MELODY (Book 1) ✓

Chapter 33 pt.1 ( The Last Straw)

The panic started to kick in seconds after I left the room. As if the door was the gate that separated me from the real world. My hands went frigid, trembling and hanging lamely on my sides, and I felt like a strong grip squeezed my stomach. I stood frozen outside the door, hyperventilating and resting my back on the thin wooden frame. It might as well have bruised my ribs but I couldn't feel it.

I lost everything!

I have drugs in my pocket!

Oh my God! I have drugs in my pocket! What should I do? What if someone finds out? What if Lynda noticed something?

Lynda!

My head snapped toward the end of the hallway. I forgot I was supposed to be looking out for her in the bathroom. I should go back and pretend I'd never left. I had to practice breathing all over again to find the strength to walk back to the bathroom at the end of the hall. How pathetic!

I shambled to the bathroom door, dragging my over-cooked-spaghetti legs. The sound of water running was a bit comforting, but no! I still had the freaking drugs in my pocket! I must get rid of it. But where? How?

My eyes darted around frantically. My brain didn't function well. I couldn't keep those anywhere near here. I glanced at the bathroom sign in front of me and felt like the dumbest person on earth.

The toilet.

I opened the door slowly, afraid that my shaking hands would defy me, and I sneaked inside on tiptoe, hoping Lynda wouldn't hear me.

I wobbled to the nearest stall and locked the door behind me. I took another deep breath. Hesitantly, I reached inside the pocket of my sweats and extracted the abhorrent plastic bags. My fingers were clammy and stiff, but I had to empty those bags and flush them. I couldn't imagine myself touching anything like that in my life, but in this moment, it was a matter of life or death. A life lost in a prison cell. Or death caused by a heart attack.

Attempting to unfold the bags, my slippery fingers failed me and one of the bags slipped off my hand and jumped inside the toilet.

No! No! No! No!

My heart rate spiked up and my hand flew to stifle a loud gasp that wanted to escape. The plastic bag wouldn't disappear on its own. I had to open it up and flush the contents.

Scrunching my face in disgust, I bent over and plucked the plastic bag with only two fingers. The movement made my stomach churn. I held my breath, wiped my hands on my sweatpants and focused on untying the bags. I emptied them, careful not to touch anything and flushed them all and covered the toilet seat. Only then I exhaled and my legs gave way. I sat on the toilet, putting my head between my knees.

Another horrid thought crossed my mind. What if there was more? Could she have hidden more somewhere I didn't know? This witch said that in the note... Oh no! This couldn't be really happening.

I held my head between my palms and squeezed my eyes shut.

I wasn't a perfect person but did I really deserve all this? Did this she-devil plan to take away everything from me? Why? I couldn't even understand her evil logic. I wasn't that important to anyone. Why was she spending so much energy and enthusiasm to plot my destruction? And why was she getting away with it? I'd never really hated someone that much, but Vivian taught me a new level of hate. True hate.

The water stopped running and I snapped out of my dark whirlpool. Lynda had finished her long shower. I pressed my palms on the walls on each side to help me get up and stood still for a minute. Trying to put a normal expression on my face, I unlocked the door. I couldn't let her notice my pathetic condition.