Viper House

Homecoming

Peter dumped me out at Polkas. I took a deep breath of cold air, realizing how great it felt out that night. I slowly walked back towards Maia's, getting turned around more than I was actually going in the right direction. It didn't matter. It was a great night out.

I finally made it to her house. A couple of lights were on, but when I walked in the front door, she was asleep on the couch. I stood in front of her, looking down at her before I went upstairs. It was a feat that took longer than I remembered taking it before. I missed the last step and went crashing onto the carpet.

I grinned, rolling onto my back. It was a nice floor. Then, I remembered what I had gone up there for. I grabbed my backpack and tore a piece of paper out of my notebook. I scribbled a note to her and slung my bags over my shoulders. I dropped the note onto the coffee table and walked back out the door.

I was free for the weekend. The opportunities were endless.

I ended up at a park a few blocks from Maia's house. I climbed into the tunnel and used my backpack as a pillow. That night was the best sleep I'd had in weeks. Maybe years.

When I woke up, it was early the next morning. My head was pounding. A few minutes later, everything that was in my stomach came up with a vengeance. I gasped for breath, spitting into the dirt below the playground equipment. I groaned, sliding to the wood platform outside the tunnel, resting my forehead against the palm of my hand.

The moment was made worse by the loudness of my phone ringing. I groaned again and dug it out of my backpack. Elijah's name flashed on the screen. The sight of it made my body retch again, but it only came out in dry heaves.

I went through my call history to see Maia, Elijah, Lauren, and even Dylan's names all listed. Repetitively. For the entire night.

I turned my phone off and threw it into my backpack, slinging it onto my shoulder. I was still a little high and a little hungover from the high to be talking to anyone. I grabbed my duffel bag and got out of the park as quickly as I could. It wouldn't be long before they would be looking for me. I was surprised that with the location app they'd put on my phone that they weren't there already.

I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, then pulled my hood up over my head. The sun was just starting to rise and there weren't a lot of people out. A few early morning joggers. Some old people out for their morning coffee. No one that I recognized.

I used a few crumpled bills from my backpack to pay for a cup of coffee at a gas station. It had gotten colder than I had realized last night. Then again, the drugs always made it feel warmer than what it actually was.

I choked on the first sip of coffee that I took and spit it out on the ground in front of me. A man walking by with his wife put his arm protectively around her.

I'd just thrown away two years of sobriety.

I jerked the sobriety chip out of my pocket. The bronze chip burned my hands. I walked over to a dumpster and dropped it in with the coffee. Wasn't any point in keeping it now if it didn't hold the same meaning it always had.

With a sigh, I sat down on the ground next to the dumpster and put my head in my hands. There was no way I could actually explain to Maia what had happened the night before. I definitely wasn't able to tell my foster parents. I was so fucking pissed at myself that I had caved that easily. Already, there was a voice in the back of my head telling me to find Julian and feed the cravings that were starting to return with a vengeance.