𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠- 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏.

𝟒. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐞

Saturday June 1988
𐬽◷𐬼
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She slowly emerged from the fog of the bathroom, her eyes instantly locked onto the blonde-haired girl who had snorted a line just moments before. The girl was hastily gathering her belongings, her movements indicating an imminent departure. But Amira wasn't about to let her slip away so easily.

"Hey," Amira called out, her voice surprisingly soft despite the slight tremble. It was barely more than a whisper, yet it was enough to make the blonde girl pause in her actions and turn around. Under the harsh neon lights, her features were more evident: dark brown eyes that were sharp and alert, and an unmistakable punk rock edge to her style.

"Y-You got any more of that coke?" Amira asked, her words stumbling out in her haste. She kept her gaze steady on the blonde, her anticipation making her heart pound as she awaited the response.

The blonde girl raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. "Um yeah, but what makes you think I'll give you some?" Her voice echoed in the small room, laced with a hint of mockery.

"I'll give you 20 bucks?" Amira countered, hoping that the offer would be tempting enough to sway the girl.

And so it was that she found herself, sequestered in the spacious sanctuary of the bathroom, nestled in the comforting confines of the most remote stall. There, in that very place, they were huddled together. The girl, whose name was revealed to be Amy, had already taken the liberty of crushing a substance into a minute baggy, the contents of which she was now meticulously sprinkling atop the metallic surface of the woman's sanitary pad dispenser.

Amira, her gaze locked firmly on the spectacle unfolding before her, appeared to be in a trance-like state. She was acutely aware that she shouldn't be partaking in this. After all, she had spent years diligently maintaining her sobriety. Yet, despite her best intentions, she found herself incapable of resisting the allure of what lay before her.

Amy, with practiced skills, deftly manipulated her card to split the pile of cocaine into a line. Amira continued to watch it, her eyes filled with a mix of apprehension and longing, as though it were some coveted prize.

"There." Amy's voice sliced through the silence, her gaze shifting back to meet Amira's. It was a matter of mere moments before Amira leaned down, the white dust disappearing swiftly as she inhaled sharply. The sensation was immediate, a tingling rush assaulting her senses as it snaked its way through her nose and sent an electrifying jolt coursing through her body. Her heart pounded in her chest, the rhythm accelerating as she leaned back against the cold, impersonal surface of the stall door, her gaze lost in the unremarkable expanse of the ceiling above.

She was overtaken by a sense of regret, the enormity of her actions washing over her. She could hardly fathom how she had allowed herself to succumb to this temptation.

"Welp, have fun," Amy's voice echoed in the small space, the words hanging in the air as she exited the stall, the click of the door reverberating in Amira's ears. Left alone, Amira remained seated, the sensation of tingling euphoria and the thrill of adrenaline coursing through her veins a stark contrast to the stillness of the room around her.
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"amira baby what are you doing!" her moms voice shrieked as she looked down at her daughter on the bathroom floor. the sight of her daughter overdosed on the floor with the needle laying beside her.