Devon heard the restroom door swing open. She slid her shoulder purse over her head as she listened to the girls on the other side of the wall.
“You want to?” one girl asked.
Devon scrunched her brows. She wasn’t typically an eavesdropper, but they weren’t being secretive.
“Yeah, I only do it every once in a while,” a second girl responded.
That sounded even stranger. Devon swung open her stall door and walked over to the sink to wash her hands. The two girls were huddled in the corner with a third girl hidden behind them. Devon washed and dried her hands, and then took one last glance at the odd group of girls loitering in the corner of the restroom.
She watched one girl bend over and sniff loudly, and then she straightened and brushed under her nose. Devon froze. Holy shit! Were they seriously doing coc**ne in the restroom? Just out in the open like that?
Devon couldn’t believe it. She stayed rooted to the ground, staring in shock at the girls in front of her. Then, she paid more attention, something she hadn’t been doing since she had arrived in Chicago. Those girls looked familiar. The two with their backs to her had been sitting with Hadley. They must have worked with her.
As her eyes shifted to the girl hidden behind the other two, she saw a rush of blonde hair nearly the same color as her own. Devon’s mouth dropped open. No way!
Chapter Seven - Highs of Life
DEVON STUMBLED OUT of the restroom. Her mouth was hanging on the floor as she rushed away from the scene behind her. What the hell had just happened?
She was more in shock than surprised over the whole thing. It had come out of nowhere. Hadley had always been driven and ambitious, going after the things she wanted with zeal. Couple that with her spontaneity and the enormity of a big city, and Devon was sure recreational drug use was more likely than unlikely. Classmates who grew up here had told her that Chicago in particular was a cesspool for drug use. Young professionals from all over the Midwest would flood the city and get caught up in a lifestyle befitting their wealth. It was a status symbol, a social norm of sorts.
Devon found it disgusting. She knew she wasn’t exactly one to talk about being an upstanding member of society, but she had grown up around musicians. Devon knew all about the lifestyle.
How many parties had she come home to where things had gotten out of hand? Her parents didn’t have to be in the spotlight, and it still affected them. The industry was out of control, and anyone touched was sucked into it like a tornado. Even Devon, as far on the outskirts as she could get, had smoked pot in high school. She had given it up when she moved out, and she had become more vocal to her parents about her distaste.
But Hadley…
Oh, Hadley.
Hadley had never even smoked pot in college. People had made fun of her for never trying anything. She was so carefree. She had said she didn’t need drugs to alter her mood because she was so awesome without them.
Now, she’s snorting coke in public?
Devon couldn’t fathom it. How had she lost so much of her best friend in just one semester? Then again, who was she to judge? Devon had lost all of herself in that amount of time. Or had it been happening longer, and she had just finally opened her eyes?
She sank down into her chair and stared out across the Chicago skyline. She probably should have left right away. She didn’t know how to deal, and the more she thought about it, the more pissed she became. Hadley was just being irresponsible doing that shit somewhere she could get caught. How often was she using? Did Garrett know? Was he also on drugs?
Devon had so many questions. But if she asked Hadley to open up, would Hadley require her to do it in turn?
“Hey, Belle. You alright?” Brennan asked, sliding back into the chair next to her.
“Stop calling me that,” she spat.
“Huh,” he said.
“Stop that, too!”
“Stop what?” He stared at her blankly.
She looked away. “Oh, nothing.”
“You need a shot?” He offered her the tequila in his hand.
“No. Shots don’t fix everything,” she said, turning to glare at him.
It was enough that her life was a mess. Hadley wasn’t supposed to be f**ked up, too. Hadley was supposed to be the well-grounded, smart, and successful one. She was supposed to have the world at her feet.
“Suit yourself.” Brennan tipped back the drink.
“What’s your deal?” she asked, her despair getting the best of her.
Brennan shrugged. “What’s your deal?”
He was looking directly into her eyes now. It made her uncomfortable, so she looked away. She really just wanted to say that she had asked first, but in the interest of not sounding like a toddler, she held it back.
“I just don’t get you.”
“Sorry,” he said unapologetically.
Sorry? Like that explains everything away, she thought bitterly.
“Are you always this talkative?” she asked dryly.
“Well, I thought you were quiet,” he said with a shrug.
She was certain that he was purposely evading her questions now. Considering how little she was telling anyone, his nonanswers were downright infuriating.
“Whatever,” she finally consented. “I think I’m going to leave. I need to talk to Hadley about…some shit, but I think she’ll be more articulate tomorrow.”
“Why? Is she wasted?” he asked, looking up at Devon where she now stood over him.
Devon sighed in frustration. “You could say that,” she huffed.
“Hey,” Brennan said, catching Devon’s arm before she walked away, “you’re not going home alone, are you?”
