Cocaine Hearts

Chapter 5

Oh hell no. Absolutely not. I refuse to deal with this. I swiftly turn on my heels and begin walking away as fast as I can, clumsily maneuvering through the crowd. Can't I catch a break? Why won't he just leave me alone already? I narrowly avoid smacking my head on a low tree branch, and with relief, I finally spot the bonfire and Ashley.

"Miya!" she exclaims, beer bottle in hand, hopping off Zeke's lap and rushing towards me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "Guess who's here?" she slurs slightly, but as soon as she sees my face, she sobers up instantly.

"What's wrong? What happened?" she asks, genuine concern etched across her face.

"Dallas is here," I inform her, my entire body trembling.

"No way. He wasn't invited. Everyone was explicitly told not to invite him."

"It's Dallas. He doesn't need an invitation. He does whatever he wants," I scoff, rolling my eyes. I glance up and notice Brandon approaching us, a beer bottle in his hands, which surprises me.

"I didn't know you drink," I tease, unable to resist. "I thought you were a goody-two-shoes."

"I am a goody-two-shoes," he retorts confidently. "But it's the weekend, it's a party. Why shouldn't I let loose and enjoy myself?"

"Touché," I reply with a smirk. I was about to inquire when he arrived, but suddenly, the sound of raised voices reaches my ears. Well, not just any voices, but specifically Zeke's.

"Dude, you weren't invited here. Just leave," Zeke confronts Dallas, who has now positioned himself near the bonfire.

"I'm here to talk to my girlfriend," Dallas stubbornly states. Girlfriend? I broke up with him.

"Yeah, man, she's not your girlfriend anymore, and she made it pretty damn clear that she doesn't want to talk to you," Zeke asserts.

Dallas stands taller, puffing out his chest as he aggressively approaches Zeke. Oh no. He's going to start a fight.

Without missing a beat, Brandon swiftly moves away from my side, positioning himself next to Zeke, staring Dallas straight in the eyes. "Bro, if you're planning to fight him, then you'll have to fight me too. Nobody wants you here, so just go."

Dallas glances back and forth between the two guys, and for a moment, I wonder if he seriously contemplates fighting both of them. I wouldn't put it past him. Instead, he directs his gaze towards me and shouts, "Whatever! You'll be back." He briefly glances at Brandon and then returns his attention to me. "Your little replacement won't last, believe me, baby. You always come back." His voice drips with an irritating, self-assured tone as he finally turns to leave.

Zeke, Brandon, and Ashley gather around me to make sure I'm alright, but I brush it off. "He's completely insane," I comment, glancing between the two boys. "Thank you both for standing up for me, though."

"Of course," Brandon responds with a warm smile.

"If he doesn't get the message, we'll just keep reminding him," Zeke chimes in, his grin widening as he pulls Ashley closer and plants a kiss on her lips. That was our cue to leave, so Brandon and I make our way over to the ice chest, grabbing another beer before settling down on the ground next to the fire.

"I'm really sorry about all the drama with Dallas," I apologize, taking a sip of my beer.

"It's okay," Brandon reassures me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It's not your fault. I just can't comprehend what you saw in that guy in the first place."

"Honestly... I don't know," I sigh, leaning back against the tree. "He wasn't always like this. We used to have a lot of fun together, and it was serious between us for about a year."

"What happened?" Brandon asks curiously, and I immediately tense up. I think he senses my discomfort because he quickly adds, "It's alright. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

I glance over at him, a small smile forming on my lips. "Thank you. I'm just not ready to discuss it yet."

We continue to sip our beers, engaging in casual conversation about various topics. Brandon shares details about his family, revealing that he comes from a wealthy background with both his parents being doctors who are hardly ever around. I, on the other hand, mention my mom's busy work schedule, but it doesn't compare to the level of intensity he describes.

After a while, Ashley rushes over to us and whispers, "There are lines in Jacob's tent, are you guys coming?"

Ashley and I have done cocaine together a few times at parties and in her room, but I glance over at Brandon, unsure of his stance on it.

He appears uncomfortable, and I quickly assure him, "It's okay, you definitely don't have to."

"Thanks, I'd rather not, but I won't judge you guys for it," he responds.

"Thanks, in that case, I'll be right back," I tell him, allowing Ashley to pull me to my feet as we make our way towards Jacob's tent, which is just a few feet away.

We enter the tent and zip it up behind us, finding a seemingly innocent brown-haired girl whom I don't recognize and Jacob's best friend, Sebastian. They are both a significant part of our friend group, but a year older than us, so we don't see them often at school.

Jacob sits on his sleeping bag, legs crossed, using his school ID to crush up and organize lines of cocaine. The excitement builds in my stomach; it's going to be a wild night. Ashley goes first, snorting up two lines, and I let everyone else take their turns before me. I lean against a few pillows near the tent door, taking my time.

Unexpectedly, the zipper opens, and Brandon enters the tent, sitting next to me with a smile. "I changed my mind. Maybe I will do some tonight."

I raise an eyebrow at him, and he chuckles. "I know I'm a good kid, but seriously, Miya, I'm still not a saint. Your standards for me must be so high," he jokes.

"It's not that," I reply. "I just didn't think cocaine was really your thing. Have you even tried it before?"

He starts laughing. "Again, I'm not a saint."

"You surprise me," I say, laughing as we both approach Jacob for our turns. As I observe Brandon snorting his lines, I'm pretty sure this is his first time, maybe his second. The moment the powder enters his nose, he almost snorts it right back out, and I try my best not to giggle.

"Alright, I admit it, maybe I haven't tried it before," he confesses, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "But I've considered it."

I can't help but giggle at his candidness before taking my turn. As I snort up my lines, I immediately feel the familiar numbing sensation spread across my face. I let out a sigh of satisfaction, eager for the unexpected thrills that the rest of the night might hold.