Faithless

Chapter Twelve

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"You are equipped to handle everything that is before you." –Pythagoras

Recap:

I felt like I was sent back a year. My stomach churned uncomfortably.

My ex boyfriend and my sworn enemy, kissing. Again. I couldn't see this. Not again.

I spun on my heel and ran to my car, ashamed to admit I had hot tears welling in my eyes.

Once an asshole, always an asshole.

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One Year Ago

"Quit being a hog!" Brooklyn slurred, reaching for the almost-empty vodka bottle in my hand.

I jerked back, a sloppy smirk forming on my lips. "Hey, it's my half now!"

"Is not!"

The idea of going halves in a bottle had seemed logical at the time. But now we were both drunk and didn't want to share. Plus, I was in a sour mood because I was meant to go to the party with Jacob, but he ditched me for the "boys", as usual. Not that Brooklyn wasn't fun to party with, but it would have been cool if we could have done pre-drinks with a larger group, rather than just her and myself.

"Ugh," I scowled, shoving the bottle into her waiting palm. I folded my arms over my chest and stared down at my outfit. I was wearing my usual high-waisted black jeans, dr martens and my signature leather jacket. My fiery red hair matched the intensity of my red lip gloss. "I'm ready to go now, anyway."

After pouring the last of the vodka into her cup, Brooklyn nodded agreeing. "Okay, I'm just going to call Derek and see where the boys are."

My eye roll came naturally. I had to, every time she mentioned Derek. He was such an idiot.

Soon enough, Brooklyn's older sister, Samantha, had picked us up and we were on our way to Thomas Herold's "end of semester" gathering. He usually threw one at the end of each school term, to celebrate that we all made it. It was basically just an excuse for everyone to come over and get drunk, as he only lived with his older brother and his brother was a bigger party animal than he was. None of us complained though, his parties were generally pretty fun.

I stumbled out of Samantha's car, deciding that I probably shouldn't have done those shots after all. I hadn't really felt the effects, so I'd thrown back a few more. Now I was hit with them all and felt like I could hardly walk straight. After throwing a thanks over my shoulder, I began wobbling into the party, my vision considerably blurrier than it had been half an hour ago. Brooklyn stumbled beside me, her cold fingers clutching onto my arm.

"Babe!" Derek called out in his usual, over-the-top, loud voice. An irritated sigh left my lips. When you walked into school, it was Derek's voice and laughter that you could hear. The sound literally bounced from the roofs and walls. It was beyond annoying. Especially if you'd been to school with him since you were five. "Finally!"

She moved into his arms. I pushed through them and stared up into his dark eyes. "Where's Jacob?" There was no point being polite. We both didn't like each other. Okay, well, I mainly was the one who didn't like him, but anyway.

"Um, he split early."

"What do you mean?" I asked, focusing on standing upright and not swaying.

"He left pres and came to the party early. Thought he must have been meeting you."

Frowning, I withdrew my phone. Taking longer than it should have, I slowly dialled his number, impressed I could still remember it, in this state. Derek jumped when Jacob's familiar ring tone blared from his pocket.