Haunted Hearts || A.W.G || [Discontinued]

Change In Attitude, Dilated Pupils and Blood Shot Eyes || Chapter Forty-Four

"So follow me down. Take this all the way, anyway you want to. Why don't you say so? I think I'm caught in between."

Alex

I wake up way earlier than Emerald, so I brush my teeth and sit on my phone, doing absolutely nothing but tweet.

About an hour passed before she starts to wake up. She curls up into a ball next to me then opens her eyes and tilts her head up to look at me. "Looks like I woke up to an amazing sight." She smiles and stands up, stretching then walking into the bathroom. I can tell there's something wrong with her but shrug it off.

After four minutes, she comes out still in her pajama's but her hair's brushed.

"You already brushed your teeth, right?" She asks. "Yeah, why?" I respond, confused. "Good." She takes my phone out of my hand and sets it on the end table. She leans down, connecting our lips and climbing on top of me then stradles my hips. I feel really weird about this, and not just because she usually never has morning sex, but because when I look into her normally pale blue eyes, they're dark blue, like they're clouded over with black. Not from lust, but from.. something else.

I lightly push her away, making her look at me with a confused and angry expression. "What's your problem?" She asks. "I don't want to do this." I avoid looking at her eyes again. "Since when?" She scoffs. "Since you changed." I respond. "Whatever." She rolls her eyes, standing up and storming downstairs, I follow her.

I see that she's already opening a bottle of whiskey. I take it away from her, "This is exactly what I mean, the Emerald I know wouldn't drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels at eleven o'clock in the morning." "Then why don't you leave me like you always do?" She snatches it back. I'm taken aback by what she said but quickly get my mind on track again. Then everything clicks, "This is about last night, isn't it?" "Considering that I got raped by my dad again at my friend's party, yeah, it is." She takes a big gulp out of the bottle. Then I remember her night terror;

Flashback

I'm teared out of my deep sleep by screaming, and not "I'm scared" screams, like, bloodcurdling.

I look to my right to see Emerald using her hands like she's trying to get someone off her, tears running down her cheeks.

"Emerald." I shake her lightly. She puts a hand over her face, "He's here. H-He was holding me down." She's crying so hard that she can barely get any words out. "Nobody's here but me, Em. You just had a night terror, everything's okay." I say, my voice lower than usual.

Flashback End

"Emerald, that was just a night terror. It never happened."

"I was there, Alex! I felt everything!"

"I was up at three in the morning because of you screaming, I'm not lying. Yesterday night, you got us out of there before anything could happen and now both your dad and Brianna are sitting in jail waiting for the court to sentence them."

She looks at the ground in thought. Then like a light switch, she slams her bottle onto the island and starts pushing me towards the door. "Go, just leave!" She opens the door. "What? No." I refuse. She gives one last shove and says, "Don't try to help me." then slams it in my face. I go to call Jack but realize my phone and car keys are inside. "Fuck." I whisper yell. I have no choice but to walk to his house, even though it's freezing outside.

Emerald

I'm so pissed at Alex that I don't care if he has his phone or a nice warm car. Fuck him. How is he going to tell me what happened when I was the only one in the room? Along with.. him.

I storm upstairs with my whiskey bottle and drink it while I get dressed. Once I'm done, I grab my car keys and drive to the only place that's bound to help me.

Alex
New Years Eve - Zack's House - 8:20 PM

I haven't talked to Emerald since she pushed me out of her house. I told Jack about the situation but he couldn't come up with an solution either. Thankfully, I have an extra house key hidden on top the door frame so I can go inside. Since I don't have my car, I walk to Rian's house and he gives me a ride. Right now, Zack is hosting the New Years Eve party this year. He wanted to keep it small so he just invited his friends and a couple bands we know.

"Here's your shit." I hear someone saying. I turn around to see Emerald standing there. "Jesus, Emerald. I've been so worried about you." I hug her but she doesn't hug me back, which is odd. "Sorry I kept your stuff for so long. I just didn't want to talk to you." She shrugs. I take them and put them in my pocket. All of the sudden she's hopping up and down, tugging on my arm, "Let's go dance!"

I look to the side and see Jack giving me the "What the fuck is going on?" face. I mouth, "I don't know." then follow her.

Before we get there, she stops and gasps, "Did you see that?" "See what?" I ask. She points to the staircase, "There was a little kid there. I swear." "There's.. no one there." I reply slowly. She looks up at me and I notice that her pupils are dilated. I'm no doctor, but even I know that's not normal, especially when there's lights around. "Oh well." She shrugs. We start walking again when she abruptly stops, "I'll be back. Stay right here."

About ten minutes later, she comes back with blood shot eyes. "Are you feeling okay?" I look at her closely. "I feel amazing." She smiles then pulls on my arm again, "Come on!"

After we get done dancing, Emerald disappears again so I go by Jack.

"What's wrong with her?" He asks as I sit down. "I have no idea. I noticed that she has blood shot eyes, her pupils are dilated, she's seeing things, and she's awfully excited. She was never that way, so it makes me wonder.." I trail off. "Wonder what?" He looks worried. "That she's on drugs again." I barely manage to get out. "Wait, she was on drugs before?" He practically yells. "Keep it down." I say. "Yes, she was. It was way back after we graduated high school, but she stopped, went to rehab and everything."

"There's only one way to find out."

"How?"

"We ask Francisco."

"The nights and days fly by when I'm lost on the streets and my eyes, they despise you for who I am. Why don't you say so? Why don't you say so?"

(Song: "Poppin' Champagne" by All Time Low)