Blue Money | Nick Robinson

Chapter Ten: Shattered

Savannah

Savannah Paul always had a problem with figuring out what was too much and when it was too much.

Layla wasn't any help to that factor.

Here's another line of coke, here's another shot, here's another pill, here's another and another take more, Savannah.

That sentences echoed in Sav's head over the weekend but she didn't think anything of them. If Layla was destroying her than Savannah wanted it; She wanted to feel numb.

Blissful was a word that often rang true when it came to Savannah's mood and even more so when she was high and drunk and snorting lines of coke in the girl's bathroom during 6th period with Layla. Layla the blackmailer and witch.

She held Emma's death over her head like a looming disgrace, never gone, the guilt never gone; only when Savannah listened to Layla's smooth voice to shove down more pills and vodka. It crossed her mind that maybe Layla was just trying to kill her the same way Emma had died but Layla always stopped her before it was too much. It was only enough to rot her body and brain but not enough to let her die. She started to wish it was.

Day after day, weekend after weekend, Savannah was pulling her insides apart and handing them over to Layla to control. Every inch of her body was aching unless she was snorting something or drinking something. It go to the point where she couldn't survive a day without some sort of substance. Then it crossed Sav's mind that maybe that was the plan; get her addicted.

She didn't worry about it, she stopped worrying about Layla and just listened to what she said, like a tiny devil on her shoulder urging her on to take the last bits of herself that were good and fill them with things that were toxic to her core. She always thought an angel would be there too but Anna wasn't, she was with Nick and the concept of being told to stop faded away just like Savannah's mind.

On Monday, after another weekend of slowly ruining herself Savannah looked in the mirror. Her dark hair was astray, the dark circles under her eyes heavier than her bones and the glimmer that was always on her cheeks seemed to have vanished. The skin on her body seemed to pale, not as brown or smooth anymore and her hands seemed to shake at every turn.

She put a black dress on, paired it with her sneakers and vowed not to worry. She went to her bed and stood on it, unscrewing the secret vent that still, Layla knew nothing about. Savannah could hear the water running in the shower so she knew she her secret was safe for now.

After pulling a tiny bag of white powder out, quickly snorting it into her nostrils with a rolled up 100 dollar bill, she hid it again. Looking back in the mirror she thought she looked rejuvenated. On top of the world and falling off of it at the same time.

Savannah didn't bother waiting for Layla and went to class, focusing on the work ahead. After several classes she started to feel the sinking feeling of smooshing open, losing all her will to actually do any work. Her hands started to shake again.

History class, the one with Anna came quickly and she slides into her seat, nervously tapping her knee. Would Anna even know she was itching for drugs? There was no way she was able to go back to her dorm in time to get them.

Anna waltzed into class, ripped jeans that fit her snugly that most likely belonged to Eileen and one of her own t-shirts that was a faded grey and had a hole in the sleeve. She wore several necklaces that hugged her throat and her brown hair was pulled up, swaying slightly.

"Hey!" She greets Savannah with ease and sits down, turning to look at her. Her smile vanishes placed with a look of concern. "Sav?"

"What?" Savannah snaps, not meaning too just as the bell makes it melodic sound to signal the start of class.