Redemption

8 - Opening Doors

Chapter 8 ~ Opening Doors

Jasmine squeals, jumping up and down in excitement. She motions for Harry to come in before she skips to the cupboard where the shot glasses hide.

Harry steps past me, brushing his body against mine in a fluent motion as he passes. I can't help but suck in a sharp breath, wishing the moment lasted longer.

I quickly shut the door behind Harry, looking around my apartment to see that it's not too messy. I always want my home to be presentable for guests.

Harry takes a seat at the island, opposite of Jas. "I'm going to change quick," I tell mostly Jas but the both of them nod their heads. Jasmine starts up a conversation right after I exit the room, and I wouldn't be surprised if the two of them hit it off. Jasmine is gorgeous, and Harry is right up there with her. They seem like a good fit. Something about the thought of them together makes my gut wrench a little tighter than I would hope.

I quickly strip of my dress, letting go a sigh of relief as the fabric hits the ground. It was getting way too itchy for anyone's liking.

I pull a pair of black cropped leggings and a fuzzy sweater that hugs my upper chest pretty tight but is one of the most comfortable pieces of clothing I own. My mom used to wear it when I was younger, and sometimes if I think hard enough, I can still smell traces of her perfume hiding in the fabric. I look in the mirror, fixing up my makeup that has gotten a little smeared from the night.

The brush on the nightstand is calling my name, and I quickly put myself together before I return back to Jas and Harry.

Jasmine and Harry are laughing when I emerge from my room. My best friend's eyes light up when she sees me. "You look a little better," she jokes, "I poured a shot for you. We were waiting so we could do it all together."

I muster a smile, and I try to get used to the fact that Harry will be joining in on our girls' night. I can only hope for not that long. Harry is drumming his fingers on the counter, and my eyes find the 'M' written on his hand. I now understand that it stands for Maddie, the girl who shared the journal with him. Pity crawls into my heart, and I know that things did not end well between them - whatever that means.

"On three," Jasmine tells us, picking up the shot. I pick mine up, throwing it back when she hits three. I can't help but let my face crumple up like a raisin at the taste. Jasmine coughs a little while Harry remains unfazed.

"How do you do that?" Jasmine asks him.

"Do what?"

"You just drank that with no problem," Jasmine reminds him as if he should know that. She is already pouring another one in our glasses when Harry replies, "I guess we can say that I've had too much time to practice."

Too much time to practice?

"Well," Jasmine says, "I have had more than enough practice and I still can't do it like that."

Harry cracks a smile, and this time I don't wait to down the shot.

"Oh?" Jasmine laughs at me. "We're not waiting for each other anymore?"

I shrug my shoulders, deciding that the night might be more bearable if I have some of my music to keep me company. I connect to the speaker with Bluetooth, selecting a playlist that I feel like fits the mood of the evening.

I can feel the alcohol burning in my stomach, and I feel like I've gotten too much of a head start on alcohol intake. My lips start to tingle too much after the third shot.

Soon enough, we're sitting on the floor in the living room, laughing about the time Jasmine pushed me out of the window at a party. The cops pulled up at the house, causing chaos. Everyone started running towards the door, and we both knew that there was no way we were getting out that way so we rushed up to one of the bedrooms. I was being too much of a wuss to make the jump, letting Jas take the lead and pushed me out. The alcohol totally broke that fall.