No Midnight Mercy ☾ (gxg)

17-flammable

The night went on tortuously.

Eden didn't speak another word to Cecilia. The woman had tried, and she tried apologizing several times but would constantly get interrupted by coworkers and employees coming up to her and talking. She held out on the alcohol until after she gave her speech, and then she let loose.

Now Eden was sitting in the passenger seat of her car and looking out the window, waiting until she could get home and get out of that dress and those heels that made her feel like someone else. She felt like she was wearing a costume, a mold of what Cecilia thought her to be. She kept mentally going over the whole interaction at the bar and couldn't tell if she had been dramatic or reasonable with her reaction. She did know, though, that Cecilia had a habit of making her feel real shitty. She could tell the woman never had to care about anyone else's feelings, but Eden didn't feel like being the scapegoat for the woman's journey to learning empathy.

Eden hadn't paid much attention to what Cecilia did after she gave the speech and left the table they were sat at. She mostly just texted Gen about how much she wanted to commit suicide while Cecilia got up and mingled around, but she knew the woman was tipsy from the way she pressed on the brakes so harshly every time they came to a stop sign or redlight.

"As much as I want to die, I really don't want to die in this stupid car with you," she mumbled and rolled her eyes, causing Cecilia to glance over at her.

"So nearly hitting a pedestrian at an intersection is what it takes to get you to talk to me?" Cecilia remarked as she took a quite wide left turn, causing Eden to bump against the window. "Sorry."

Eden irritably sighed, which made Cecilia smirk a little.

"I told you that I'm sorry a dozen times. I don't know what more you want from me—"

"Maybe don't fucking treat me like shit," Eden snapped, looking over at Cecilia whose half-drunk mind was still processing what she said. "I don't know how you treat everyone else in your life, but they all must hate you pretty fucking much. You think everything is about you. You get what you want, and that's the end of every interaction I've ever had with you. You make me feel like shit."

Cecilia said nothing. She pursed her lips and stared at the road, feeling the air drown her.

"What is it you even want from me? What are we even doing here?" Eden questioned. "This feels like a linear stretch of misery that's only gonna end in a fucking dumpster fire."

"Eden—"

"You make me feel so confused," the girl continued, rubbing her face aggressively with her hands. "It feels like one day you're just going to disappear again." Eden hadn't even realized, but they had already pulled up into Cecilia's driveway and parked in front of the door. "I told you to drive me home, Cecilia."

The woman weakly turned the car off, pulling the keys out of the ignition. "I can't drive anymore," she slurred, sighing and leaning her head back in her seat. There was moisture glistening beneath her eyes, but Eden assumed it was probably just from the alcohol.

"Then call me a cab," the girl snapped again.

"I dont know...where my phone..." Cecilia slurred, slumping over and reaching into the backseat for something. Eden leaned away from her until Cecilia finally found what she was looking for, turning back around with a half-empty bottle of vodka in her hands. It was obvious that all of the night's alcohol was finally hitting her, and now she was already reaching for more.

"I want to go home, Cecilia," Eden said more quietly, watching with nervousness as Cecilia struggled to unscrew the cap of the bottle. Eden chewed her lip for a moment before sighing, unable to just sit there and watch Cecilia get more drunk. "You don't need this," she said, leaning forward and trying to take the bottle from Cecilia's hands.