Thin Lines

Asshole?

Xela

It took me three days to even get onto my feet after what happened. I was sure I was finally going to die after the second day of nonstop vomiting and terrible hallucinations, but eventually everything stopped.

What Paul had forced down my throat was a popular drug called fizz, which is supposed to make you extremely high and happy. That is only the case if you take the correct dosage. For me, I was forced to consume almost four times the normal intake of it.

What was normally just a brighter world and maybe cool hallucinations for others, was terrifying nightmares coming to life, or maybe that was just sleep paralysis. Either way I never wanted to touch the drink again.

After a long shower, I still felt awful, but at least I was clean. I hadn't eaten in four days, but I knew anything I tried to eat right now would come right back up. I could tell I still had a fever, and got dizzy every time I stood up for too long or too fast.

I hated that I missed almost the whole week of school, so I was forcing myself to go today. Plus if I wanted to make money I had a poker tournament tonight. It will be good for me to get out of this house. I held my breath the whole way downstairs, grabbing a banana on my way out for lunch.

Once I was in the clear, I started the long walk to school, constantly stopping and regaining my composure. I also may have thrown up in someone's trash bin on the side of the curb.

At school I kept my head down and pulled my hood over my face, trying my best to avoid any attention and covering a deep red mark that hitting the wall made on my scalp. "Xela!" I hear Annie's voice as I turn the corner, her and Max are standing by my locker. I give them a weak smile, "Where were you? I tried knocking on your door but nobody answered..." Max trailed off. I instantly felt guilty that they had been so worried, and that I couldn't tell them what actually happened. "Are you okay?" Annie asks me, probably noticing my paler than usual face and deep eye bags.

"I just went on a last minute trip to my home town, I'm tired since I didn't get home until late." I shrugged, hoping they would buy it.

They looked unsure whether to believe me or not, but ended up changing the subject. "I can totally send you the work you missed." Annie says with a smile, making Max give her a look, "The work I did and sent to Annie because she was too lazy to do." He corrects her, making Annie frown. I almost laughed at the two when I felt my hood violently yanked off my head.

"Oops" a girl giggles as she harshly hits my shoulder on her walk by. My hair is in two braids at my shoulders, but I'm sure the red mark is clear in my almost white hair, so I quickly bring the hood back up.

"That's Cassidy Rivers" Max tells me, "She's a bitch." Annie adds. "Noted." I say, making both of them laugh.

We pack up our things and head to classes, which went surprisingly fast today. In no time, it was lunch.

It was hard to ignore the sensation in my stomach watching everyone eat around me. I know I packed a banana just in case I wanted to eat, but I don't know how my body will take it.

A few minutes later, I decided to risk it and started peeling my banana. It felt so good to swallow actual food for the first time in days.

Until I felt it all coming back up a minute later. I rushed out of the cafeteria and managed to get into the hallway until I barfed into a trash can nearby.

To my dismay, I looked up to Ryder looking at me with disgust. "Took too much?" He mocks me as I pull away from the trash and wipe my lip.

"Or did you just buy bad drugs?" He continued as I stood up and tried to walk away. He was even taller than me, and I was 5'8. If I had to guess he was 6'4 ish, and was completely in my way. "Move" I demanded as he blocked me. "Or what?" He says in an almost amused tone.

"I will throw up on you." I warned him right when my stomach decided to act up again. I turned quickly and landed it into the trash can. I heard him sigh before I felt my hair being pulled back gently out of my face.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." He mutters under his breath. Once I finish....vomiting.... Ryder lets go of my hair. "You look terrible." He says in a cold voice. "Thanks." I roll my eyes, trying to leave when a familiar high pitched voice blares through the hallway.

"Ryder!" Cassidy chirps as she runs over and hooks her arm onto his. He looks repulsed by her touch, but doesn't move her away when she stands on her tippy toes and sticks her tongue down his throat.

I take that as my signal to leave, and slip away without either of them noticing. That was odd. He actually did something somewhat nice.

I shake off the thought of him not being awful and head back to lunch, thinking of excuses for why I ran out.

Ryder was an asshole, but at least he showed some emotion? I mean he was a jerk right after but it's something. Don't get me wrong, I still hate him, and this changes nothing, but now I just see him as more of a human.

I guess....

Ryder

I don't know why I helped that girl. Maybe it was just instinct after taking care of my mom for so long, but I felt the need to.

At first I assumed she just got sick off of whatever the hell she had been taking, but remembering what we caught her with that night didn't make sense.

It was fizz in her bag, fizz is a hard drug but doesn't make you sick. Not unless you strongly overdose, which doesn't make any sense either.

I guess I was just bored out of my mind because I actually thought about what happened for a few minutes.

I just hope she doesn't think anything of me helping her today. The last thing I want or need is another girl chasing after me. Especially after I was somewhat nice to her, now she's going to think I like her.

I was actually grateful for Cassidy, for the first time in my life. She is a family friend, one that I may have hooked up with a dozen times. But now she is obsessed, and I've had to stay away from her. Today I saw her as the perfect opportunity to remind the new girl who I am, and who she is compared to me.

Nothing.