The girl next door, - ᴛ.ᴋᴀᴜʟɪᴛᴢ

chapter fifty.

• TILL THE WORLD ENDS - BRITNEY SPEARS

THREE DAYS

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My head rose off of the concrete, taking in my surroundings for a moment as I sat up and rubbed a bleeding scratch on my face with a small sigh. I could feel the dirtiness in my hair and the bruises on my face, smell the booze and weed off of myself, and saw the dirt mixed with a little blood under my fingernails.

I'd attended parties around. I didn't know where I was right now or how I got there.

I leaned forward, my hands resting on the back of my head for a moment while I tried to recall the past night.

My eyes flickered down before I grabbed the busted pack of cigarettes from my pocket. All were used and found on the pavement. The barely used ones were the best luck I'd had so far.

In the past few days, I'd been sleeping on the streets. I chose anything but to go back to Vince's house, Tom's, or mine. It was too hard to be there.

It was cold, getting colder. Especially only being in jeans and a long sleeve. It would be snowing again soon.

I didn't know who to call or who to ask for help because I knew I'd end up running off or pushing them away. But after some thought, I figured somebody that might let me crash at their house. Only temporarily, of course.

"Nora? It's Mandy." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck and hugging my knees while I sat on the curb, smoking a cigarette I'd found on the pavement. "Oh!" She hummed. "Wow.. uh, I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Hey, uhm," I started. "Could I crash at yours? I don't have anywhere to go right now, and I'm strapped for cash."

I didn't need Charlie's money.

. . .

"Um, yeah, sure. You know where my house is, right?"

I could hear Perrines muffled voice in the background once I listened carefully. I blew out some smoke, my hands trembling slightly from the cold. "Perrine there with you?"

"It's nothing fun, we were just..."

. . .

"Come over. I'll set out a mattress for you."

"Thanks. Be there soon." I said before hanging up and standing up, tucking my phone in my back pocket. I glanced around before walking down the street, kicking rocks and rubbing the spot where I'd shot up the other night.

I already wanted more, and it was just once that I did it. It's like trying to quit cigarettes. You take one drag, and then you have to smoke the whole pack. Then you're hooked - just like that. That's what mum told me once.

I pulled up my sleeve and rubbed the needle mark, taking in the streak of blood in that one spot. I sighed out a puff of condensation and pulled down my sleeve before continuing to walk.

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Once I got to Nora's house, I mostly just slept for hours on end. And when it wasn't that, just sitting there quietly and talking with her.

"So, where have you been?" She questioned. I shrugged my shoulders, looking at her. "Around." I said as I itched my arm slightly. "Mandy," she sighed. "Are you using again?"

"What? No. I'd never do that." I furrowed my eyebrows, shaking my head in protest.

Her eyes went to my wrists for a moment before she sighed and got out of bed. "I'm taking a shower. Feel free to look around." She smiled slightly, but it faded once she turned around and left.

I sighed heavily and got up, glancing around her room and walking out into the living room.

Her parents weren't home. Wouldn't be for a little while. Their room was beside Nora's.

I wandered in, my eyes immediately flickering to their jewellery box. I felt guilty, but I opened it up and went through some of their stuff. Once I spotted two particularly golden rings and the tiny diamond on it, I figured this would be worth quite some money.

I bit my lip, leaning slightly to push them into my back pocket before wandering out. "Nora! I'm going to go get something from my house!" I called out to her before I left the house.

I grabbed out my phone and called a friend of mine, resting it between my shoulder and ear. "Hey, what do you think I could get for two wedding rings? Good shape, gold, I think with a tiny, tiny diamond."

"Bring them over. I'll see what I can give you."

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Maybe what I was doing was wrong. But I couldn't just ask him to, like, give it to me for free. And isn't the main point of weddings rings to wear them?

"Alright, kid. Good score. What do you want?" My friend murmured, his eyes on the rings before he put them in his pocket. I bit my lip, looking down. "Smack."

"Smack? Heroin, yeah?" He said as he leaned over and grabbed a baggie before passing it to me. I immediately took it and got up. "Thanks," I said quietly before I turned away and walked off, my eyes going over his dog for a moment before I left.

I was travelling a lot. First to Nora's house, then here, now back to Nora's house.