Chapter 21 – The Line
961 Words
It stopped working completely.
No matter how much.
No matter how often.
The quiet never came back.
Nia paced the room, her hands trembling, her thoughts louder than they had ever been.
“Useless,” she muttered.
The table in front of her was a mess—half-finished drinks, scattered things she didn’t even remember using.
None of it mattered.
None of it helped.
“Why is nothing working?” she snapped, her voice sharp against the empty room.
You’re losing it.
“Shut up.”
You were never in control.
“SHUT UP!”
Her hand swept across the table, sending everything crashing to the floor.
The silence that followed didn’t last.
It never did.
Across the city—
Delgado stared at his phone.
He had seen it coming.
The calls. The tone. The desperation.
This wasn’t the same girl anymore.
This wasn’t controlled.
This was dangerous.
“I can’t do this,” he muttered.
Because he knew—
If she kept going, there was only one direction left.
And he wasn’t going to be the one to push her there.
He scrolled through his contacts.
Paused.
Then called.
Ryan picked up on the second ring.
“Who is this?”
Delgado didn’t waste time.
“A friend.”
Silence.
Ryan’s grip tightened on the phone.
“what do you want and who are you?” he asked.
A pause.
“Look, what I'm about to tell you is really important you have to listen to me.”
Ryan took a deep breath
"Fine, I'm listening"
"It's about Nia"
"What about her?"
"I know you're wondering who her supplier is..... it's me and your friend is going crazy she needs help"
"What do you mean?"
"She's been taking drugs that now affect her but she's beginning to ask for something stronger and the only thing that's so strong to her level is cocaine, but I can't give it to her" Delgado said with a sigh
That was enough.
Ryan’s jaw clenched.
“Don’t give her anything.”
“I’m not,” Delgado said quickly. “That’s the problem.”
A beat.
“She’s not going to stop,” he added. “If she goes looking elsewhere…”
Ryan didn’t respond immediately.
Because he already knew where that sentence ended.
“…we won’t be able to control it,” Delgado finished.
Silence.
Heavy.
“Keep her away from it,” Ryan said finally.
“I can’t,” Delgado replied. “Not if she decides she wants it.”
The next day—
Nia didn’t hesitate.
If one door closed—
She found another.
“Rafael.”
Her voice was sharper now. Impatient.
“I need cocaine.”
A pause on the other end.
“…You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Just need.
Rafael exhaled slowly.
He should’ve said no.
He knew that.
But he didn’t.
By the time Marcus and Ryan got there—
It was already too late.
They found her in the living room.
Restless.
Agitated.
Not calm.
Not steady.
Something was different.
Worse.
Marcus’s expression darkened immediately.
“What did you take?”
Nia didn’t even look at him.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
Ryan stepped forward, his voice low.
“Nia.”
That got her attention.
She turned slowly.
Her eyes—
Unsteady.
“I said I’m fine.”
“You’re not,” Marcus snapped. “This is worse than before.”
Nia laughed.
Short. Sharp.
“Congratulations,” she said. “You noticed.”
Ryan’s gaze didn’t leave her.
“What did he give you?”
Silence.
Then—
“Something that actually works, Cocaine” she replied.
"WHAT!?" Marcus and Ryan both yelled.
“That’s not how this ends,” Marcus said, stepping closer. “You’re going too far.”
Nia’s expression hardened instantly.
“No,” she said. “I’m finally getting somewhere.”
“That’s not ‘somewhere,’” Ryan said. “That’s losing yourself.”
Her eyes flashed.
“I already lost myself,” she snapped. “At least this makes it bearable.”
Marcus shook his head.
“This isn’t you.”
“Then stop acting like you know me,” she fired back.
Silence.
Ryan tried again, calmer.
“You need to stop this.”
“No,” she said immediately.
Her voice dropped.
Colder.
“I need you to stop.”
That landed.
Marcus frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” she said, stepping back slightly, “this is none of your business.”
“It became our business the second you started destroying yourself,” Marcus shot back.
Nia’s jaw tightened.
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
“You don’t have to,” Ryan said. “You need it.”
That was it.
“Then leave,” she snapped.
Silence.
“Leave,” she repeated.
Marcus didn’t move.
“Not happening.”
Nia’s voice rose again.
“I said LEAVE!”
The room went still.
Her breathing uneven.
Her hands shaking.
Her control—
Gone.
“I don’t need you,” she said, her voice breaking slightly despite the anger. “I don’t need either of you.”
That one—
That one hit.
Ryan held her gaze for a long moment.
Then finally—
He stepped back.
Marcus looked at him. “We’re not actually—”
“We’ll come back,” Ryan said quietly.
Because right now—
There was no reaching her.
Not like this.
They turned.
And walked out.
The door closed behind them.
Silence returned.
Nia stood there alone.
Her chest rising and falling.
Her mind still loud.
Even now—
Even after everything—
It still wasn’t quiet.
And that?
That terrified her more than anything else.
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