Burn in Water, Drown in Fire

~4~ When You Look Me in the Eyes

(Zac's POV)

"You know, I don't know the outcome of this right?" Devin Hallow reminded me on Saturday night.

"Look, you said you needed someone so I obliged," I replied. He handed me an envelope bursting with content. I looked over the dozens of monetary bills that I received. Looks legit.

"Here," he said, handing me a test tube full of something that looked like normal water or clear soda and an additional syringe. I reached out to take it, but he pulled it back. I looked up to him with a confused look. "Drink it tonight and make sure you don't have any consumption of other foods or drinks then inject yourself in the thigh. Like I said, I don't know any effects or outcomes."

"You will tomorrow," I reminded in a quiet voice, not even caring about the fact that my life could be ended in my sleep.

"Chill," he said, noticing my nerves. "It's not going to kill you, I promise."

"Uh huh..."

"Make sure no one will be home tomorrow," he added. "Don't tell anyone anything."

"Geez, you act like you're afraid of getting caught," I laughed as if I wasn't becoming a human trial for his massively unapproved drug. The thousands of dollars as payment seemed a good reason to emphasize my general disregard for the law...and my life, I suppose. "So what exactly is this supposed to do?"

"If it's successful, I'll tell you, if it's not, then..."

"What happens to me if it's not?" I asked immediately. It was the first time I was nervous while noting the explicit lack of transparency in this. He thought before he answered.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Probably only a headache and maybe some nausea."

Considering I dealt with worse this weekend from the first party of the year, I could deal with that. But then again, I wouldn't care if I couldn't.

***

After taking the drug—that was smell-less and tasted like every soda in mankind mixed together with the burn of alcohol—I waited around for something, anything, to happen. That's when I remembered to inject the other vial into my thigh. After all the sticking and poking I had in my life, I barely felt it pinch.

Twenty minutes later, I still sat on my bed, playing with my lighter. I ran my finger through the single flame like various other times, knowing how to dodge any burns. It had grown as an activity when I was bored...Like now. Without patience, I closed my lighter and placed it in my lap, thankfully curbing my boredom by accepting a call from Lulu.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, hearing her cry over the phone.

"I made a mistake," she cried. I sat up more in my bed.

"What do you mean?" I asked interested.

"The other night after you left the party, I think I cheated on you," she said. I stayed quiet as I thought of my response.

"Haha. That's funny," I laughed. "Tell Angel that that's a good dare."

It was a dare right? Right? Some sick joke to have revenge on me? The line went silent. "Lulu—"

"I didn't mean it. It was a stupid party and—"

"You've got to be shitting me," I interrupted, now furious. Of all the things we've fought over and the shit we've done to each other, unintentionally or not, she promised—hell, I promised—cheating was off the table. It wasn't something to be normalized as an "up and down" of a relationship and I wanted it nowhere near ours no matter how fractured we were.