He slowly stood up, wavering a bit on his feet. If anyone was wasted, it was Brennan. Devon was feeling surprisingly sober after her rendezvous in the restroom.
“Yes,” she said, looking down at his arm, “I’m going home alone.”
“No way.” He shook his head. “The city isn’t safe at this hour.”
“And you’re going to do what?” she asked, looking him up and down. “You can barely walk.”
He blinked a few times and then straightened. He was clearly trying to make himself look more stable, but Devon wasn’t fooled. She had been drunk enough before to know that look in his eye was far from sobriety. And she wasn’t going to have some drunk guy she had only known for a week help her home. That offer didn’t sound like it promised anything but mayhem.
“Seriously, I’ll be fine,” she told him.
Though, to be honest, the thought of going out in the city by herself was daunting. As it was, her nightmares left her running through unfamiliar dark streets. She didn’t want to live her nightmares in real life.
“No, you won’t. Not in Chicago, Belle,” he said, slurring her nickname.
“Brennan, you’re drunk. Pretty much wasted. You’re going to be no help on the streets tonight,” Devon said.
“Plan on getting on a train tomorrow? Well, you walk around Chicago by yourself, and you won’t be,” he told her.
Devon swallowed hard. She didn’t want to be on a train tomorrow. In fact, she wanted nothing less than to not return to St. Louis. She just hadn’t figured out how to stay.
“What do you suggest then?” she demanded, wanting to get out of here.
He smiled lazily. “My place is just around the corner. You can crash there.”
Devon flushed. “I think I’ll just find a cab or something.”
“Hey, guys!” Hadley cried, crashing back into the party. “Let’s do some shots!”
“I think I’m going to go back,” Devon said, crossing her arms.
“What? No, you just got here, and you’re leaving tomorrow,” Hadley said.
Devon didn’t want to make a scene in the middle of the bar, but she was becoming more and more irritated because Hadley was treating her like an idiot. Devon was far from an idiot.
“I just think it’s time to leave,” she said.
“Nope, nope,” Hadley said, hanging on Devon’s arm and leaning on her shoulder. “This is your party. You’re staying.”
Devon pulled Hadley out of earshot. “It stopped being my party when you and your friends went into the restroom to snort coc**ne. Hadley, what the fuck?”
Devon wasn’t going to ask. She had never thought that it would happen, but she was worried about her friend. Ironic, to say the least, but the last thing she wanted was for Hadley to get addicted to drugs and give up everything she had been working toward.
Hadley’s face paled. “What?”
“You heard me. I was there.”
“I didn’t—”
“Hadley, please,” Devon said, holding up her hand.
“It’s only been once or twice, Devon,” she said, realizing she wasn’t getting out of it.
“I don’t care. It’s addictive for a reason. It could ruin your life.”
“It’s not going to ruin my life,” Hadley said, rolling her eyes. “We’re just having a good time.”
“I’ve heard that before,” Devon said.
“So, what? You’re leaving because you’re judging me and my friends?” Hadley asked.
Devon watched Hadley’s pupils visibly dilate before her eyes. Yeah, as if she hadn’t taken coc**ne.
“I don’t care about your friends. I care about you.”
“Well, don’t worry about me,” Hadley said with a shrug. “Will I see you later at the apartment?”
It was a dismissal. She was riding into her high, and likely, she wouldn’t care about much.
“No,” Devon said with a shake of her head. “I’m leaving with Brennan.”
“Ohhh,” Hadley said, raising her eyebrows. “Now, who is the rebel? Does he know about Reid? I say f**k him anyway. Brennan’s gorgeous.”
Devon rolled her eyes. In the morning, Hadley would realize that Devon wasn’t there, and that would do enough to freak her out. She was too far-gone for Devon to reach anything logical.
“Bye, Hadley. Get home safe,” Devon said sadly.
Maybe she should have waited with Hadley or should have said something more to get her to go home. Maybe she should have done more in general. But Devon felt completely defeated. If Hadley was this messed up, then what did it say about her?
Devon walked away from Hadley and back to where she had left Brennan.
“I’m going to find Garrett. Just give me a minute, and then we’ll go,” she told Brennan.
He seemed to find this acceptable. She left him standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. Garrett’s bulky form was easy to locate in the crowd. He was talking with the husbands and fiancés of Hadley’s friends. Devon couldn’t even begin to remember their names.
Garrett smiled as she approached. “Hey, Dev. Are you enjoying your party?”
“I’m getting tired actually,” she said, yawning. “Going to call it an early night.”
“Oh, alright,” he said, sounding a bit disappointed. “Have you told Hadley?”
“Yeah, she’s pretty messed up though. Just wanted to make sure you knew to take extra care of her.”