a heart's end

Twenty Three

Anaelle

When I found Donte he was laying unconscious in his own vomit.

I had sprinted to my dorm to make sure he was there. When he wasn't, I went into panic mode. My roommates didn't make it any better.

    "Anaelle! What's going on with your boyfriend?" Abbaline asked as soon as I barged through the door and realized he wasn't there.

    "Not now." I took my shirt and bra off and quickly replaced it with one of my many loose gray sweaters with a sports bra. I put on my leggings and my tennis shoes. I knew I wasn't coming back to my dorm tonight so these could also double as sleeping clothes.

   "Anaelle, why don't you not worry about it? It's already almost midnight. He's probably fine. Just go to bed." Kalena spoke softly but I felt like she was throwing daggers towards me.

    "Let her do it, Kalena." Geraldine spoke. "She needs to, did you not see how he looked when he busted up in here? He looked like he about to murder us and all he kept mumbling was your name." She pointed at me. "And Monty's name."

   "Must've forgot about that." Kalena rolled her eyes. My breathing hitched and I could feel cold sweats all over. Donte had come to my dorm looking for me and I wasn't here. Well, I am here now. I wasn't here when he needed me.

    "Don't tell me what to do when my boyfriend is stumbling drunk around campus at midnight. I have to find him and make sure he's safe." I told Kalena while ignoring Geraldine. Tears pricked at my eyes and I rushed to the door.

"Anaelle!" Kalena sighed and stood up. I had one hand on the door knob and my eyes were peering into Kalena's. I dare her to talk to me out of this again. I will fight.

Instead, she got up and she reached in for a hug. She wrapped me up in her arms like a lover, rubbing and patting my back. I stood limp not knowing what to do until I hugged her back. The tears came hard now, in huge drops falling on my cheeks.

"It's just so hard..." I started between sobs. Geraldine and Abbaline joined in with the hug and we all stood there in comfortable silence. The only sound was my crying and them "shh"-ing me tenderly. In this moment, I knew my roommates cared. They were...my friends.

"I need to leave." I broke the hug like I break most things and walked out the door.

    I walked around campus like a zombie looking for a human to eat. But in reality Donte is the zombie right now, stumbling drunk somewhere I have no clue about. And I am his human meal, and I'm afraid he will devour my soul with the lashes of his hard, drunken words. Silent tears slipped through my lids. How did it get this way? How have I always managed to be this depressed and the weight of it not hit me until right now?

     "Anaelle?" I heard a voice call from across the lawn. My eyes scanned my surroundings until I saw a couple guys sitting on one of the picnic tables. I could barely see them, the only indicator they were there is by the thick cloud of smoke surrounding them. I walked a couple steps towards them and my heart raced. I knew exactly who these guys were.

    "Jon!" I rushed over to him, he had to know where Donte is.

    "Hey lady." He smiled. I wanted to laugh at him. He was high as a kite right now.

    "Where's Donte?" I asked him. It was more of a plead, but I hoped he didn't notice.

    "Well hello to you, too." I looked the the person who spoke. I didn't recognize him at all. Shaved head, eyebrow piercing. No one I knew. But those eyes did look familiar...