Wow, I'm proud of myself. I've written something that isn't completely romance.

This is for clograbby's Lost in the Atomsphere contest...review if you want.

Thanks much

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. The walls were closing in on me. The room was spinning. I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t move. I fell to the ground in a heap. My breathing became slow and labored. This was the end. I could feel it. Death shouldn’t be this bad. It shouldn’t be this unpleasant. I let my head rest on the cool floor and then everything went dark.

I woke up in an unfamiliar place. I felt like someone was drilling on the inside of my head it was pounding so hard. I wanted to vomit. I slowly sat up. It was dark but there was a small stream of light coming from a window. There was a mattress in the corner with someone sleeping on it.

I couldn’t hold the vomit in much longer. There was a bucket in the corner, I grabbed it and emptied the content of my stomach into it. The shape on the mattress stirred. I vomited again. The person woke up.

“Oh. You’re alive.” She had shoulder length dark hair that was in a wild disarray on top of her head. She was wearing a white tank top with black shorts. She got up from her makeshift bed and threw a pill bottle at me. “Take some of this. It will help with the headache.” She sat back down on the mattress and drew the covers up over her legs. “Oh, and don’t throw up everywhere, try to keep it contained.” She buried her head under the blankets and went back to sleep.

I was as confused as ever. I had no idea who she was or how I got here. I popped a few of the pills in my mouth and stood. There was a cracked mirror hanging on one of the walls. I looked at my reflection. My short brown hair was a disaster. It was a complete matted mess. My skin looked pale and sickly. I quickly turned away.

I opened the door to get out of the small room. There was a long hallway with doors on every side. A few people were walking around.

I slowly stepped out and made my way to the stairs. I just needed to get out of here. I needed to go home. Then I remembered I couldn’t go home. My home wasn’t home anymore. It was a waking nightmare. My parents just got through a horrible divorce where it was revealed that both of them had been involved in an affair. Then to make matters worse, a week after they became legally divorced my mom got engaged to the twenty-something that she was having an affair with. And just to put the cherry on top, my now ex-boyfriend Mitch had cheated on me with my best friend.

I stumbled my way to the stairwell and carefully made my way down the stairs. I tripped a lot and had to stop often but I finally made it outside.

I felt good to breathe in the crisp, fresh air. I knew I looked like a wreck so I didn’t want to stay outside long. I thought of getting a taxi until I remembered I had nowhere to go. Home was out. Mitch’s was out. Chelsea’s was out. I decided to go back to whatever club I ended up in last night. Maybe a drink or two would get rid of this God-awful headache.

I looked up and down the street. The signs blurred. Nothing made sense. I couldn’t remember the name of the club. I didn’t know what to do.

I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep. Maybe that would get rid of the headache. Maybe I’d just die in my sleep and I wouldn’t have to deal with any of this anymore. I went back up to the room I woke up in. The girl was still asleep. I lied down on the floor close to the mattress and let my eyes droop.

When I woke up for the second time the mattress was empty and a door on the opposite end of the room I hadn’t noticed before was slightly ajar. I could see the girl from before inside fixing her hair. She saw me looking and came out.

“How are you feeling?” She fumbled around looking for an earring.

“Better? Um…who are you? Where am I?”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that part.” She paused briefly to stick in the earring. “I’m Jericka; you’re in my ‘house’. I was at the same club as you and you looked pretty messed up. I didn’t want something bad to happen to you so I brought you here. What’s your name?”

“Thanks? Um, I’m Darcy.”

“So do you always drink like that?” She pulled some jeans on.

“Um, no, I usually don’t drink at all.”

“Dang. How does your head feel?” She sat down on her mattress and yanked on her shoes.

“Like someone is jumping on it.” I groaned.

“I’m gonna be right back. I’m getting you some coffee and some carbs. Don’t move, kay?” She didn’t wait for my response.

The coffee and bagels were wonderful. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten something substantial. It had mostly been chocolate and alcohol the last couple of days.

“Can I give you a ride anywhere? Like your house? A friend’s house?” Jericka asked when I was done. “Its not that I’m trying to get rid of you, I’m just wondering if you would be more comfortable somewhere else.”

“Um…I don’t really have anywhere to go.” I said truthfully.

“You can stay here then, I don’t care.” She went into her tiny bathroom and grabbed a hairbrush. She sat down beside me and began to work through my disgusting, matted hair. “I think I have a sleeping bag somewhere that you can sleep in if you’re okay with that. I have a bathroom and a mini-fridge. The laundry room is downstairs and I think that’s about it.”

