Euphoria Isn't Real

Prologue: The Day it Began

Some say happiness is like a dish, put the right ingredients in and it'll be tasty, put the wrong things in and you're in for a ride with bland food.

    "Stop talking out of your ass." Mai scoffs at her friend. The smoke, from the cigarette she holds close to her mouth, drifts up into the dark night sky. "Ah, I give up. You never listen to me." Bex mumbles while leaning back in her chair. Mai takes a puff of her cigarette and chuckles lightly. The bonfire seems to slowly go out as the night drags on. "Yo! How you guys doing?" The two girls turn and see Hawk and Apollo approaching them. "hey!" Mai says while laughing. She suddenly notices the drinks in their hands. "Alright! Let's get this party started!" She yells. The four friends sit around the dying fire, cigarettes dancing between their fingers, alcohol dribbling down their faces, and laughs pouring out of their mouths. It was a festive night, one with loud music, drunks, and dancing. A lot of dancing.

    Mai wakes up to a seemingly bright room and the nauseating smell of eggs. She jumps out of the bed, throwing the covers behind her in the process, and runs to the bathroom. Everything, from the barbecue to the alcohol, comes up and out of her body. When she finishes, she wipes her mouth and washes up, so she doesn't stink. The bathroom door swings open and suddenly she's doused in beige. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She hears the slurred voice of Bex. Mai doesn't reply and peels her, now vomit covered, clothes off her body while wrinkling her nose at the stench. Her head pounds like there's no tomorrow and her eyes burn. The bright lights of the bathroom don't help at all. Without a care in the world she steps out of the bathroom, wearing only a bra and underwear, and walks into the kitchen, where she finds Apollo making breakfast. "Oh, hey. I forgot you were here." Apollo says to her while barely glancing her way. He slowly takes the jacket he's wearing off his back and hands it to Mai without looking at her. "There's spare clothes in my closet, go change." He tells her.

    "Well what if I don't want to?"

    "Just go change, please."

    "Uhm, no."

    "God- Mai!"

    Mai runs away from Apollo while laughing aloud. She grimaces at the pain in her ribs when she enters his room. "Ugh!" she groans to herself. She walks over to his closet and helps herself to his clothes. Crazily enough, they're the same size. "God, why doesn't he have any hoodies?" She whispers in frustration. She gets tired of searching and grabs a black shirt and throws on a pair of basketball shorts. "Oh well. Not like I have anyone to dress up for." Mai shrugs. She leaves his room and enters the kitchen once again, now wearing clothes. Apollo turns and faces her fully, while heaving a sigh of relief. "Well, that's much better." He chuckles. Mai grabs a tomato and chucks it at him. Apollo, being the athletic jerk he was, dodged it easily and the tomato hit Hawk smack in the middle of his face. Red juice was now streaming down his cheeks and neck. He stops mid step and stands there, unmoving. "Hawk... what the hell are you doing?" Apollo says with a genuinely concerned look on his face. "He obviously can't speak." Mai scoffs at Apollo's idiocy. "Dumbass, that was your fault! Do I really have to do anything about this situation?" "Well, the only reason he got hit was because you dodged the tomato!" Mai yells back. Apollo wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Meaning; in short, he was an idiot.