; memories were coming back, and it felt like bullets piercing through him. After a moment, he answered, in a low, broken voice:

– Yes. She was.

He lifted his jacket's sleeve to look at the tattoo engraved into the inner side of his forearm: I never forgot, I never forgave.

– She was.

__________

– Whoa, what's that place?

Dove's amazed face when they entered the steakhouse amused Sphinx, and he couldn't hide it. He grabbed her hand, leading her to a table next to the restaurant's window.

– Rather than drooling, take a seat, he chuckled, sitting down.

– Hey, I'm not drooling at all, she retorted, taking place in front of him. It's not my fault if it smells so good!

– Yeah, that was kinda the objective.

They shared another laugh, while he put at his feet both his backpack and hers, before leaning against the glass, pushing the menu's card toward her.

– Choose what you want, he said, my treat.

– R-really?

– Really.

With a bright smile, she took it, browsing through the list of dishes with stars in her eyes. It was the first time someone was bringing her to a restaurant, let alone at lunch time, where she was way more used of eating ready-made sandwiches. The alluring smells of grilled meats didn't help her already hungry stomach, and it let out a light growl, which embarrassed her. The young man chuckled.

– Sounds like you're starving!

– Not gonna lie, I am! What are you getting?

– The daily pick. You?

– Same here.

She put the card down, as Sphinx called a waiter, and placed their order. When he was done, he stared at her with a discreet smile; Phase told him the new recruit was cute, but not that she was this cute, and when she looked back at him, he found himself lightly blushing. However, none of them had the time to speak, as another man approached her, grinning:

– Hello Miss, I was watching you from over there, and I must admit, you're right my type. So I wanted to ask, may I have your number?

At these words, Dove couldn't hide her surprise, but Sphinx's smirk suddenly turned into a bothered face. Did that shithead notice me, he thought, or is he playing dumb? Fuck, I'm right in front of her. The smile she showed the stranger irritated him at first, but as soon as she replied, he calmed down:

– Sorry Mister, I'm not interested.

– A-alright, sorry to have bothered you Miss...!

She doubted it was her phrase that made him run away like that, or the glare her friend was sending him, but anyways, she started to giggle when he had left.

– Thanks, Sphinx.

– Y-you're welcome, I guess...

He abruptly changed the subject when the waiter came back, and during their entire meal, they mostly talked of lessons, and school life in general.

Afternoon's classes went smoother than the morning's ones, and although Phase hadn't come back, nobody tried to pick a fight with them. Dove could feel this day brought her closer to Sphinx, and was thankful for this new friendship; he was so nice to her that she completely forgot about the words Seon had for her. When their lessons were over, they left the building walking by each other's side, chatting.

– So, do you want help in mathematics? He asked her.

– Yeah I do, I'm so bad at that, she replied in a chuckle. Maybe if you're free someday, we could go study at the library together?

– Sure! We could even go there right now?

– Sorry, I can't, I have to go to work in-...

She didn't finish her sentence: a black motorcycle braked right in front of them. They couldn't see the driver's face through his tinted helmet, but recognized his voice.

– Hop on, Dove, someone wants to talk to you.