Scrubs

Chapter 4; w

When I pull into the driveway I notice that all of the lights in the house are on signaling to me that Clayton is still awake. I feel the anxiety bubble up inside of me knowing I'm going to be stepping into a verbal boxing match when I enter the front door.

Before I even get my key in the door it's flung open by one of Clayton's best friends, Deegan. "She's heeeree." He calls out loudly behind him, the smell of alcohol wafting into my face. Great. He moves to the side so I can step in and he shuts the door behind me. Clayton appears in the entrance swaying. "Finally. What took you so long? You were supposed to come home and feed us." I roll my eyes at him. "No, Clayton. You were supposed to feed yourself. I'm gonna go shower and go to bed. Figure it out." He stumbles toward me and puts one hand on my shoulder, he uses the other to point at me accusingly barely hanging onto his beer bottle between his bottom three fingers and his palm.

"If you're gonna be my wife you need to start doing your wifely duties." And with that I push him away from me causing him to fall back onto the ground. "Fuck you Clayton."

"No fuck you bitch!" He's now propped up on his elbows.

Clayton's other friends, Easton and Kaleb are now in the doorway watching the situation unfold and Deegan steps in between us. "Okay, let's settle down." He looks from Clayton, to me, and back. "Rissa, why don't you just relax with us. Have a drink." At that point I feel like I have nothing to lose and I can't help but agree with drowning myself in alcohol and forgetting that this is what my life has come to.

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I'm freezing cold laying out under the stars on some very hard, lumpy grass. The night sky is spinning. I close my eyes to try to steady myself but it doesn't help. When I open them again there's a heavenly bright light directly on me coming from the left. Did I drink so much I died? I sit up and blink a few times, squinting to try and see where it's coming from. Then, the bright light turns into two bright lights and they both start growing. It takes a few moments to realize that the lumpy grass under me is gravel and the heavenly lights fast approaching are headlights.

I don't move. I don't feel scared. I just close my eyes and wait for the inevitable. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU CRAZY?" I open my eyes to a furious older man standing in front of me yelling. "I COULD'VE KILLED YOU!" I hang my head feeling guilty and all of the nights events start coming up. I don't realize I'm crying until I look back up to him and notice he's blurry. His red, angry face softens before he speaks again. "You need to get out of the road, someone's going to hit you. Is there someone I can call for you?" I look around now realizing I have no idea where I'm at but I'm definitely not home.

I manage to raise to my feet wobbling and check my back pocket for my phone. I pull it out as if to show the man I'll be alright. "N-no. Thank you." He's silent for a moment before muttering "Okay" and gets in his car leaving me alone in the dark. I stumble to the side of the road and sit in the weeds about 5 feet off of the gravel before unlocking my cell and scrolling through my contacts.

I slide by aClayon's name followed by all of his and my friends. They're unreliable and the reason I'm in this mess. I scroll by my siblings and my parents. I can't ask them for help. I would have to explain what's going on and they would be disappointed in me. I can't take that embarrassment right now. I keep scrolling and come to a name I know I shouldn't pause on but I do anyways. I can't. He's sleeping. I think to myself. Yes you can. He would be here in an instant and you know you want to see him. I drunkenly argue with myself internally and before I know what I'm doing I press the little green button.

Ring...

Oh God what am I doing.

Ring...

This is a mistake. I'm hanging up.

And suddenly his sleepy, soothing voice is coming through my phones speaker. "Hello?" My breath hitches in my throat and I can't speak. "Rissa... Are you alright?"

"H-hi"

"What's going on?"

"Uhh. Nothin'. I butt dialed you." I slur.

"Are you drunk?" He's now fully awake and sounds concerned.

"N-nooo." Yes.

"Where are you?"

"Um I don't really know." I hear shuffling on the other end of the line.

"Turn on your location. I'm coming to get you." And the line goes dead. Well shit. I do as he says and lay back in the tall grass before a wave a nausea hits me causing me to start sweating. I remove my coat and scrub top leaving me in just a cami and my scrub pants. After what feels like no time at all a blue Ford rolls up beside me and Grey jumps out leaving the driver door open as he walks toward me. He looks sexy as hell. He's wearing gray sweatpants and a black hoodie. His hair is lazily swept back out of his face and his eyes are locked on me. My gaze wanders to his mouth and I imagine what it would be like to bite his lip.

I'm too entranced to notice he's talking to me until he gives me an expectant look raising his eyebrows. "Huh?" I blink at him. He pulls his sweatshirt off over his head leaving him in just a t-shirt and throws it over my head crouching at my side. "I said 'Have. You. Lost. Your. Damn. Mind?'" I push my arms through the sleeves of his sweatshirt and he pulls it down to cover my chest and stomach, his fingers grazing me on the way down igniting my skin.

"No? Why?" He helps me stand and walks me to the passenger door of his pickup. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because it's 2:30am and you're out in the freezing cold by yourself barely wear anything." My mouth forms an 'o' as he opens the door for me. "You could've gotten picked up or killed. Someone could've hit you with their car!" He's exasperated. "Someone almost did." I blurt out.

I snort at the humor of it all and his jaw sets firmly. He motions to the truck. "Get in." I feel guilty at how upset he seems and gain enough confidence to step forward sliding my hands up his chest and around his neck looking up into his eyes through my lashes. "I'm sorry." He wraps his arms around me pulling me flush against him before resting his head on mine. "It's okay. Just let me get you out of here." He mumbles into my hair. I nod and step up into the pickup getting settled into my seat as he closes the door behind me. He gathers my stuff from the side of the road and tosses it all in the back as he hops in the driver's seat. The pickup starts rolling forward and we head off to wherever he's decided to take me which I can only assume is his place.