Another Lifetime

Chapter 9

DeAnna Kastell

I arrived at Brian's a little late, due to having a small argument with Frank about my tattoo reveal yesterday but I managed to talk him round about it.

Brian was having people over since his parents were out of town for a couple days, but he promised that it wasn't a party. I believed him about it because I was falling back into some old habits about people lying to me.

I walked in and everything seemed normal, until I went into the living room and I could smell the booze on the air. I turned to leave but Brian blocked my path and planted a sloppy alcoholic kiss on me.

I pushed him off and ran upstairs to find a way to make an escape. "No drunk teenagers up here," a familiar voice said and I turned to it.

It was Adrian, "holy shit, Dea," he said and immediately pulled me into the upstairs family room. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked me.

"I'm currently Brian's girlfriend," I told him, "I didn't realise there was going to be alcohol or I would never have come," I said and I was hyperventilating a little.

"Look at me Dea," he said and I did. "Serenity oath," he said and I didn't understand at first but I started reciting it anyway.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can," I said and I started to calm down a lot, "and the Wisdom to know the difference," I finished and took a deep breath.

"Want to play quarters with twizzlers until you can make an escape?" He asked me.

"Dude, I was in juvie, how do you think we passed the time?" I asked him and pulled the change from my pocket.

"I mean, I'm assuming you did it by doing drugs," he said and I punched him lightly in the arm.

We sat against the back of the couch and Adrien had put a mug down about three feet away from us. "Heroin," I said and a quarter sailed into the mug. "I used heroin," I said and he picked up a dime from the stack of change between us.

"I started out on coke then meth then whatever would get me high," he told me, "thanks for the sponsor by the way," he added then the dime sailed into the mug. "Does Brian know?" He asked me.

"No, only people who know here are Jessie, my brother and X, I mean my ex, Griffin," I said and threw a nickel at the mug. It bounced on the rim before falling in.

"Nice shot," he said and took off my jacket, revealing my inked up arms.

"Can't shoot up so I just shoot quarters," I said and Adrien cracked a smile.

"How's having Chris as a sponsor?" I asked him as he threw a copper and totally missed it.

"He's a nice guy, thanks for the recommendation," he told me and I kicked off my boots.

"No problem, I needed a new sponsor anyway," I said and Adrien laughed a little. "Stephie is my art teacher so we have a lot more in common than I do with Chris," I said and threw a half-dollar at the mug.

"Brian said his girlfriend is an artist," he said, "and you always sound too good for him," he added and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm an addict, clearly in this situation you should be saying your brother is too good for me," I pointed out to him and he shrugged it off, which just made me curious.

"My brother is too stupid to notice his girlfriend is clearly still in love with her previous boyfriend because she had to correct herself from calling him X instead of saying 'my ex'," Adrien said and my eyes widened from shock, "I'm observant when I'm sober," he said smugly and I got up to move the mug further away.