Fragments

6.7

A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates guys!  It's been a very up and down roller coaster for me and I stopped writing this story. But I'm writing again - or at least trying to. Also sorry for lack of indents in the paragraphs, I'm not quite sure how to get them back after Wattpad erases them.

6.7

Adam slides an arm around me as we enter the dark club and I don't shrug him off. The grunge music, cigarette smoke, drugs and the kind of people it attracts make me press into him, thankful for his presence.

"I'm glad we met, Piper," he says, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Without you, I'd be sitting by myself tonight with my hand down my pants."

I try to laugh but it doesn't make a sound. "It was Reesa's idea," I admit. Scanning the room, I look for her, trying to find her dark hair in the already dark room.

"What's taking her so long anyways? She said she'd be right back."

"And I am." Reesa grins as she slides past us, her fingers entwined with those of a man. With his plaid shirt, beanie and low sitting jeans, I'd guess his age to be only a few years older than me. But when he turns around, the cigarette pressed between his lips, I realize I'm wrong. "I'll be back again in ten though, I swear."

When she disappears into the crowd, Adam frowns. I watch him stare after them as if he knows something I don't.

"Jeeze, did you see the bags under his eyes?" I ask, trying to gain his attention. "They made him look fifty."

"I bet he's not a day over thirty," he deadpans.

"Seriously?"

Adam nods and guides me to a spot on against the wall of the club. "That's what drugs will do to you if you let them."

"Then Reesa is...?"

"Probably with him for the drugs."

My mind swirls back to Roman, kissing me on the forehead and asking Reesa to keep an eye on me while he's gone. With the roles reversed, I wonder if Roman knows what his cousin does in her downtime.

"Shit, Roman will kill me," I mutter, grabbing Adam's hand. I pull him off the wall as he stamps out his cigarette. "We need to go find her."

With a small tug Adam changes my direction, going off towards the back of the dirty club with me in tow. "Follow me."

The way he leads me through the crowd expertly makes me wonder if he is familiar with Reesa's new friend as well. My hand is clammy in his but I do not let go in fear of losing him in the sea of people. At the other end of the room we come to a metal door with a twenty-something guy standing in front of it, smoking a joint as if it is a cigarette.

"No access." He lifted his chin and looked down at me through uninterested eyes.

Adam drops his hand and leans over to him, his lips moving rapidly next to his ear. I can't make out what he's saying over the music but the guard listens with a blank face, taking another long drag.

In my head, I curse Reesa. Not only is she in deep trouble, but she's also my only way back to the apartment because she has the keys. How thrilled would Roman be to come back from his concert and find out that I have no idea where Reesa is and I'm basically homeless?

Finally the man nods and Adam turns to face me, an uneasy smile on his face. He pulls me a few steps away and puts his hands on my shoulders. My stomach drops.

"Okay, Piper, this is what's up. Smokey is going to-"

I already don't like where this is going. "Smokey?"

"I don't know his name so I'm giving him one. Door guy. Smokey. He's your new best friend, okay? Stick with him. He's going to take you into the back to find Reesa and bring her out." He drops one of his hands and looks over at my new best friend for a moment. Smokey doesn't smile.

I wipe my damp hands on my jeans to try to hide my anxieties. "Yeah this does not sound like the kind of plan I had in mind."

Adam presses his lips together, obviously not pleased about it either. Something close to doubt crosses his face but then it's gone, his lips moving close to my ear.

"I can't go with you. If I'm not buying then I can't go in."

"But I'm not buying either," I practically bark.

"You're hot jailbait, Piper. You don't have to do anything but look nice and they'll let you in." My face flushes so I turn away and my eyes meet Smokey's. He doesn't look happy. "He's going to take you to Reesa."

Little dots start connecting to each other in my mind, like a spider web weaving itself into some kind of map. Not everything adds up just yet, but I know enough to know I'm not going to like the rest.

I close my eyes and listen to the beat of the music pound in my chest. Do it for Roman, Piper. Do it so you have somewhere to sleep tonight. Prove to Roman, Adam, and everyone else that you're capable of being here, of carrying yourself. Show them that you're not afraid.

"I'll be out as soon as I find her," I say, pulling away from Adam's grasp. I walk up to Smokey, my head tilted up in fake confidence. He sizes me up, and after blowing sweet smoke in my face, turns to open the door.

I take a deep breath of the fumes for good luck and push past him into the hallway.