WILDFLOWER

Chapter 2

Tossing in her bed, Jazzy threw the soft blanket off her and re-adjusted her pillows. She was worried about Archie. She had been worried about her best friend from the moment she had realized that she had started drinking more than just socially. The arranged marriage plans had seemingly been going well and she really couldn't put a finger on when she suspected that her friend had been miserable about the whole deal. For some strange reason, she remembered that one night when Archie had landed on her doorstep.

It had started with the hum of a car engine which had interrupted the silence of that night and when the sound had grown increasingly closer, she had known it was headed in her direction. Swinging off her bed she had hurried to her window and peered out, recognizing Archie's familiar car.

She had wondered what on earth her friend had been doing parked out in front of her house at that ungodly hour considering her own house was just next door.

Naturally, she had rushed out after flicking on the lights outside and watched aghast when her friend slithered out in her night clothes and walked unsteadily towards her, leaving the car door open, the engine running. The reek of alcohol on her breath had been overpowering and Jazzy had quickly bundled her into a sofa before running out to switch off the engine and lock up the car.

She remembered turning back to the pajama-clad form after shutting the front door.

"Why didn't you come to stay with me today, huh? God, I'm drunk Jazz. Can I sleep here?" she had whispered, her glazed eyes focusing on her with difficulty.

"Of course honey. Come on, let's get you to the bedroom."

Her father's bedroom door had opened by then and he had helped her shuffle Archie into a standing position.

Together, they had stumbled to Jazzy's room where Archie had slumped onto the bed.

"Did she drive here?" her father had wanted to know and she had nodded. "She can't be driving even if it's just from her gate to ours."

"I'll handle this Daddy," she had promised, "you go back to sleep."

"I need Jazzy," Archie had mumbled while her feet had hung off the bed.

Her father had quietly left the room while she had grabbed a pillow and stuffed it under her friends head.

"What were you thinking? Taking the car out when you can barely stand?"

She might as well have been talking to the walls - despite the silly grin on her face, Archie had been out cold.

The next morning Archie had breezed back home as though nothing had happened. Unfortunately, Megha had been too caught up with Nik to notice anything and now Jazzy felt responsible.

She should have known her friend had been majorly stressed after having agreed to marry Pratik. God only knew why since she had seemed so happy at first. As the engagement day had approached, Archie had grown distant and difficult, using any excuse to drown her sorrows in alcohol. Then she had a minor accident just days before the engagement and had completely freaked out. No one really knew what happened and it was something she had refused to share with either her or Megha. But when on that same day she had told her she had broken off the engagement and was going to spend some time with her uncle in Kuala Lumpur, Jazzy had been shocked. What was worse was the chaos after she had left with her grandfather and father roaring at each other, her mother tearfully canceling all the arrangements they had made and her brother who had grown fond of her to-be-fiancé, Pratik, had stopped communicating with his sister.

It had taken months for the dust to settle and she had been even more shocked when Archie had refused to return for Megha's wedding. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Pratik's wedding to another girl was around the same time? Whatever the reason, she had felt guilty. She should have paid more attention to Archie, should have realized her dear friend was punishing herself with all the drinking and she should have seen the depth of her pain.