Rites of Passage | Damian x OC

14. Complicated

"Open your eyes and look outside

Find the reasons why

You've been rejected

And now you can't find what you left behind...

She wants to go home,

but nobody's home"

~ Avril Lavigne, "Nobody's Home"

She wasn't quite sure how she'd come to be in this position.

The heavy downpour of rain had come quickly and suddenly with no warning, soaking her hair and clothes within seconds, and her already unsteady vision was now limited even more by the sheet of water coming from the night sky. Dark, blurry figures surrounded her, seeming to move sluggishly as she tried to hold on to the brick wall she'd nearly fell into, too imbalanced to take a step without feeling like the world was falling sideways.

In fact, how did she even get to this state of mind?

A living room full of teenagers. Dancing, laughing, drinking from plastic cups. One of those cups in her hand, full one moment and then empty the next. A shot glass emptied into her mouth once, twice, maybe even three times, the lingering memories of loss, betrayal and confusion taunting her in the back of her mind.

Now it was an empty street in a city she couldn't name, her vision too rocky and unfocused to let her walk straight. Not that she was really walking anyway—a wave of nausea and dizziness flooded her stomach and her mind, causing her to collapse onto the hard, wet ground. The fall barely hurt, the pain from landing harshly on her hands poking through the haziness for a brief moment but not enough to make a difference.

A snicker from an unfamiliar voice came from somewhere nearby, followed by another voice speaking, talking in words her brain couldn't register. Suddenly, something tight wrapped around her upper arm and yanked her onto her feet. Fear and alarm spiked through her body as she was spun around, and she desperately tried to make sense of the hazy, muddy grin just inches from her face, partially concealed by a baseball cap. Before she could even attempt to open her mouth and scream, shout, something, the figure that'd been gripping her was gone in an instant, a shadow having swept in from somewhere up in the air. The motion made her stomach lurch and the absence of the unknown person's hold rendered her unsteady and helpless again as her shoulder hit the wall for support.

Movement and shouts were everywhere, too quick for her to understand what was happening. Her vision was fading into a black abyss as was her consciousness, slipping in and out just enough to still hear the scene. There were sounds of impact, a few cracks, and even a plead of mercy that was instantly cut off by another shout of pain and then silence.

Silence except for the pattering of rain that practically assaulted her skin and her face as she blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the lone, dark outline standing above a body on the ground. The panic that'd been simmering underneath her inebriated state was still there as the shadow—splitting into two, three, then merging back into one thanks to her distorted vision—approached her.

The mask that grew nearer wasn't the one she'd expected... the one she'd hoped for. It should have frightened her, but the confusion was quickly replaced by a swift onslaught of emotions she had been trying to drink away after what had just occurred a minute ago. They overwhelmed her, tightening her throat before she could even attempt to cry or speak. She was barely aware of him saying something just as what little strength had managed to keep her standing disappeared. The moment her knees buckled and she fell forward towards him, a pair of arms caught her just in time and then lowered her to the ground. A voice was calling to her while something patted her cheek, but all senses and any chance of her answering were nothing at that point, consciousness dimming until her head fell back and eyes fluttered closed.