WOULD YOU RESCUE ME?

18.Unmasking the Past

Vanessa glanced around the room, noticing the uneasy expressions on her friends' faces. She felt a pang of annoyance but masked it with a half-hearted smile. "Seriously, guys, you don't need to worry about me. I feel fine. If something was wrong, I'd tell you." She tried to inject confidence into her voice, hoping it would put an end to their concerns.

Astra furrowed her brow, biting her lip as she exchanged a glance with Maya. The look they shared was loaded with unspoken questions, but neither of them dared to voice them. Maya's uncertainty mirrored Astra's, and for a moment, the air between them was thick with unease. Vanessa noticed this, and her irritation began to simmer.

"I'm telling you, it's fine." Vanessa's tone turned sharper, almost pleading, but there was an underlying edge. She didn't want to be interrogated, especially not now.

The silence that followed was heavy, until Cassy finally broke it. "Okay, but... how do you know you're fine, V? I mean, you drank more than all of us together tonight. It was actually a lot, and now you also have the pill, that we still don't know what it was, and at this point I don't think we ever will." she said, her voice tinged with genuine worry. The same question had been hanging in all of their minds—how could Vanessa be so certain she was okay when she'd consumed so much?

Vanessa hesitated, her eyes darting to the floor. She crossed her arms defensively, then sighed, realizing there was no way out. The tension in the room was like a vise, and if she didn't give them what they were looking for, she knew she'd be stuck here all night. She shifted on her feet, the weight of her own secrets pressing down on her.

"Fine, but just... don't make a big deal out of it, okay?" Vanessa began, her voice dropping to a quieter, more serious tone. "Back when I used to throw parties at my place, or even when I was in Milan, I... used to get high. A lot. I tried a bunch of different things, the way they were consuming coke... It was actually me telling Jake how i used to do it. It's just... how things were back then. Until one night that I was choking on a vape, that time I couldn't breath for almost three minutes. Closest experience to death ever... That's why I stopped."

Her friends stared at her, each processing this revelation in their own way. Maya's mouth fell open slightly, her eyes wide with shock. Cassy's brow furrowed as if trying to reconcile this image of Vanessa with the one she thought she knew. Amy pressed her lips together, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

But Astra's reaction was different. She stared at Vanessa, her expression shifting from confusion to realization. It was like watching pieces of a puzzle fall into place. Astra's concern deepened as she connected the dots: Vanessa's reluctance to take painkillers, her uncharacteristic reaction when Jack forced that kiss on her... It wasn't just about the kiss. Vanessa had been avoiding anything strong that might trigger old habits. The accident must have been excruciating for her, and Jack had not only crossed a physical boundary but had forced her into a situation that could jeopardize her sobriety.

Astra's voice was barely above a whisper, a note of understanding in her tone. "You didn't want the painkillers... because you were afraid, weren't you?"

Vanessa didn't answer directly, but the way she held Astra's gaze was enough. The truth lingered between them, unspoken yet undeniable.

Maya, Amy, and Cassy exchanged uneasy glances, struggling to digest what they had just learned. The shock left them speechless, and for a moment, the room felt like it had shrunk around them. Maya shifted uncomfortably, her earlier confidence now replaced with uncertainty. Amy, usually the one to crack jokes and lighten the mood, had nothing to offer, only a furrowed brow and pursed lips.

Vanessa took a deep breath, forcing herself to stand straighter. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. Really. I just... don't want to dwell on this, okay? I need a distraction, and the party downstairs is perfect for that. So, can we please go back to it? The night's just getting started."