drunk // m.c [a.u]

f i v e

The ride to Luke’s was silent. Rose is still annoyed with him forcing her to stay with him. She doesn’t need supervision. “I can stay on my own, you know.” She tells him once they are inside his apartment.

            “Not even going to start this argument,” Luke huffs and shuffles to the kitchen. Rose follows and sits herself up on his counter watching him grab various food items.

            “Shit, how many people are you eating for?”

            “Ha! Funny! You know I have a fast metabolism!” Luke grumbles as he assembles a sandwich. Since he hit puberty and thinned out significantly, Luke’s been sensitive about weight. He ate like a boxer trying to move up a weight class, but rarely gained a pound. Rose was jealous. No matter how hard she tried or how little she ate, she could never manage to get a flat stomach. “Here, eat this.” He shoves a two slices of bread with ham, cheese and mayo in her direction. Rose wrinkles her nose in distaste.

            “I’m not hungry.” She hops off the counter to walk back to the living room.

            “I don’t care,” Luke follows her. “You need to eat. You’ll be starting to get detox symptoms soon.” He holds the plate out to Rose, but she simply shakes her head. Grabbing her bag she stomps down the hallway to his room and slams the door. Luke let’s out a frustrated sigh. He knows he shouldn’t push her but it’s the only way she’ll make progress.

In Luke’s room Rose peels off her clothes she wore to work in favor of a pair of gray sweatpants, rolled at the waist and a baggy black t-shirt due to her shrinking stomach. His room is typical. White walls plastered with posters of bands, All Time Low, Sleeping with Sirens, Mayday Parade, those types. A bed pushed into a corner under a large window, letting in the pink gold colors of the setting sun. Luke is particularly messy. Mounds of clothes litter the hard floor, food plates scattered over surfaces with drawers jutting out. She spots his old guitar in the corner partially hidden behind accumulated belongings. Luke had started teaching Rose to play ages ago, but that came to a screeching halt when she became far too dependent on another medicine. Delicately running a finger over the six strings, gathering dust as she does so, Rose feels a sense of nostalgia. She picks up the acoustic instrument and moves over to the bed. Sitting with her back against the wall with the window, she starts to strum softly. The chords come back to her like riding a bike.

Later, Luke quietly opens the door to his room to find her fast asleep with the guitar in hand. He gently takes it from her arm, placing it back on the stand. Covering her with the blanket, he retreats back to the couch.

            “She has the cold sweats, and is shaking like a leaf!” Luke explains to Ashton over the phone the next morning. Rose woke up sick. Her body detoxing itself. Curled in a ball on Luke’s bed, he called into work for her.

            “Alright man, I hope she feels better.”

            “You and me both.” Luke hangs up. He doesn’t necessarily hate Ashton, just strongly disliked him. He never saw him fit for Rose.

It’s 3 am and Michael is still up playing video games. Calum went to bed hours ago but made him promise to wake him if he had the urge to drink again. Eyes glued open, focused on maneuvering his car in Grand Theft Auto. Focusing on the game is helping keep his mind off drinking. He plays until his eyelids droop and the controller falls from his hands.

In the morning Calum walks into the living room to find his friend passed out again, this time for lack of sleep. Deciding to let Michael sleep longer he makes his way to the kitchen for some breakfast before work. Hours later Michael wonders into the kitchen himself to find anything to eat. The apartment is quiet, too quiet. Allowing the voices in his mind to creep back in. In a hurry he grabs his car keys to escape. With no destination in mind, Michael’s subconscious takes over and sends him to the record stores door. The bell chimes as he walks in, prompting Ashton to look up from the book he was reading.

            “You the guy that knows Rose who was in the other day?”

            “So that’s her name.” Michael speaks mostly to himself. “Um yea, I guess.”

            “She’s not coming in today, ya know.” Ashton states bluntly.

            “I didn’t come here for her,” Michael snaps.

            “Dude, I don’t even know you and I know you came here for her.” Frustrated, Michael turns and stalks out of the store.

Please stick with me guys! It's picking up, I swear!! :) What do you guys think of all the characters so far?! Comment and let me know :) xo -Rachel 

Next Update: Saturday