Molly

4

Another night, Molly stumbled in at 3 AM, breath smelling like beer and that golden-brown hair a frizzy mess. I had been waiting for her to come home. I began the night with just doing more schoolwork, but as it got later I opted for just playing games on my phone. When the door creaked open and it was Molly, I wished I could've been happy. Instead, I just sighed.

"What a day!" she exclaimed, flopping down onto the couch across from me.

"Molly!" I hadn't tried to yell at her, but the combination of worry and sleepiness running through my brain had gotten to me. "It's three in the morning. Tell me you were kidnapped, because nothing else is going to fly with me."

"What are you, my mom?" she replied with a scoff, pulling lip gloss out of her purse and applying it. She puckered up her lips, using her phone as a mirror and kissing at her reflection.

"Tell me you didn't drive like that," I continued, disregarding everything she was doing. I put my hand to my forehead, leaning onto it in a way a disappointed mother may have actually done.

"I didn't drive... far." Molly seemed to choose her words carefully, standing up from the couch to hang up her puffy, hot pink jacket on the coat rack. "I ran into a tree."

I immediately looked up from the ground, eyes widened and staring darts into Molly. "Is that funny? Molly, you go out every night and lately, you haven't even tried to get your work done."

"Partying is a full-time job," she said with a shrug, kicking her heels near our shoe shelf and starting to walk to our room.

I turned myself around on the couch. "Molly, you've got to write. Once you graduate and write your book, you'll have money, you'll have your career on track. You'll have it all," I pleaded with her, watching her stop abruptly before going through the door.

"I'll have it all, huh?" She gestured dismissively at me, just enough for me to get a good look at her arm.

What I'd seen made me jump up from the couch, following her into the room. "Molly, what is that? Are those needle marks?"

"Look, it's no big deal."

She didn't even look at me, just put down her bag and started walking over to the bathroom. I shook my head at her, not wanting to get aggressive, but making the impulsive decision to grab her unpricked arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Molly!" I shouted, making her turn to me with wide eyes.

I couldn't help but look into her eyes and feel bad for shouting. Those dark brown eyes, like a deer in the headlights, was what made me let go of her arm.

"I just decided to try it!" she responded, still storming off to the bathroom. "I ended up with this man. We got drunk and ended up trying to fool around on the beach in a rainstorm. Unsuccessful, so he offered me a little red dragon and I accepted."

Every word that tripped out of her mouth was so casual as she once again effortlessly pulled up her hair, starting to wash her face.

"You're scaring me," I went on, sitting on the toilet seat as I watched her wash her face.

"Nah, don't listen to me. I just get going sometimes. Obsessed with my loneliness. You know that." She splashed water in her face, sighing with relief that I couldn't fathom to have in that moment.

"Molly, you're not alone," I said, leaning in. "You have me."

She squeezed out some moisturizer, pausing her actions to turn and face me as she spoke. "So you love me?" she asked, something that seemed so out of the blue. Usually, she'd ask for assurance about everything, so maybe it wasn't so alien.

"Of course," I replied quickly, putting my hand down on the counter.

She put her hand that wasn't carrying a dollop of moisturizer on top of mine, "And I love you too, Lottie."

And I always loved her. Always forgave her. Always cheered her up. But when I moved in with my boyfriend, things got worse. I could go weeks without hearing from her. And when I did hear from her, it was... tragic to say the least.