Lizzy

That night at seven o’clock, just like he said, Thomas showed up at my apartment. He knocked on the door, even though it wasn’t shut. I had left it open as I knew I would not have the energy to muster footsteps. “Come in”, I mumbled.

He stood at the end of my bed, watching me. After careful consideration, he said, “You have been drinking all day, haven't you...” No question needed as it was obvious, so he left it as a statement and didn't wait for an answer. He came to my bedside and lifted me off it, “I thought I told you not to. Tonight will be intense enough with the shit I’ll be giving you.”

I looked up at him, barely able to open my eyes. “What is it?”

“Ketamine, my friend. The white powder from the gods. It is traditionally used as a horse tranquilizer, so trust me, it's the good stuff.”

“That sounds terrifying” I looked up at him, finally making eye contact.

“Yeah, well, you said you wanted the strong stuff, didn't you?”

“I guess.” I thought for a minute, pondering on my previous request. “Okay, let's do it.”

“That's my girl.” He looked at me as he boosted me up, so that my arm was around his shoulder and passed me a bottle of water, which he had already prepared in the probable case that I was blind drunk.

We walked to his car and then drove to his house, where the structure was made of beautiful glass windows and doors. The back, where we entered from, had a beautiful varnished wooden veranda, which was encased in wild forest trees, as well as palm trees and flowering plants. We walked inside and were greeted by some other guys, Thomas’s friends I had assumed. There were four of them - Jesse, Justin, Kyle, and Cameron. Thomas invited me to sit on the floor and join them.

The Ketamine was on the floor in a small glass cigarette tray. I watched as Kyle took a pinch of the powder and arranged it in front of him, smoothing it into a line formation with a card before continuing to snort it. Each person in the group continued to snort it, including myself. The feeling was like no other. I felt dazed and wonderful, though airy and sleepy. I had constant flashes of the boys, just talking and walking around, of myself looking at people, observing pictures on the walls of the house, walking down the halls, stroking them with my hands as I passed through.

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A sudden rude awakening as I felt the oxygen drain from my body as my breathing began to stop, waking me. The next thing I came to realize was the dim sunlight streaming in through the glass wall, raindrops falling from the roof onto the plants and then onto the varnished veranda. I felt my neck hurting and then the lack of oxygen became apparent to me once more. Focusing my eyes upward, I noticed the hand around my neck. My instant reaction was to pull against it. The grip around my neck grew stronger and stronger until I was struggling for any breath at all. I kicked the stomach of the intruder and they let go. I watched in shock from my frightened state as Thomas walked away.

Once my panic dawned, I stood up and ran outside, the rain dripping, the drops getting heavier by the second. I reached for my phone but couldn't locate it, so I snuck back inside and found it by the side of the couch that I was sleeping on.

Calling a taxi service, I waited down the road and sprinted toward it when it approached.


2 months later

Lying on Thomas’s bed, looking at his very creative half sleeve tattoo that spanned seamlessly down his muscular arm, I ran my fingertips along them and opened my mouth to speak before hesitating.

“What is it, babe?” The words left his perfect velvety lips.

“I was thinking …”

“Yes?”

“We have this special bond, and I think I kind of …”

“Kind of what?”

“I think I kind of love you.”

His big hazel eyes stared into mine with a look I couldn't read, “I love you too.” Grabbing my cheeks into a fish face, he placed a kiss on my lips. A kiss that turned into many. We fell into an amazing blissful moment that felt like it lasted for a lifetime.

I thought back to the incident that had taken place two months earlier… Thomas had found me at work a few days later and explained that the drugs affected him differently this time as it must have been a bad batch, and he profusely apologized. Now, fast forward two months, here we are in love. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone Thomas’s behaviour and it took me to a place of fear that I had never been in all my life, though, my life at this point was pretty much back to normal. Thomas had brought me out of my deep depression which had been caused by Kattie, and I had been hanging out with my friends more and more.

In fact, we had been going on weekly bowling group dates and things were getting competitive. I’m pretty sure Aaron had it in his head that he was the new bowling king, when in fact he was pretty much mediocre.

As Thomas and I lay there, still in the moment, his fingers trailing my arm, my phone buzzed, “It’s Aaron” I peered up at him as he was looking at me with curiosity. “He wants to go bowling again tonight with the work group, would you like to come?”

“Yes, I’ll come,” he stated, after making me wait too long for an answer. “But, you know I don’t really enjoy these work outings, I only go because I am so good at bowling, I win everytime”

I scoffed at his lie, “You wish. And in that case, I’ll be off. I have to get ready.” I let my arm slowly slide from under his fingertips.



That night I showed up at our weekly bowling session to see Thomas leaning against an outside sitting area, waiting for me. That dimpled grin on his face as usual. After admiring him for a few seconds, I approached him and pressed my lips against his soft, plump lips. I looked at him, and slipped my hand into his, and we walked to meet the others at our booth. Aaron was standing there, ball in hand, grinning.

“Damn, Aaron, why did you start without us?” I spoke loudly in his direction. He laughed and dismissed me, throwing his ball down the aisle with careful precision, the girls not even watching as they talked amongst themselves.

I approached them with Thomas. He took a seat with the girls as I fitted a bowling ball to my hand. My turn was next, so I turned around and lined up my route with my eyes. My ball hit the aisle with nothing but precision. STRIKE!

I gazed over my shoulder, and it was as if time itself had stopped. In my view, was the one thing that could bring me back down from my high, Kattie. There she stood, black knee-high boots, short shorts that showed her perfectly sculpted legs, band t-shirt, and long, the luscious hair that was once teal, now back to her amazing honey colour in loose curls that hung just below her chest. She looked around, finally landing her eyes on me.

I walked toward her, as if In a trance.

“What are you doing here?” I stared at her blankly.

“I don't know what to say.” She looked at her feet.

“Then why are you here?” I repeated.

And when words failed her, all she could do was embrace and kiss me with a passion so fierce it could bring a country to its knees...

Suddenly realising the situation I was in, I pushed her off me. “What are you doing? What are we doing? I am with someone else now.” I panted for breath.

“What? Who?” She looked at me in agony, as if I had just wrenched a dagger through her heart.

“Thomas.” I barely met her gaze.

She stood back in shock and fell against the wall. “I can’t believe you're with Thomas.”

“Why is that so hard to believe, Kattie? You are the one who slept with someone else. You are the one who ruined us.” I said, causing her to stand there wide eyed and bewildered.

“He’s here right now.” I looked at her to see how the news would settle. “I really should get back out there,” I added.

“Wait. He is here right now?” She moved forward and headed toward the bowling alley.

“Where are you going?” I asked, suddenly realising that she was heading for Thomas. I ran after her with urgency, but it was too late. She was headed toward the group, heading straight for him.

She reached him and I watched his face fall when he saw her.

“How could you do this? How could you be with her in our situation?” Her voice raised enough that our entire group was watching them. In fact, everyone within the vicinity of the bowling alley was watching them.

“We need to tell her,” she repeated.

I heard him mutter under his breath, “Fucking hell, Kattie.”

“She is going to find out soon enough, I'm starting to show.”

And with those words, I connected the dots. She was–

“Lizzy, I'm pregnant. Thomas is the father.”

My head started to spin, and everything went black. I was dead. I was truly dead in every sense of the word.