Habits Of My Heart

Part 2

Never Be The Same

Time slowly passes as we sit in the oddly comfortable silence staring into the abyss.

"Why do you go to parties if you sit and look at the sky instead?"

I look up at Alex as I lift the bottle in my hand and shake it with a goofy smile on my face.

He chuckles quietly, understanding my wordless reply, the smile residing on his face as he turns to face the sky. I take another swig, further intoxicating my already drunken self.

Alex and I manage to share the rest of the bottle until I chuck it away. I start to question whether I've had enough or if I want more until my body answers my question.

My stomach starts to swell as I sit up and feel the all too common sensation: I'm gonna throw up.

Alex seems to notice my change in mood.

"Are you okay?"

My breath starts to quicken as my hand travels to my stomach.

"I'm gonna throw up."

Alex's hands travel to my arm closest to him and my back as I prop myself up onto my knees.

"Will you be able to make it to the bathroom?"

Due to my desperate, broken breaths I can't talk fearing that it will speed up the process. I shake my head vigorously, instantly regretting that decision.

Hastily I push myself up, feeling the alcohols presence hit my body like a ton of bricks. I start to sway and almost topple but luckily Alex didn't let go and I fall back into him.

I frown as I feel my stomach continue to rumble and I feel the gas travelling up my throat. I tell myself in this moment not to drink anymore or have any more harmful substances but I already know that I'm gonna ignore it and keep going.

That's the thing, I know my limit but I'd ignore it just as you would ignore the people handing out flyers in the street.

He brings me over to a nearby bush just as tonight's varied mix of alcohol leaves my body. Alex helps me stand as I wretch, keeping my hair behind my back.

I've just met this guy, why is he being so kind?

I manage to control my breath after throwing up a few times. Fuck it tastes bad. I've only just thrown up and I'm already considering washing away the taste of sick with the raspberry vodka mix I saw in the kitchen earlier.

"All done?" Alex looks at me, somehow with genuine concern on his face.

I nod as I take a deep breath. Alex leads me back to where we were sitting and holds my hand as I sit back down.

I look down to analyse my clothes and check that I didn't get any vomit on them. Nope, all clean. A lock of my hair falls from behind my ear, Alex smiles and pulls it back, his fingers linger on my face for a moment too long, emitting a warmth on my skin that seems to make me forget about the distasteful residue of vomit in my mouth.

"Stay here, okay? I'm going to get some water."

I nod my head and lay back once again as his footsteps travel into the distance. My eyes flutter closed as I let go, my consciousness fading into the vibrations in the ground.

"Shit look there" I vaguely hear someone say.

I weakly open my eyes to see two men approaching me. One kneels down beside me and strokes my face.

"What are you doing strayed from the party this far away?"

"You could get hurt... And no one would notice"

He chuckles like a creep and I start to feel uneasy. I try to sit up to walk away but before I can stand he  pushes me back down.

"And where do you think you're going?"

He looks up toward the other man as he pushes my shoulders down. Keeping the grip on me, he thrashes me down after each of my eager attempts to get up. Yet again my breath starts to quicken and the panic starts to sober me up.

"What... What are you doing?"

The man kneeling beside me shushes me with a clammy finger then shoves his hand over my mouth. I try to scream but he presses his hand down harder. The sweat from his palms rubs off onto my skin making me feel queasy again. My eyes strain as tears prick against them. As much panic as I'm going through, the amount of substances going through my body are stronger.

For the seemingly hundredth time tonight my eyes roll back as unconsciousness sweeps over me.

My eyes open again as I hear one of the men yelp in pain. The pressure on my shoulders has been relieved and I move my eyes to where the sound is coming from.

Someone is sitting on the mans chest, swinging punches down again and again.

The creep hits the stranger in the face and he's pushed off. The creep starts to overestimate himself and tries to choke the man beneath him but he's too drunk and definitely too weak to hold any pressure against him. The man below him punches the creeps jaw with a swift crack and he flies off and lands sprawled on the floor.

I look up to where the other man was standing, just catching him as he runs back towards the house behind the trees.

My blurry vision starts to assimilate as I focus on the man beating the creeps face.

It's... Alex?

He groans as he lands his final punch on the man with nefarious intentions.

Alex stands up and comes to my side, by now a crowd has gathered around the other man who has now stood up and ran his hands over his bloody face.

The last thing I register before passing out is Alex's arms wrapping around me and lifting me up aswell as the creeps words: "You'll pay for this." as Alex carries me away. I nuzzle into his neck and wrap my arms around him, deeply inhaling his cologne.