My eyes remained glued to the cards and numbers I had laid out in front of me. It was clear as day that I was losing, but I dared not show it on my face. We played patience, poker, and blackjack. Jedidiah won four rounds, and I managed to win the last round. As shameful as it is to admit it, I feel like he let me win that last one judging from the pitiful look he gave me as he watched me shuffle for more cards.
Yeah, he was so considerate.
Right now we are building pyramid cards, and I have to admit, I was actually having fun. I wasn't sure if it was the cards or just Jedidiah's presence, but for the first time in a long time, I actually felt comfortable.
Jedidiah and I have been playing for what felt like hours; if not for the banging music and the occasional moans I heard behind me, I had completely forgotten where we were.
At times, I would look around for Chaya, but she, along with her boyfriend and Faizah, seemed to have gone somewhere else. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt. I mean, she had completely forgotten me!
But that's when the thought came to me, Did she go home already? Without me????
I was on my feet in seconds, and Jedidiah's voice filled my ears. "Woah, where are you going?"
"I think Chaya left me," I said, and he was standing right in front of me before I could blink.
If I thought Chaya's boyfriend was tall, he was a midget compared to Jedidiah.
I'm just kidding, but Jedidiah was definitely taller.
"So what? Give me your address and I'll drop you-"
"No, you don't understand." It was becoming incredibly hard to breathe now; the world felt like it was spiralling before my eyes, and I suddenly had the urge to faint. I knew I shouldn't have come here, I was going to get into so much trouble! "I'm staying with her; I don't know the way to her house from here and..."
"Okay, okay. Relax, will you?" His hands were suddenly on my arms, and my mouth slammed shut.
His touch was like heaven.
It sent tingles up my arm and into my heart. It sent a sense of calm through me, and all my worries seemed to vanish. How was that even possible? Who exactly was this guy?
He held me down with his striking amber eyes as he said, "Chaya and Samuel are in the suite above this place, fucking-"
Oh, wow.
"- And Faizah, is right there," I followed his pointed finger to find Faizah's bare back to us. Her blazer was nowhere to be seen as she straddled some guy on the couch and made out with him intensely. Jedidiah's voice had me turning towards him when he said, "So relax, no one is gone, and everything is fine."
Jedidiah's voice was so soft when he spoke; he did not have that deep voice that most teenage girls dreamed of. No, his voice was gentle. It had this melodic tone that made it seem like he was actually singing when he spoke. And when I say singing, I mean Shawn Mendez and Charlie Puth singing.
"Okay," I said quietly, and he led me back to the booth. This time he sat by my side. Our arms were touching, and even though I had enough space to move away, I didn't.
His arm felt nice—very nice.
A bartender came to our table and dropped a tray filled with white powder. They were in a line formation, about seven. The bartender gave a quick bow and left without saying a word. My eyes roamed our surroundings for anyone that might have seen that. I couldn't be the only one that saw the gesture as weird.
Jedidiah picked up a straw by the side of the tray and offered it to me. "Here."
"Um, I'm underage." I said, but I immediately regretted it. I could see his effort to suppress his laughter, but it wasn't good enough. He had his eyes shut as he threw his head back. If I thought his talking melodious, his laughter was the true definition of music.
"That's cute, now have it," he said once he had calmed. He pushed the straw into my hand before he picked up his own.
"No, I can't," I protested. Jedidiah twisted his torso so that he was facing me completely. He watched me with what seemed to be curiosity.
"Do you not want some because you are underage? or because you actually don't like it," he said as he cocked his head to the side.
His question took me off guard, and I actually took the time to think about it. My mind wondered back to the past six hours and how much emotional and physical stress I had to endure. I read online that this type of stuff helped you forget, even if it was for a while.
"I don't know," I answered, and he hummed.
"Well, I won't ever force you to do what you don't want to. You are your own person," he said, surprising me for what felt like the hundredth time this night.
My entire life, I've been used to people telling me what to do or hearing their advice on what they thought was best for me or what I should and shouldn't do. Look at where I am, for example. I didn't want to be here, but my dear cousin thought it would be best for me.
Talk about being born into a manipulative family.
My eyes fell on Jedidiah as he leaned forward and took in an entire line in one swift motion. He pinched his eyes shut as an "Ah" escaped his lips. Shaking his head vigorously, he said, "Ooh! That hit the spot."
My eyes fell on the tray once again. The white powder suddenly looked so inviting. I'd always wondered what stuff like this smelled like; I'd heard it also had a sweet aftertaste.
Before my brain had the chance to process my next course of action, I found myself leaning forward and putting the straw up to my nose.
I am so going to regret this.
I took in a line, and my brain was set ablaze.
The substance literally went straight to my brain; it felt like I had just inhaled acid. "Ah!" I practically screamed as my hands went up to clench my head.
"I forgot to say it feels like hell during your first try," I heard Jedidiah say, and at that moment I didn't care if he was the most handsome guy on the planet. I really wanted to hit him over the head with a hammer.
"No shit," I cursed as I managed to blink my eyes open.
His chuckle filled my ears before he said, "Just one line and it has you cursing already."
He took in another line, and before I knew it, we continued building our pyramid. My hands held the last two cards at the top, and that was when it happened, the big hit to the brain.
It became almost impossible to stay in place as I felt my body swerve from side to side. The scene of my father flinging me and my suitcase out of the house as he called me stupid and a disappointment replayed in my mind. I could see my little sister standing a few inches behind him with tears in her eyes as she clutched her teddy bear to her little chest.
"Hey, you okay?" Jedidiah asked, snapping me back to the present.
"More" was the word that left my lips. He had this confused look in his eyes before the realization dawned on him.
A devious smile stretched his lips as he pushed the tray of cocaine over to me. "You can have it all-" He barely got the chance to finish his sentence before I took in two lines. "Wow, I think you should-"
What happened next might as well have been one of the most reckless decisions I have ever made, but for some reason, I didn't give a damn!
I sealed our lips, taking both of us by surprise. But after a while, our bodies relaxed. Jedidiah's lips tasted like honey against mine; his tongue crept into my mouth as his soft lips moved deftly. I had no idea I was straddling him until I could feel a gentle squeeze on my ass. His hands engulfed the entire soft flesh, his action sent a wave of pleasure up my spine, making a gentle moan to leave my lips.
Never in my life have I made such a sound. It felt weird to me, but Jedidiah seemed to love it, seeing as he held my waist even tighter, pressing our bodies together.
Time must have stopped because I had no idea how long we stayed in that spot, kissing and relishing in the feel of each other's bodies against each other. But when I felt something hard poke my core, I pulled away.
The two of us panted like we had just run a marathon. I parted my eyelids to find his eyes already on mine, but this time his were different, darker. Within those blazing pools was an emotion I couldn't describe, but it pulled me in, and I suddenly wanted more of him.
I needed more of him.
As though he was capable of reading my thoughts, he sealed our lips once again. His hands went to my ass obce again and held it firmly. It took me a while to realize that he had stood up from the booth and that he was taking me somewhere.
I probably should have asked where we were going, but God, his lips were the best thing in the world, and I couldn't get enough of him.
The club's music began to fade away, and before I knew it, my back came into contact with something soft. When he separated our lips, I realized that we were in some sort of room and that he had laid me down on a bed.
My vision was blurry and my eyelids suddenly felt heavy. I could barely make out Jedidiah's face as he knelt between my legs on the comfy mattress. I could feel myself slipping deeper into the darkness; the last thing I heard before I was fully submerged into the abyss was Jedidiah's voice as he said:
"Now, why don't we have some fun?"