Page 27 of Toxic Wishes

But what if he is in trouble? I let out a long sigh and plop on my bed face down. Screaming into my pillow.

Surprisingly, that mini outburst made me feel better, so I picked up my phone and texted him back.

Hey, I was eating dinner with my parents. What’s up?

I try to sound calm and collected even though I am anything but that right now. Within seconds, he’s texting back.

Abs. Thank God. Let’s meet. I need to see you

I look over at the clock, and it’s 7 p.m.

You know I don’t have a car.

Oh ya, I’ll come to you

Right now?

No, I can come at our usual time. I need some toxins in my veins. My sweet, toxic wish.

What is he talking about? I hated it when he spoke in riddles. To get this conversation back on track, I typed out another text.

What was the favor you needed? Or do you not need it anymore?

No, I do. Do you happen to have sixty dollars on you? I’ll pay you back, I promise.

My heart sinks when I know why he was blowing up my phone, and I’m not surprised. I read about this when I was googling drug addiction habits and took myself on a rabbit hole when I couldn’t sleep one night. Drug addicts typically relapse, and when they do, they start asking for money, and when people get tired of giving them handouts, they start stealing it.

Me: I don’t have that kind of money on me, Blake. What do you need it for?

I saved some money from all the birthday gifts and allowances I’ve kept. I was good at saving money, mainly because I wanted to get the hell out of my parent’s house as soon as possible. Whether college or getting my place came first, I didn’t care.

Blake: Never mind, it’s not your problem. I’ll come to you at 11:11.

He was acting so weird, and since I haven’t been hanging around him much lately, I wasn’t sure if it was because of the drugs or if he was in trouble.

Deciding not to worry about it until I see him, I text him a simple, Okay, and wait until eleven tonight.

“Adalee,” I whisper into my sister's ear. I shake her lightly. “Hey,” I say again.

She moans a little as she turns over. ‘“What,” she rubs her eyes. “What is it?”

“Where are the keys? I need to borrow the car.”

She looks over at the clock. “It’s 11:30 at night. What the hell do you need the car for?”

“Adalee, please, it’s Blake. Something is wrong. He was supposed to be here forty minutes ago, but he’s not answering. Please.”

“Oh God, you aren’t going to chase him, are you?’”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Go back to sleep. I’m sure he’s with another girl. Don’t make yourself look more pathetic by showing up while he’s probably fucking her right now.”

“Adalee,” I feel my veins throbbing on the side of my head, as anger seeps through me down to my core. The longer I argue, the more time I’m wasting, and I still have to head to his house, which will take eleven minutes if I drive fast. “I’m serious. He’s in trouble. I can feel it.”

She rolls her eyes. And points to the dresser. “Underneath my baseball cap.”

“Thanks,” I jump off the ladder and quickly grab them.

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