05
877 Words
Poisoned
EVA
"Surprise!"
The word hit me like a slap as I walked into what used to be our living room. People everywhere. Strangers drinking from plastic cups, laughing too loud, music pounding so hard I felt it in my chest.
Oliver stood in the middle of it all, grinning like he'd won the lottery.
"Eva! There you are." He threw his arm around my shoulders. His grip was too tight. "Everyone, this is Eva. The guest of honor."
A cheer went up from the crowd. Faces I didn't know smiled at me with dead eyes. Someone pushed a red plastic cup into my hand.
"What is this?" I asked Oliver.
"Your farewell party, baby. Figured we should send you off properly."
"Send me off where?"
"Wherever crazy people go." He laughed, and the strangers laughed with him. "Drink up. It's your favorite."
The cup smelled like fruit punch. Sweet and thick. I was so thirsty. I hadn't eaten or drunk anything since the hospital.
"I don't want a party."
"Come on, Eva. Don't be such a buzzkill." A woman with bright pink hair appeared beside me. "We're here to celebrate you."
"Celebrate what?"
"Your freedom," another voice said. "No more pretending to be normal."
They kept pushing drinks at me. Every time I finished one cup, someone handed me another. The music got louder. The faces got blurrier. My head felt like it was floating away from my body.
"I need to sit down," I mumbled.
"Sure thing, honey." A Pink Hair Woman took my arm. "Let's get you some fresh air."
She led me outside to the garden. The cool night air felt good on my burning skin. I sat down on a bench and closed my eyes.
"Just rest here for a minute," she said. "You'll feel better soon."
++++++
I woke up cold. Really cold. And naked.
The grass was wet under my skin. Stars spun overhead like a broken ceiling fan. Voices around me, but they sounded far away.
"Oh my God, look at her."
"Is she breathing?"
"Get closer. Make sure you get her face."
Camera flashes. Bright white lights that hurt my eyes. I tried to cover myself but my arms wouldn't work right.
"Eva? Eva, can you hear me?" A man's voice. Someone I didn't know. I rolled over and threw up in the flower bed. More flashes. More voices.
"This is perfect. CEO's wife has complete mental breakdown."
"She's totally naked. This is going to break the internet."
I tried to stand up. I fell down again. My legs felt like jelly. Everything was spinning.
"Help me," I whispered. But nobody helped. They just kept taking pictures. Someone threw a blanket over me. Too late. Way too late.
"Party's over, folks," Oliver's voice. "The show's finished."
The crowd started to leave, but I could hear them talking. Laughing. Making plans to post their videos online.
+++++++
I don't remember getting back inside. I woke up on the couch, still wrapped in the blanket. My head felt like someone had hit it with a hammer.
"Oh good, you're awake."
Jessica sat in the chair across from me. She looked perfect, as always. Fresh makeup. Clean clothes. Like she hadn't just watched me get humiliated in front of strangers.
"Rough night?" she asked, pretending to care.
"What did you give me?"
"Give you? Honey, you drank everything yourself. Everyone saw it."
She handed me a glass of water. "Here. You must be thirsty."
I was. My mouth felt like sandpaper. I drank the whole glass without thinking.
"That's better," Jessica said. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"About how this ends. You've caused enough trouble, Eva. It's time to stop."
My stomach started to hurt. Sharp, twisting pain like someone was wringing out my insides.
"What did you put in the water?" I gasped.
"Nothing you don't deserve."
The pain got worse. I doubled over, clutching my belly. Then the vomiting started. Violent, painful heaving that felt like it would turn me inside out.
I stumbled toward the bathroom. The walls moved like water. Colors bled together. Jessica's laughter followed me down the hall, but it sounded like it was coming from underwater.
In the bathroom mirror, I saw words written in red lipstick:
"Rest in Pain."
My reflection looked like a ghost. Pale and hollow. A dead person walking.
The vomiting started again. This time there was blood. Dark red drops in the toilet bowl. I was dying. Actually dying.
"Oliver," I called out. "Oliver, help me."
He appeared in the doorway with Jessica beside him. They watched me throw up blood like they were watching TV.
"Please," I begged. "Something's wrong. Call an ambulance."
Oliver looked at Jessica and smiled. Then he kissed her. Right there in front of me while I was dying on the bathroom floor.
"Finally," he said against her lips. "Peace."
The room spun faster. My vision went dark around the edges. I could taste metal in my mouth. Blood. Or maybe poison.
I fell forward. My face hit the cold tile. Everything was getting quiet. Far away.
Jessica knelt down beside me. Her face was the last thing I could see clearly.
"Good-night, loser," she whispered in my ear.
Then everything went black….
- Writer
