Page 84 of Dahlias, Sapphires, and Cool Autumn Dusk
“You deserve to celebrate. Besides, I haven’t ever been to Sarah’s house, so I’m curious.” Julian shrugged. “I’ll text the guy s’ team. Let’s make it water polo night.”
A water polo night.I pulled out my own phone, texting Murial impulsively. She knew where everything happened anywhere, but I would invite her, since we were friends or something.
Then I took Phoenix’s hand, allowing a goofy grin to spread across my face. “I just scored.”
“I know,” he said and laughed. “I amsofucking proud of you. For a second, I was sure you zoned out, your brain on something other than the game, and I wasn’t sure you would even see the ball coming.”
I nodded. “I was. You nailed it. It was pure luck my brain clicked on at the right second.”
He tapped his nose. “I knew it.”
Sarah’s homewas huge and a good distance from the school in Morningside Heights. I’d never visited Morningside Heights before, but it all looked very historic and like it should be said with capital letters. Jeremy told me some of the history while I took in the beautiful architecture and gardening. Her family lived in a building without a doorman, which seemed novel to me after living with the Lents for so long. So far, it seemed true of a lot of locations chosen for parties, though.Easier for everyone to just get in and out.I suddenly wondered about Murial’s doorman or security.Maybe she had let them leave forthe night?I doubted she kept a Rembrandt without the very best security available.
I thought about her most recent text—she’d moved to designers from painters, educating me on a wider range of subjects—and I wondered if she would show up.
Considering the party was planned the moment we tied, it came together almost weirdly well. I spotted alcohol everywhere, almost every hand holding a bottle or red plastic cup. Music thumped through the space, filling it while allowing for conversation at the same time. A ton of people showed up, the press of bodies nearly claustrophobic. I remembered my last party, the night I met Murial. As someone dumped part of their drink on my arm, I grimaced and realized it probably was a good choice—parties might not be my thing.
I honestly didn’t like crowds, not even when they were filled with people I knew. After a few weeks at the school and a while on the team, I recognized almost everyone there. Even the seniors, who mostly stayed in their own hallways, started to look familiar to me.
“You with me?” Phoenix asked and held out his hand. “I’m not leaving you alone at this one.”
Jeremy slipped his arm around my waist, trying to tug me free from Phoenix’s hold. “Or you could come with us. You pick. Regardless, text me if you need anything.”
“She’ll stay with me,” Phoenix said, swinging me back to him like a yo-yo. A very sexy yo-yo who nuzzled at my neck, making my pulse race, before telling his brother, “You go do senior things or water polo things, and leave us lowly underclassmen alone.”
Jer laughed. “Looks like Jules has me covered. I’ll be over there.” He pointed. “Don’t leave without one of us this time, okay? We can leave anytime. I’m gonna go find a beer.”
Phoenix managed to find a quiet corner and tugged me into it, giving us a moment of privacy and stillness. He pulled a bag out of his pocket, and glanced up as Hal appeared around the corner. I noticed Phoenix wasn’t talking to him and quirked a brow.
“Thirsty?” he asked me instead of explaining.
“I can give you a minute and go find you a beer. Stay near here, I’ll be back,” I promised, then slipped back into the bustling crowd. I found soda in the kitchen, so I poured myself a glass. By the time I returned to Phoenix holding one for me and him, he stared into a bag of white powder.
I’d never seen him do drugs, and I couldn’t tell them apart if I tried.Is that ketamine? Marijuana?He frowned and threw a weighted look at Joe, standing to his left.
“Why do I have so much?”
Joe shrugged then glanced at someone who touched his elbow. I set down my drink near Phoenix, considering the bag carefully. “Do you usually have less?”
“This is like a week’s worth of drugs.” He put a little on the table then pulled a straw out of his pocket. In a second, he snorted it up his nose, holding his nostrils closed while I stared in shock. He closed his eyes for a second and then sniffed.
Abject fascination?I wondered.Or am I watching in horror?Regardless of what I called the emotion, or whether or not I watched, it happened all the time. He used drugs like that all the time. He casually sniffed white powder up his nose. I held my fist against my stomach as if in physical pain, because I found it awful.Am I purposefully pretending he isn’t doing this by not seeing it happen to make myself feel better about it?
I took a sip of my soda, trying to swallow down the bile rising in my throat. I gulped more, hardly tasting it. His eyes—that strange removed look he got when he was in a k-hole—which I now understood he achieved by snorting things up his nose—took away his gaze. Okay. I downed my diet soda, closing my eyes as if I could erase it all, but it replayed in my memory crystal clear.
I looked up to see Hal nod toward Phoenix. “Hey, Lent.”
Even in his state, he glared toward Hal. “What the hell you want?”
“Thought you might like to know Maggie stuck something in your girl’s drink. And she just drank it.”
What?I glanced into my cup as Phoenix whirled unsteadily to grab my elbows. “What? What did she put in it?” he asked me.
I sure as hell didn’t know.Maggie?I scanned the room, hoping to see her face, but realizing the colors blurred a bit, lights turning to stars. My heart rate kicked up just as Phoenix stuck the bag of white powder back in his coat pocket.
Whatever, I couldn’t spot her, but then again I didn’t see her when I grabbed my drink, either. My phone dinged, and I reached for it in annoyance. I felt fine.Maybe Hal is full of shit?The twins sent a text saying they went on a beer run—wasn’t there enough already in the building?
Phoenix slid his arm around me. “Are you…are you okay?”
