UPRISE

014

Wren waits for Corbin. It's been quite a while since the two last saw each other, so much so that the cold is beginning to chip away at the bright red tip of Wren's nose. He tries to convince himself that the wind was more bitter in New York, soiled by the coffee and the glances of the pedestrians.

Then, he spots a figure approaching. Stumbling, more accurately. After a couple of seconds, he realizes that the figure is Pluto. She wears a bralette, and she shivers in the cold.

"What are you doing?" He shouts at her.

Pluto sees him and takes another swig out of her the bottle. She can feel it settling in her stomach. The whisky leaves her chest warm, even if her arms are cold. Given the months she has spent in the TMLT, she should've known that her tolerance had worn off.

"Im fin," Pluto stumbles and falls. She feels her pristine skin rip when her arm hits the pavement. A bright red rash trickles with blood.

"Fuck, come let me in," Wren says, staring at the electric monitor. He has seen what happens to people who cross the threshold without being tapped in.

Pluto begins to crawl over to him. After a few steps, she makes her way to a standing position. Wren doesn't know what he is going to do if she is out of passes for the month. He remembers that she wasn't one of them who let them in at the party, which means there is a chance, however slim.

Finally, Pluto collapses in his arms. He struggles to hold her and lift her wrist up to the panel. With one tap, a bright light flashes.

Wren darts into the apartments and lowers Pluto to the ground. Quickly, he takes off his jacket and pulls it on to her. Pluto can barely keep her eyes open. It feels like she is falling, again and again.

"What possessed you to get shitfaced alone?" Wren demands as he struggles to lift her back up.

"I wantedto fuc Jasmine," she tells him, her legs dangling behind her. It feels like someone has pulled them out from beneath her. She's been drunk before, but never this embarrassed. It isn't often that she kisses someone who then runs out of the room. "And so I tried."

"Maybe you shouldn't have," Wren rolls his eyes.

"She kissedme firsss," Jasmine counters, sticking out her tongue. It reminds her of the blame game her and Mars used to play years ago. Now the red planet is gone, and Jasmine is left alone, floating at the edge of space, far from the sun.

Even though Wren glares, he speaks. "Did you both consent?"

Pluto shrugs. She didn't get drunk with the intention of making out with Jasmine. They got drunk because they wanted to feel this loose. Unfortunately, accompanying that numbness comes with a numbness of the legs. For now, she can't feel the bleed in her arm.

But she will feel it in the morning.

"You are the worst," Wren says, as he drags her back to Marc's place. He has no idea where her apartment is, and in case she starts throwing up, Wren doesn't want her to choke on her vomit alone. "I honestly can't believe you."

Pluto brings out her puppy dog eyes and her pouty lip. "Do ya feelike I betrayed yoou?"

"I don't give a fuck who you fuck," that's not true. Or at least, it wasn't true a minute ago. Wren is certain that he doesn't give a damn if Pluto fucks all of their friends (unless she fucks Reagan, in which case, Wren and her Definitely Aren't Cool). "You outed Jasmine, and you are acting like a child."