Scarlett
"Alex move your side up some."
"Fuck you my side is fine. Worry about you and your side pendejo."
"Liam, how are the drinks looking? Liam? Where the fuck is Liam?"
"Jeremiah, how are you doing with the ball- Why the fuck aren't the balloons blown up?"
"You know I got asthma, asking me to do all this shit. Fuck the balloons, what about my lungs?"
"What the fuck? Can't you guys do anything right? Fuck I should have just did all this myself." Lucas yells at the guys. He looks as if he's seconds away from having a stroke.
"Maybe you should have." Alex retorts like the smart ass he is.
I watch in silence as Lucas tries unsuccessfully to get the guys to do their tasks. Lucas and Alex are haphazardly putting up a sign in the living room that says, Welcome Home Scarlett. Three semi-blown balloons are scattered on the ground by Jeremiah who's sitting on the floor scrolling Twitter. Liam is nowhere to be found. It's a shit show if I say so myself, but I appreciate the hell that Lucas is going through to do all this for me.
I was finally released from the rehab center today, after what felt like an entirety. This stint was a lot shorter than my last time there, but it felt much, much longer. The only reason why I'm not still there is that Barry, my sponsor from back home, negotiated a shorter sentence only if I agree to continue going to my groups, on top of having to go to actual AA meetings.
I hate rehab. I hate it so much because it reminds me that I hit rock bottom. After my last stay there, I promised myself that I would never go back. I was going to stay clean no matter what it took, and I really believed that.
Last time I was in rehab, it was right after Jo had died and Angel was going through the program with me. He relapsed about two months after getting clean and then started his recovery process over again. Everyone was preparing for me to relapse soon too, but I didn't. I was so proud of myself for going almost a full year with no type of slip up. I wholeheartedly believed that I was healed, that I had fixed myself. I was literally days away from a full year of sobriety, but I blew it. I fucked up because of a damn notebook, and now I'm back at the beginning.
28 days clean.
I had told Lucas that I would be getting out around 3, but I showed up two hours early in an effort to surprise him. It looks like he tried to do the same.
I make my way into the living room, and no one notices my presence. Alex and Lucas are still arguing about the damn banner and Jeremiah is cracking up at some video on Twitter.
"You want me to help you blow up these balloons?" I stand in front of Jeremiah with a smile.
"Fuck yea thanks, Scarlett. You're the best." Jeremiah says handing me a red latex balloon. I take the balloon and stand in front of Lucas and Alex and watch as they argue over the sign, while I blow.
"Lucas your side is slightly too high," I say tying the balloon. "Here Jeremiah." I toss the balloon back over to him.
"Ha bitch. I told you that your side was fucked up bro. Thanks, Scarlett you always got my back." Alex gloats in Lucas' face.
It takes about 10 seconds for the boys to realize that I'm here. "Scarlett?!" They all say in unison.
"Damn it, Scarlett! Yates wasn't supposed to get you for another hour!" Lucas says frustrated. "This was supposed to be a surprise." He climbs down from the step ladder he's on, and his side of the sign falls.
