the apartment across the hall

62

trigger warning: drug use (heroin) is extremely prevalent in the following chapters. it's use and the after effects are described in detail. if you're sensitive to the topic please rethink reading this chapter. love you all xx.

They finished the drive to Bowery's place. When they went in he looked surprised.

"Brooklyn! Long time no see." He spoke in his thick New York accent.

"That's a good thing." She teased.

"You just here for moral support or are you partaking in the h tonight?"

"She's partaking. Tonight is our last hoorah." Brian said.

"Not a suicide pact I hope? Wouldn't want to lose my famous friends."

"No, but this is our last high." Brooklyn said.

"Mhm." Bowery smirked. "Have a seat, I'll get the needles ready."

Brooklyn and Brian sat down on the couch and waited.

"I'm not pressuring you to do this am I?" Brian whispered. 

"Of course not."

"I just don't want you to feel like you have to do this for me to get clean."

"No, I know I don't."

"We can leave now if you want, get Ella and go home."

"Bri... I want to do it."

"Okay." He kissed her forehead.

"Alright here we go." Bowery entered the room with the little wooden box Brooklyn had seen on that fateful night at The Hole. "Who first?"

"I'm still a little fucked up from earlier, you wanna catch up, Brook?" Brian said.

"Yeah sure." She moved to the mattress on the floor and held her arm out.

Bowery smirked at her eagerness. He wrapped the tourniquet around her arm and tapped the vein. "You sure you're ready? It's been a while."

"I'm ready."

He shot her up and started preparing a needle for Brian.

Brooklyn leaned back onto the mattress. Pure bliss took her over. "Fuck, Bri why did we ever stop?"

He just chuckled at her while he did his own drugs.

"Bowery can I have more?" She asked.

He looked to Brian in surprise. Brian shrugged.

"You got money for more?"

"I thought we were your famous friends. Come on man you know we're good for it. You know how fucking rich I am?" She stood up onto her knees. "You want me to fuck you?" She laughed and fell back onto the mattress.

"This is why I love you Brooklyn." Bowery laughed. "I'll be back with more." He left the room.

Brooklyn was drowsy and her eyes were closing, Brian lied down beside her on the mattress and grabbed her hand. "You know if you tried to take Ella away from me they'd drug test us. They'd take her from both of us."

"Is that why you brought me here?" She squinted.

"No, that's just a bonus. I love you Brook, but I can't let you take her. If I can't have her neither can you."

"Fuck you." She faded.

Brian fell asleep soon after.

Bowery came back into the room to see that Brian and Brooklyn were both passed out on the floor. "Lovely couple." He said sarcastically. "Someone give them their parents of the year award." He grabbed a blanket and threw it over them, turned the light off, and left them alone.

  .

When Brooklyn woke up at first she didn't know where she was or what happened the previous night. She sat up and looked around to see dingy walls and carpet covered in beer cans and cigarettes ashes. She realized she was lying on a mattress on the floor and she knew she was at Bowery's. Memories of the previous night flooded in and Brooklyn pulled out her phone that had been on silent all night. She had more missed calls and messages than she could count.

"Fuck." She scrolled through messages from Reid and Vinny worried about her safety. She stood up and the room spun around her. She saw the wooden box on the table and impulsively took some of its contents and replaced it with a wad of cash. Then she went to the car to call Vinny.

"Brooklyn what the fuck? You went missing I've been worried sick about you! So has Ella." He yelled.

"I'm sorry Vin, I meant to call you. How is Ella?"

"She's fine. Where are you?"

"We stayed the night with one of Brian's friends."

"So what are you back together now?"

"I don't know Vin, it's complicated. I have to call Reid to let him know I'm not dead."

"He's here with me. I went back to his house this morning when I hadn't heard from you. Then I found out Brian knocked him out and when he woke up you were gone. We thought he kidnapped you."

"No, shit I'm sorry guys. Tell Reid I'm so sorry."

"You can tell him yourself. Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"No Vinny I'll go myself. Just give me about 10 minutes." She hung up before he could protest.

She put the drugs in the glovebox and went back inside.

"There she is. Sticky fingers." Bowery said.

"I put the money in the box. Bri we gotta go." She started shaking him.

"What?" He said groggily.

"We gotta go, come on get up."

"Fuck off Brook." He turned back over.

"Fine. Bowery he's your problem now, I'm taking the car." She took the keys out of Brian's pocket and started out the door.

"But you are coming back to get him right?" Bowery called after her but she was already gone.