BALLER FROM BULGARIA // a UCONN story

6. The rescue and the medi

I was completely and utterly fucked. That is all that I could think as Zach walks me to the door of the bar. I don't have it in me to struggle, and feel myself clutching to him to keep my balance. As he opens de door that leads outside, I make what feels like a final effort to make any sound. But, to my absolute disgust, he presses his lips against mine to shut me up. Gross.

I stumble as Zach pushes me out the door first, but he catches me. I would honestly rather fall down.

He begins to walk me away from the bar.

'Nataliya?! What the hell?' I hear from behind me. I can't make out who it is, as I feel like I could pass out at any moment. Zach ignores the voice and keeps walking me away.

'I gave you like two rules. You get drunk ánd leave with a random guy?!' A hand on my shoulder turns me away from Zach, forcing him to let me go, and me to see Aubrey, even though I can barely recognise her.

'oh my- Nat are you good?' She sounds alarmed. I can hear what she is saying, but it still feels like I'm floating above my own body. There is no way to reply.

'What happened?' she asks me, but as a way of replying I almost lose my balance and have to clutch on to her.

In the commotion of Aubrey finding me, Zach just walks away.

She helps me to sit on the ground and pulls out her phone. I don't know what she is doing and don't follow the conversation she is having either. All I know is that within a minute, my entire team walks out of the bar and rushes over.

'What the hell happened?!' That must be Nika. I close my eyes for a bit. 'KK, I thought she was with you?'

'She was but then she went to the bar for a drink, and she was talking with some guy.'

'Was she drunk?!' Aaliyah, I think.

'No! she was drinking coke all night!'

I laid down in the grass, and give up trying to hear who is saying what. Their voices all overlap.

'If she isn't drunk, did that guy spike her drink?'

'Guys, is she even awake?!'

'Do we call an ambulance?'

'We need to get her home!'

'Guys she isn't awake!'

All of the sudden, I feel two arms around me, picking me up like I weigh absolutely nothing. As the person carries me somewhere, I still here a lot of voices. I claw at my ear, trying to make the noises stop.

'Ssshhh, its okay, just relax, we'll get you home.'

'She is awake, but she is really out of it doc.' I hear someone say on my left.

I relax my head against the shoulder of the person who is carrying me, and close my eyes.

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I'm back there again. The cold, stone floor of the orphanage underneath my bare feet. The thick, damp air suffocating the breath from my lungs. It smells of mildew and iron, like old blood. I open the door to the basement.

It creaks—loud, heavy, like it always did—and the cold air rushes past me, thick and musty. "Boyan?"

I step forward, my voice trembling as I call out again. "Boyan?"

At the bottom of the stairs, I see him. He's sitting on the floor, his knees drawn up to his chest, his back against the wall. Even though his face is hidden in the shadows, I know it's him.