Page 145 of Life of the Party

“I’m going to make this right.” He pressed his forehead to mine, with vehemence.

“I know. I know.”

The clock struck twelve.

“Happy New Year, Mackenzie.” He smirked.

“Happy New Year, Grey,” I whispered back, through my happy tears.

We smiled at each other, for just a moment, as the crowd started screaming and cheering and clapping for the stroke of midnight.

And as Grey bent to kiss me, a smile still on his lips, it seemed like they were cheering for us.

CHAPTER 58

I couldn’t wait to go home. Grey and the guys had left the bar just shortly after midnight, and I knew exactly what they were going home to do. My craving for heroin pounded in my bones, reminding me—and I realized I couldn’t wait to be done with it all. I couldn’t wait to feel…healthy again. I knew it would hurt, I knew I’d be sick, I knew it would downright suck, but I wanted to get off the heroin.

So Grey and I could be together, so it could be pure and real, like it once was.

For the rest of my shift, I tried to picture our new life together. It seemed right that it was New Year, a time for new beginnings, a time to leave behind the old and start afresh. As people screamed their drink orders at me and I worked in a frenzy to fill them, all I could envision was Grey and me, our future together, sober and happy. We could do it; I knew we could. I felt hope again; it surged within me.

When the party finally came to a close, when I finally made it home—shivering from the cold—I bounded into the house. I couldn’t help myself. I felt optimistic. Positive. More so than I had in a long time.

Even with the start of the sickness pressing in, I gave Alex and Zack a happy smile as I burst into the living room. They both sat slumped over on the couch, nodding off in front of the TV.

Not even the beading cold sweat could dampen my mood. “Hey guys, great show tonight!” I practically sang. It took a moment before either of them could respond.

“Oh, thanks, Mac.” Alex smiled drowsily. “It was…really…good…”

I giggled at him. “Is Grey in our room?”

“Yeah…”

I nearly ran down the hall to our bedroom, my eyes adjusting to the dim light within. The bedside lamp was on, and I could see Grey lying on the bed, our supplies scattered in front of him. I grinned understandably. I couldn’t begrudge him one last hit, one last time before we started our new life, our clean life. Maybe I’d have one too—just one more to tide over the sickness until he awoke, and then we could do it together, could go through it together.

I meant it this time; they weren’t just words. We were going to get clean.

I crawled into the bed behind him, gazing down at his handsome face, slack and peaceful, utterly gorgeous. I wrapped an arm around his chest and hugged him to me, kissing his neck and breathing deep. With my fingers, I slowly trailed down the hard muscle of his arm, expecting him to shiver…but he just lay there, still.

Wow, he was really out of it.

I grinned, my lips following the pattern my fingers had taken down his arm. He still had the needle clutched in his hand, and gently I pried it loose from his grip.

“Grey,” I whispered, nudging him slightly. “Grey, will you do one for me?”

He didn’t respond. I giggled softly in his ear, reaching my hand beneath his t-shirt and skimming it over the smooth, hard muscle of his abdomen. I pressed my palm against his chest, trying to coax a reaction from him. “Grey?”

But he was still. He was too still…something was wrong. Frowning, I pressed my hand harder against his chest. It didn’t move. It stayed flat and hard, without rising or falling…

“Grey? Grey?” I rolled him over so he was flat on his back. His slack form was completely yielding, his head lolling on the pillow. His lips were blue.

My heart stopped beating.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no…” I was frozen. Terrified by my discovery. Part of my brain tried to jolt me into action, tried to tell me to get up, to run, to go and get help. But I couldn’t, I was shaking too badly. And I didn’t want to leave him. I didn’t want to leave him alone.

Part of me shut down. I was only barely aware as I got up off the bed, my footsteps staggering in utter horror. I had to use the wall for support. It was like I was outside myself, like a spectator at a play, watching some horrible drama ensue. I rooted for the girl I could see, I hoped for her. Yes, go get help, I told her. Go get Alex and Zack…

I wobbled, teetering down the hallway. My muscles wouldn’t move, like I was in a nightmare or something, paralyzed with fear.

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