Arm Distance Apart | ✔️

04

Chapter four
"I'd take a nerf bullet for you"

Beer
Dancing
Loud music
More beer
And tons of people

That's what I remember from last night. Clearly not much. I flutter my eyes open to see Malik's grayish eyes above my own gold and green eyes. He sits up and I do the same. "She's alive." As soon as I sit up I feel the need to barf instantly and the light around the room is making my head throb in pain. "Your lucky Tai is still asleep. And that it's Saturday." He said shaking his head.

I pressed my palm up against my for head and use my other hand to block my eyes. He nudged me to get my attention. Slowly I look at him to see a cup of water and a pill in his hands.

"Are you trying to drug me?" I ask skeptically.

"No. I'm trying to help you. Now hurry up before mom comes back from grocery shopping. Not that'd you'd feel much better by then but it'll make a slight difference." I looked at him then the pill. With a sigh I grabbed the pill and dry swallowed it then I chugged down the water.

"How do you know how to treat a hangover, Malik?" I jump slightly when I hear Bellamy from beside me. He is sitting on a chair beside my bed which he pulled up from my desk. "Hey, Hals." I wave.

Malik looked down awkwardly when he was asked that question and I understood why. "It's complicated." He said then handed me a towel. "Go shower you're gross." I glared at him but took the towel and went to the bathroom.

On my way to the bathroom, all I could think about was the way Malik answered. 'It's complicated.' I chewed on my bottom lip. It really wasn't complicated. Just hard to talk about.

Two years ago...

I ran up to my dad and kissed him on his cheek even though he was still asleep and probably didn't notice. I carried on with my morning routine in the kitchen while Malik tried to wake up our passed out father. Tai came down the stairs at an unusually slow and sluggish pace. He took a seat next to Malik.

"What are you doing?" He asked in his morning voice. Malik didn't look at him but answered anyway.

"Dad drank too much last night. As usual." Malik said, finally waking up my dad. As soon as dad's eyes were somewhat fully open he help a cup of water to his lips.

"Malik your spilling it everywhere!" Tai exclaimed and helped wipe up the water that spilled onto my dad's chest. I watched the chaos in front of me while I poured a bowl of cereal for each of us and pulled out our lunch boxes from the fridge. My mom was probably talking to the Colliers next door about the weather recently because she had seemed so astonished to see snowfall even though it was winter.

I smiled at the thought of her gossiping about all the snow to her close friends Martha and Fransisco Collier. Malik was able to help my dad stand properly and Tai was able to clean up the mess left in the living room.

Present day...

I clutched the towel as I set it down on the bathroom counter. I looked into the mirror and sighed a shaky sigh as the memory of that day interrupted my pervious thought. I shook it off and took off the dirty clothes I was wearing and got into the shower.

I scrubbed my hair thoroughly and conditioned it as well as the lukewarm water dripped down my body and on my eyelashes. I stood in the shower, the water running all over me regretting my decisions from last night. Or trying to. I barely remember what happened.

I licked my chapped lips and ran my fingers down my wet hair once again and shut the water off after finally finishing my shower. I stepped out into the now steamy bathroom and wrapped the gray towel around my body. I got out of the bathroom once I finished my normal morning routine and went back into my room which luckily, nobody was in when I got there because I hadn't brought in extra clothes.