ABDUCTED

The Cecil Hotel

Chapter 11. Page 296.

Sunday December 11, 2017–15 days

The moment I woke up, I knew I needed to smoke. I immediately rolled over, opening the bottom drawer of my nightstand to find—nothing? "What?" I asked aloud, groaning in disbelief. "Denny!" I yelled. "DENNY!" I called even louder. "Stop fucking yelling!" My older brother shouted back as he entered my room. "The fuck do you want?" Denny asked in irritation. "Did you smoke my shit after I fell asleep?" I asked. He laughed. "Uh, no. You were too upset to roll, so you told me to do it. I'm the one that told you two was enough," he explained. I furrowed my eyebrows as I attempted to remember the night before.

I recalled a phone call between me and Jay and then a couple hours later Minji called. "I wanted to go to Minji's," I said, squinting my eyes. Denny nodded. "Yeah and I said I wasn't driving while high so you suggested that little pretty boy you're friends with." I nodded along with him. "She said he'd just left her house for some reason and that must have upset me," I said with a sigh of realization. "Damn. I thought I was Snoop Dogg, didn't I? Sorry," I added. "Precisely. So, you need a ride to Minji's today?" He asked. "I'm off today. Taking my girl to the see a doctor, but first I want to spoil her a bit. The hard work is really paying off,"he continued with a smirk. I smiled back as I shook my head. "Could you take me to Demi's instead? She might have some weed. Plus we need her at Minji's." Denny nodded. "Cool. Let me know when you're ready," He replied, exiting my room. I laid back, thinking about last night's phone calls.

11.297–

~
I had been researching when Jay called me. "Hey. I'm out running an errand right now, but I wanted to see what you were up to," he said as a car passed in the background. "Researching. My brain is on overload," I said rubbing my eye with my free hand. "Researching on a Saturday night? What? No dates?" He teased. I let out a sarcastic laugh, telepathically flipping him off. "Screw you. I'm trying to find Dowlay. Wanna help?" I asked. He didn't answer right away. "Hang on. I'm getting another call," he said in a serious tone. He put me on hold as he answered the other call. I waited patiently for him to come back. "Hey. Uh. Not tonight. Sorry. I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked quickly. He hung up the moment I agreed. I asked Denny what that meant and he couldn't answer me. So, we smoked on it. And then, we smoked on it again. "Maybe, he's seeing someone," Denny suggested. I shook my head, coughing the smoke out of my lungs. "He said they were just trying to make her ex jealous." My brother scoffed. "You're so naive. What 'ex' would this be?" He asked. "You remember Spliff?" Denny furrowed his eyebrows. "The dyke with the big... truck?" My eyes widened. "You can't say that... word anymore! But, yes. She was her girlfriend for a bit, but they broke it off... on bad terms. And... she does seem more interested in me than Minji. You think he's lying?" Denny nodded. "Yeah. He was either leaving her house when he called or he had just arrived. Either way, he wanted to see you after her one hundred percent." I scrunched up my face. "But... why would he say they weren't really dating if they are?" I asked. Denny shrugged. "Some guys are just like that. Maybe his parents didn't love him enough, so he needs to feel loved or desired by multiple people in order to function. Or he's just a dick. Either way... you don't need that," he said taking a long drag. My face dropped as I considered the possibility. He didn't say where he was—not that he was obligated too, but I'm sure people say where they are to indicate how long it would take them to get to them. "So, that's why he changed his mind and said he'd see me tomorrow? You think he was talking to Minji when he took the other call?" I asked. Denny nodded. "Afraid so little sister. You need to move on." I sighed, rolling on to my back. My wrist popped as I signaled for him to pass it back.
Denny always told the truth. He wasn't much of a liar. Once when we were kids, he broke Mr. Thompson's favorite lawn gnome with his soccer ball. I suggested we bolt, but he walked up to the front door, told Mr. Thompson what happened, and mowed his lawn once a week for a month straight to pay for it. Apparently, it was an antique and "worth hundreds" according to the old guy. We both knew it was bullshit, but he took his punishment well. "Remember the gnome incident?" I asked, turning on my side to look at him. He nodded with a smile. "That old lying bastard really said that old piece of shit was worth hundreds," Denny chortled, shaking his head. "I know! And you still mowed his lawn," I laughed back. "Yeah. He was old and his lawn was overgrown. He needed the help and I didn't mind the stories he told when he'd give me some lemonade after the work was done," Denny said with a smile. "Yeah. Nothing like lemonade to pay for some child labor," I snickered. He