“That’s fine.” It then hit me that I didn’t have any clothes, money, or anything. “I don’t really have anything though.”

“I grabbed your purse and stuck it under my mattress so no one would steal it. That should have some money and identification right? I didn’t look in it, `cause I didn’t want to invade your privacy.”

“Thanks.” I was grateful. “I probably don’t have much money left though.”

“That’s fine.” Jericka yanked on my hair some more. “So now, I have to ask, do you not want to go home because your parents will flip out on you, or because you don’t have an actual house?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I was not about to share everything that had happened with some girl I met an hour ago.

“That’s fair. I’m a good listener though, I won’t judge.”

“Can I take another nap?” I suddenly felt extremely tired.

“Sure. You can use my bed if you want.”

I stumbled to her make-shift bed and lied down. I was asleep as soon as I hit the pillow.

This time when I woke up, Jericka wasn’t in the room. She had disappeared. I crawled into her bathroom to throw up and then crawled over to her mini-fridge to see if she had any food. There were three cans of pop and cold pizza.

I finished two pieces and one of the cans of pop. I didn’t think Jericka would mind.

I heard the muffled three note beeping of my ring tone. I went over to the mattress and yanked it up. I grabbed my purse and unzipped it, taking out the little black phone.

Incoming call from Mitch. It said with a picture of him in the background. I chucked my phone at the wall. Stupid thing didn’t break. The beeping ended and I picked it back up. Five missed calls, Home, Chelsea, Mitch, Home, Mitch. Three missed text messages, Mitch, Chelsea, Mitch. I opened the first one.

Hey, im sory i hurt ur feelings…its chelseas fault…u no how she can b…call or txt, i wanna make sre ur ok.

I deleted it. Chelsea’s came up next.

Omg darcy, im sooooooo sorry!!!!!! I didnt mean 4 anythg 2 happen…it just did!!! Omg plez forgive me! Call me!!!!!

That one got deleted too. Mitch’s last one popped up.

Im rlly srry but im goin out w/ chels now…i love her alot…im srry i hrt u…i cant keep kidin myself anymre…i dont lve u anymre…chelsea is the one for me……feel better

I chucked my phone at the wall again. Harder.

I had to get out of here. The walls were closing in on me again. I grabbed my purse and made my way back outside. The signs weren’t as blurry now. One said, ‘Liquor Here’, that’s where I went. The first thing I saw was a bottle of straight vodka. I threw it on the counter. The man didn’t bother to check my ID; he just let me buy it.

I didn’t know where to go. Jericka’s little house was my only real option. I threw the cap to the vodka bottle into the street and took a drink. It was absolutely revolting. I almost threw up again right there. I didn’t take another sip until I was safe in Jericka’s house. She was still gone. It tasted terrible but my headache was starting to feel better. I collapsed into a little chair by the back wall. I took another drink, and another. The horrible taste was ebbing. I threw up all over the floor.

I didn’t want to move. The room was spinning and I wanted to die. I crouched over and put my elbow on my knee and my palm on my head. My other hand held the vodka on my lap. I felt like throwing up again. Instead I took another drink.

I want to die. Please just let me die. I thought over an over. Hell can not be as bad as this.

The door to the room slowly opened. I didn’t bother to look up and see who it was. I heard a bag drop. “Oh my gosh! Darcy!” It was Jericka.

I threw up again. She was instantly at my side. She grabbed the vodka bottle from my hands. I felt too weak to protest. She helped me sit down on the floor with my back to the wall. I was still hunched over, trying to keep the content of my stomach from coming up. I realized I was sobbing. Jericka sat down beside me and started to rub my back.

“It’s okay sweetie, its okay.”

“Let me die.” I sobbed and moaned at the same time.

“You don’t want to die. Think of everything you’ll miss by dying. Think of all the people that will miss you.”

“No one will miss me.” I thought of Mitch and Chelsea and my stupid parents.

“I’ll miss you. That’s one person for you right there.”

“I don’t even know you.”

“Who cares? If you think about it, you don’t really know anybody, you just think you do. Now why don’t you tell me what’s really wrong.”

“Everything is wrong.” I sobbed.

“Or is everything right?” Jericka said. “Why did you start drinking straight vodka? I think that would be a good place to start.”

“Mitch and Chelsea.”

“Okay, who is Mitch and who is Chelsea?”

I slowly sat up and looked at her. Her eyes were caring. She actually wanted to help me. She actually cared. I told her everything. Everything about Mitch and Chelsea and my stupid parents. She didn’t say a word. Just like she promised. She just listened. That was all I needed.

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