faded.

EIGHT

ONIKA

My mom was stressing me out. We were having some type of dinner party at our house in two days and she had me running around the entire city with her.

First, we went to the mall to get new outfits and spent hours there. Then we went to a bakery to pick up a cake she ordered, then back home to refrigerate the cake, and after that we had to go to Target to get some last minute ingredients for something she was going to make.

The food was going to be catered but I guess she wanted to make this one thing, I didn't care that much.

I looked a mess so I prayed Bey wouldn't be working today. I was in something I wasn't prepared to see anybody from school in, I thought we were just going to go to Costco or something.

When we got to the Target, I put my hood on to get to hide my identity a little bit.

At first, everything was okay. I thought I was in the clear until I heard my name.

"Onika?" Damn it, it was the person I wanted to see the least right now. I turned around and Bey smiled. "I knew it was you!"

She was high.

She ran over to me and pulled me into her arms. I laughed, "Hi Bey."

Sometimes when she's high, she gets all happy and clingy but I think it's cute. I like it.

I looked back just in time to see my mom walking away. We locked eyes and she just smirked. She's so weird.

"I wasn't expecting to see you for a couple days, this dumbass four day weekend."

We don't have school today, which is thursday, or tomorrow because a holiday lined up with a professional day and gave us two days off in a row.

"I was hoping nobody I knew would see me looking the way I look right now, I'm a little embarrassed."

She pulled me back and held me at arms length to get a good look at me. "What?! You look great, I like the way you look in sweats. It's like seeing you in my favorite clothes except yours are probably more expensive than mine."

I laughed again. "You're talking a lot more than usual today."

"Am I? I was worried I wasn't talking enough and tried to balance it out."

This is very different from usual Bey. "Don't worry, I like you talking. You're really funny."

"So are you. Also, your body is so huggable, you're the right height and you have a small waist so I can squeeze you without squeezing you. I wish I would hug you more often but I know I only want to because I'm like really high right now, sober me definitely wouldn't ask for any hugs."

She should not be this high at work.

"What did you take?"

"I feel like you're going to get mad or judge me if I tell you."

"You know I'm not going to judge you. Just tell me."

"No."

"Please? I'll give you another hug."

She hugged me again and spoke right in my ears. "I took half an adderall and half a xan." She sent shivers down my spine.

"Don't those do opposite things?" I'm learning.

"Yeah, but it's kinda evening me out so I'm not that high. The adderall is helping me stay focused and the xanax is helping me with my anxiety. Mixed together they create a perfect and friendly employee." She squeezed me really right for a second then let me go but she held me close to her.