Burnt Out

☆Drunk☆

Hayden

The moment I heard Zeek's voice through Ray's phone I was immediately out of my house and into my car. 

At the party last night, I saw Ray with Zeek. I wouldn't say I was jealous, okay, maybe just a little bit, but mostly I was just worried. It was the first time I had seen them together, and now Zeek was picking up her phone as if they were close friends. My concern heightened because Zeek's... 'activities' were no secret. I feared that Ray's mental health had worsened, possibly to the extent of resorting to drugs.

Back when I visited Redcrest for the basketball game, Zeek played for the opposing team. Despite being in different teams, we had instanly hit it off and became friends, but I broke off my friendship with him when I found out about his not so little 'side hustle'. He's rich so it's not like he's selling drugs for the money. When I first found out, I asked him why he was selling drugs, but he refused to tell me.

Most days, Ray's eyes appeared hollow. Yet, amidst the emptiness I clung to those rare moments when a glimmer of light lit up her eyes. I used to reassure myself that though her eyes were dimmed, they weren't completely dead, but last night something had changed. Something had shifted in her eyes. Her eyes seemed...dead.

Was I too late?

Lost in my thoughts, I barely registered the drive to where Zeek and Ray were. The next thing I know, I was pulling up to the gas station where they were. Without bothering to lock my car, urgency fueled my every step. I didn't want to waste time; I wanted, no, I needed to reach her as quickly as humanly possible.

Finally, I spotted them. They were leaning against a car, standing a little too close to each other. The sight made me want to push Zeek away and pull Ray to my chest. Taking a deep breath, I grounded myself, reminding myself that this wasn't about me; it was about her, and I wasn't going to be a possessive asshole.

I was still quite far away from them, even in the distance, I could make out Ray holding a bottle of alcohol. That just propelled me to quicken my pace. The moment I reached them, I gently pulled her away from him, resisting the overwhelming desire to pull her close to me. Taking the bottle of vodka from her hands, I moved it out of her reach when she tried to take it back.

Then, she gave me the cutest fucking pout I'd ever seen. I wanted to kiss it away. I ripped my gaze away from her and glanced at Zeek because if I looked at her any longer, I would cave in. However, I froze when I felt her wrap her arms around my waist and bury her face in my chest. Despite the shock, my arms instinctively wrapped around her shoulders, and I rested one of my hands on her head, soothing her with my palm.

Yeah, she was definitely drunk.

"Did you give her drugs?" I glared at Zeek, but he didn't answer. He just blankly stared at me.

I knew that she was drunk, but I wasn't sure if she had taken something else too.

When he didn't answer, I spoke again, "You're literally taking advantage of her and making quick cash off her mental health."

He rolled his eyes, "Isn't that what therapists do too? Make cash off people's mental health."

"I—what?" My mouth slightly dropped open.

"But therapists actually help people get better."

"That's what I'm doing, but in a different way. Besides, I didn't give her anything she didn't ask for," he shrugged.

Before I could say anything else Ray beat me to it, "Be nice to Zee, Hayden. He's my new friend. "

Zee? So they're on nickname basis now.