Addictive Romance

Chapter One

CHAPTER 1 - KAT

August 31st, 2018, Los Angeles, California, USA.

***

These times are always the same. The beginning of a new horrible day. Right after the alarm goes off.

“Fuck!” I scream, annoyed.

I press the top of my alarm clock to turn the horrid sound off. I put my hands on both of my temples and rub them.

I turn on the light on my nightstand and grab a bottle of beer on the ground. I take a bottle of antidepressants, put three of them in my mouth, open the bottle of beer and swallow half of it with the antidepressants.

I get out of my bed, head for the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth and when I go back to my bedroom, I take a cigarette from a pack, and light it with a lighter.

Then I put on some makeup. I apply a few coats of mascara, liquid blush and I finally finish my quick makeup routine with a nude matte lipstick.

I choose to wear black denim jeans, a dark grey long sleeve tee and comb my long black hair that I dye regularly, letting it tumbled down my back like a waterfall. I go down into the living room.

***

“Hey Kat. Where're you going this early in the morning?” My mother asks to me in a low voice. Her messy brown and grey hair was put into a bun, her wrinkled face looked tired, and she still is in her pajamas.

“Mom,” I grunt, my head facing the ceiling, “It's back to school today. My first day of senior year,” I say obliviously.

“Oh,” she says passively, definitely not concerned by that fact, “I guess I forgot,” she shrugs.

I take a bite of a donut left on the dining table, and hesitate to put on a jacket, but realize that it’s still hot outside so I don’t need one. The weather in Los Angeles is never really cold, even in winter.

I grab my bag, leave the house without saying anything to my mom, cross the street and get into my red Toyota, which I bought last year with the money I get while working at the local dinner.

I start my car, drive a few hundreds of yards and stop it to let Lana open the door and jump in the car. I restart the car and stop it again a few minutes afterwards to let Dan get into it.

Lana, Dan and I are best friends and we have always been an inseparable trio since our childhood.

Lana has blond golden hair, grey eyes, she is 5’4, which is shorter than me. She has always been happy, enthusiastic, positive and she sees everything in life on the bright side. I envy her.

However, Dan has brown hair and the same color for his eyes, and is 5’8. He can make a joke at any awkward moment and people would just laugh at his joke. He’s a really funny, attractive and nice guy even if I only see him as my best friend.

“My God. Can you guys believe that we’re starting our last year of high school today?” Lana, who is the passenger seat, asks me and Dan, turning her head to look at Dan.

“Yeah, time just goes so fast,” Dan answers, “Except when we’re in Mrs. Richardson’s class,” He scoffs.

I laugh too then growl, “Calculus is so boring, plus that bitch of a teacher is so fucking annoying.”

Lana looks at me in a nice but dangerous way at the same time. She’s one for giving people weird looks. “Could you swear a little less? My ears are very sensible to bad words.”

“Sorry, but I’ve learnt since I was young to always express myself and my feelings,” I say with faux exasperation, my hands on the steering wheel, “If you’re not okay with it, don’t think twice and jump out of the damn car. I’m sure Dan wouldn’t mind hearing less of your demanding requests for me that will likely never happen.”

“Huh?” Dan asks, distracted.

Lana lets out a scoff, “You can be a total bitch sometimes, you know that, right? But unfortunately, I can’t break up with my best friends, especially you, Kat.”

The next words she pronounces are a whisper but I can still hear them coming out from Lana’s mouth, “Otherwise, who is going to save you from an overdose?”

I decide not to answer and turn on the radio. The sound of Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey—one of my favorite singer—resonates in the car, and no one says anything for the rest of the ride until I park my car in the high school parking lot.

“One last year of fuckers, fake people and I can finally get the fuck out of here.” I say numbly to Dan and Lana while we get out of the car and begin to enter the high school.

“Perhaps you should focus on this year to get good grades and get a good SATs score to then have a scholarship and get into a university.” Lana tells me when we’re in the crowded corridors and opening our lockers. She takes a few books from hers.

“So that’s basically everything that you’re going to do on your senior year, nerd?” I laugh sarcastically and grab a grey shiny flask of whiskey that I intentionally kept in my locker during the whole summer, open it and chug some.

I really don’t care if some students see me drinking it, because basically almost everyone in the high school, even the teachers know my ‘bad reputation’ and they are fine with it. Except from my only two real friends. They definitely think that I shouldn’t drink and smoke as a habit but that’s the only way I can escape. Escape from the reality, people, the society, everyone and everything.

I just want to zone out.

As I feel the burning hard liquor go down my throat, I see my friends’ exasperated faces and I giggle.

“Are you serious, Kat? Back. To. School. Day,” Dan spells, saying it like if he was talking to a child, “I thought that was the only day in the whole year that was alcohol-free for you.”

“There’s no day off liquor in my life. Ever.” I spit back.

I put on my mask of the ‘school bitch’ and begin to walk away from them and going to my first period, which in English Literature.

I feel that someone gently grabs my arm, so I turn around and see Dan. Lana is not with him, she has probably gone to her class because of how nerdy she is. Dan, however, has a worried face.

“Hey, Kat. Please be careful, okay, sweetie?” he asks me in a soft voice.

I get angry and look more closely at him, “What are you, my brother? Anyway, you know I won’t be careful, so why do you even fucking ask?”

He still has that worried look on his face, which makes me pity him. “Okay, you win. I promise I’ll be careful.” I lie, “Happy?”

His face softens and he smiles.

The bell rings-thank God-and Dan’s hand gets off my arm. “Saved by the bell,” I say ironically. “Okay, I gotta go now if I don't wanna be late. Plus, I’m actually going to class, isn’t this wonder-fucking-ful?”

Dan and I agree that we’ll meet at the school cafeteria at lunch and I literally run to class since I’m a little late, which is probably not a good idea since I drank whiskey a few minutes ago and my head is beginning to get dizzy.

Well, fuck me. Today’s going to be a fun day.