elude // jahseh onfroy

6 - trust

Jahseh

Striking my blunt against the ashtray, I feel the euphoric sensation kick into my bloodstream again. Ski was right — I needed to get myself out there and be myself again. But the second I laid my eyes on the girl from the kitchen, the sinking feeling of being a complete fuck up returned to mind.

I knew I had seen her before, but where? It took me a few minutes for the realisation to sink in — she was the girl I saw on my Tinder a few hours ago. For a few seconds, I thought I could have had a chance at her, but as soon as her friend walked in with their drinks, that spark of hope was gone.

What was that asshole's name? Elijah?

Shaking my head at the mere thought of him, I tune into the conversation Ski and the others are having, sinking deeper into the couch. I've known Hiram and Jayson for a year now, but had only hung out with them while Ski was there. Technically, I don't know them well at all.

The party's been going on for a few hours now, but I got bored of dancing. I've been looking for Ski's friend everywhere, but no luck. What's the fucking point, anyway? She got a man.

"X, vro! Come join the convo, or are you too high for that shit?" Ski asks, passing the blunt to Hiram. I chuckle, eyeing a girl that walks past us in a tight leather dress.

"Vro, you could have invited women that weren't goth," I joke, earning a laugh from the three of them.

"Since when you not into goths?" Ski asks. He's got a point — Arya was into some weird goth shit. Suddenly, a petite short-haired girl walks over to us, her revealing outfit catching our attention.

"Hey, um... You're Ski, right?" she asks in a high-pitched tone.

"Yeah, wassup?" Ski asks, sitting upright.

"There's a girl that passed out on the lawn. She seems unconscious," the girl explains. Ski and I exchange a glance, doing our iconic 'pursing lips' face.

"Who?" Ski asks.

"I don't know," the girl answers, shrugging.

"Come on, man. It's your duty to look after people like that," Hiram says, elbowing Ski.

"Ight, fine. X?" Ski asks, getting up sluggishly from the couch. He turns over to look at me.

"Yeah?" I ask, unsure what this has to do with me.

"You comin'?"

"Ight," I answer, rising from the couch. Everything seems to be in slow motion as I follow Ski towards the front door. Women grab my arm as I walk by, some of them asking if I'm okay, but the second the cold air hits me, my head clears up.

I notice a few people standing in a circle, my eyes widening when I recognise the girl on the lawn.

"Holy shit, it's Nora," Ski whispers. "Y'all, step away now!" he yells, ushering a couple of people away from the scene. I try my hardest to not scowl at that asshat Elijah when I realise he's kneeled down beside Nora.

"What happened?" I ask. Elijah's saying some shit to her, but I can't make out what. The second he notices us standing next to him, he grimaces at us. The girl from before gives us a worried look, shaking her head.

"I don't know. She was sitting down and then she just blacked out," the girl says, kneeling beside Nora. She says something to her before pulling her messy hair from her face.

"Shit. She wasted?" I ask, eyeing her unconscious state.

"She went to get a drink and I went looking for her. Found her like this," Elijah answers, but we didn't fucking ask for his opinion.