Love, Drugs, and High School

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Ryan

          For three days I bounced between parties, getting higher than ever before. If you would have asked me if I knew an Annabelle Robinson, I would tell you that I’ve never met her. My memory was temporarily erased, which was something that I could deal with for the moment.

          “That was some effed up shit!” Tommy said, but it felt like he was yelling. Why I put myself through hangovers, I’m not really sure. “I know another party tonight. We can sleep for a few hours at my house and then head over there.” The only thing I could do was nod my head, so exhausted from my lack of sleep.

Annabelle

          The alarm clock sounded, but it wasn’t as though it woke me up. Sleep was a word that I couldn’t even comprehend anymore. It had been five days—not that I was counting—since I had talked to Ryan. He wasn’t in school at all and it kind of made me worry. No matter what he said or how he said it, I could tell that what he did hurt him.

          Looking in the mirror, I was scared to see my own reflection. My eyes were bloodshot and I had dark bags under my eyes. Make up could only do so much to cover this up.

          Sighing, I accepted looking like crap and got ready. “I made you breakfast,” my uncle said, sliding pancakes and syrup towards me. To be polite, I ate a pancake, but I really didn’t want to. My appetite had disappeared lately.

          “Wow, Bells. I didn’t have to call you down stairs to tell you that you were late this morning. What’s the deal?” I just kept my mouth full and chewed as slowly as I could, knowing that sooner or later he would eventually give up.

          “Your vocal cords broke?” He joked. I know he wanted me to laugh, but it wasn’t in me. Not today.

          “Come on, then,” my uncle said, failing at hiding his concern for me, which were his intentions.

          We got into the car and I sat there silently. My uncle would glance over at me a few times, but he said nothing. I honestly did feel bad for him. He didn’t ask for this. If he did, he didn’t know that it was this that he was getting.

          “Try to have a good day at school?” My uncle said, but it came out more like a question. I couldn’t even fake smile at him, like I usually do. A slight nod of my head was all that I could do.

          “Hey!” Linzie exclaimed as I walked into the school. “I have been trying to text you.”

          “My phone’s dead.” There was no emotion in my voice; nothing. And why bother to charge your phone when it contains memories that are best left forgotten.

          “What’s wrong?” She asked, the tone of her voice changing from normal to concerned. Why was everyone so concerned about me? They really should get used to me. I’m never going to be ok.

          “Nothing,” I said, “I’m fine.”

          “That’s the biggest lie ever!” She said in a hushed tone and grabbed my arm and pulled me into the nearest bathroom.

          I looked at her like she was completely insane. What was she going to do in a bathroom? “Now that we got more privacy, what happened?” When I didn’t answer her, she took it upon herself to jump to her own conclusions. “Is it Ryan? Did he hurt you?” My heart panged with hurt. Yes, it was Ryan. There, I admitted it, to myself…