Call it Fate, Call it Karma

Probably

When Adam and I made it back to the dancefloor, we pushed over to the front where I was before, but Julian was nowhere in sight. I looked up to Karen with a confused frown and she looked down at me, seeming to know what was going on. She pointed over in the direction of the bathrooms as the next song started up and I thanked her, then dragging Adam back through and out of the crowd.

I stopped once we reached the hallway the bathrooms were in and I let go of him. "Adam, I have a bad feeling about this and I just realised I probably shouldn't get you involved."

"Involved? What's wrong?"

I sighed and nudged him. "Just go dance, okay? I call you later. No questions...go." Adam looked slightly disturbed, but complied and disappeared into the crowd. 

I took a deep breath in as I approached the door to the men's bathroom. Some guy was hanging outside smoking so I asked him, "Is there a tall guy with long hair in there? Jean jacket, Doors shirt,"

The guy nodded. "Yeah, he's totalled."

"I fucking knew it." I mumbled to myself as I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Surely enough, there was Julian, on his knees and throwing up into a toilet as he shivered violently. "Julian!" I rushed over to him and crouched down to rub his back. "Are you okay? How much did you drink while I was gone?!"

"Nothing." he croaked. "I hit some dudes joint and I think his shit was laced." He wiped his mouth and sat back against the wall of the bathroom stall with his eyes squeezed shut and forehead glistening with sweat. "I feel so weird."

"I'm taking you home."

"Sorry I ruined our night." he said as I helped him up.

"It's not your fault, Jules." I said. "And I had a really good time up until now." I wrapped my arm around his waist and brought him to the sink so he could wash his face. "Are you gonna be okay? Like, what are the side effects of laced pot? Can you die from it?!"

"I dunno," he said hoarsely as he splashed water onto his face. "...I'll probably be okay."

"Probably isn't good enough, Julian!

"Look, I feel fine. Let's go back out there and party."

"Are you insane?! We're going home right now!" I grabbed his arm and pulled him behind me, not caring at all as I carelessly pushed past people until we made it outside.

Julian sat on the curb with his head in his hands as I hastily hailed a cab. Just as one approached, he leaned forward and started to puke again. He turned to me with a crooked grin and a thumbs up to signal he was okay before I helped him into the cab with a worry-stricken face.

"Jade, I think I'm really starting to trip out." he groaned, pressing his face against the window.

"What?! Are you okay?" I looked at him, my eyes laced with concern as I placed a hand on his thigh.

He said nothing and just whimpered as he held his head in his hands.

"Could you go a little faster?" I asked the cab driver, who nodded in response.

A few minutes later, we made it to our street and I paid the driver, then helping Julian out of the car. I wrapped my arm tightly around his waist as I lead him into the building and practically dragged him up the stairs. He was starting to sweat profusely and could barely keep himself upright.

"Albert! Help!" I screamed as I approached our door.  "Please!"

It only took a few seconds for Albert and Fab to run out and over to us.

"What the fuck is wrong with him?!" Albert yelped.

I watched as Fab and Albert took Julian from me and began walking him into the apartment. Trying to hold back tears, I managed to speak, "Some prick gave him laced pot! Is he gonna be okay?!"

"Depends on what it was laced with." Fab said as they set him down on the couch.

"I wanted to take him straight to the hospital but if they found out it was weed-"

Albert cut me off, his hands on my shoulders. "Jade! Chill out! Everything's gonna be okay." he said calmly as I began to hyperventilate. "You did the right thing. If you took him to hospital he'd be even more screwed than he is now. Just sit down with him while I call some people."

I pulled him into a hug, pretty much breaking down at that point I was so scared for Julian, who was passed out at that point. "Thank you, Albert." I sobbed into his shoulder.

"I think he'll be okay," Fab spoke up. "...there was probably just some of those fucked artificial hallucinogens in it that college kids make in labs.  I don't think it'll kill him, but he'll be pretty fucked up for a while." he explained, looking down at Julian worriedly. "I've seen something like this at a party before. The guy survived. It's seizures you have to worry about, and he hasn't had any, so yeah...we're good...probably."

I pulled away from Albert so he could go make some calls and I walked over to Fab while I wiped my tears. "Thanks, Fab." I kissed his cheek, then looking down at Julian, who was shivering. I didn't know whether to put a blanket on him or fan him, because he was still sweating as well. It pained me so much to see him like that, but I knew I had to be strong. "You're gonna be okay, Jules." I said as I gently stroked the side of his face. His eyes shot open and his eyes darted around the room as he sat up.

Fab seemed to know what was about to happen, so he ran into kitchen and grabbed a bucket from the cabinet under the sink, then dashing back over to set it in Julian's lap.

As Julian threw up some more, I rushed into kitchen to fetch him a glass of water and a damp cloth, then returning to sit next to him and rub his back. When he was finished, I dabbed at his forehead with the cloth to wipe off his sweat.

Julian looked up to Fab with a hint of fear in his bloodshot eyes. "Am I gonna die?"

Fab shook his head. "Go back to sleep."

Julian ignored him and turned to me, his face stricken with concern. "Have you been crying?"

"I'm so worried about you!" I said, shaking my head. "I know this wasn't your fault, but you do some really stupid shit sometimes and it kills me!"

Albert walked over to us after his phone calls and sighed. "I called this guy I know who's a med school dropout-"

"A med school dropout?!"

"It's the closest person to a doctor I know who wouldn't rat us out to the cops, okay?!" Albert said annoyedly. "Anyways...he said all we can do for now is just wait it out and keep an eye on him. He needs to drink water and pretty much just sleep it off." He then pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh after looking at his watch, that probably read some time past midnight. "And Nick and Nikolai will be over in ten."