I decide not to answer even though this decision is destroying me a little inside. I couldn't let the past come at me again, I didn't want to even remember the moments I spent with Darren. Adelaide looked confused at my facial expression, it was clear that she was thinking deeply about the fact that I had the expression of a wounded man. After we finish our coffee, we go to the college and find out that classes have been suspended due to a meeting. I go back to the apartment and find Finn there too.
"Weren't you supposed to be at college?"
I ask him.
"Half the university has been suspended. Come on, how much do you like to make fun of yourself?"
"What you mean?" I raise an eyebrow at these words.
"Be serious Hugo, I know very well that you sleep with whoever you can since my sister died, you are not what you were before. I have to remind you that I still haven't forgiven you."
We have this discussion every week, and he is drunk and probably injected some drug into his veins, most likely heroin. About 2 years ago I found out that he was taking drugs and that he was drinking. At first I tried to stop him, I tried to tell him it's not good but he always didn't care. He accused me of killing Nevaeh. He accused me of not knowing how to take care of her and that she died because of me and my negligence. I go to my bedroom and lock myself there, I lock myself because when he's drunk he's sometimes violent. The only reason we live together is because we had discussed moving to Seattle long before Nevaeh died. My phone beeped, it was a message.
"Hi Hugo, I'm Mason, me and Adelaide have noticed you're a bit tense and we were wondering if you'd like to come with me and Kristen to Adelaide's house. Some of the literature students will be coming, take Finn too, if you can get him to come."
"Ok, I'll convince him if I can't I'll come alone. What time should we come?"
"At 19:00."
I still had a few hours to get him out of this state, I didn't want to take him there drunk and drugged. If I don't succeed, I will go alone.
"Finn, get up."
"You don't tell me what to do! Murderer! You killed my sister, the only one who understood me! I will never forgive you.
"He grabs my hand, gets up and pushes me onto the sofa, stands on top of me and starts strangling me. It wasn't the first time he did it so I know what to do, I don't panic even though my instinct told me to push him. Instead I grab the hand he was strangling me with, knowing that when he's drunk he hates touch, it reminds him of what Darren did to him when he was drunk.
When he feels my touch,he leaves, leaves me alone on the sofa. It was clear that I couldn't take him there, there was no way he would fully recover in just 5 hours. The hours were passing so I decide to get ready, I took a shower and dressed in some basic clothes, I was just going to spend a night with friends, I wasn't going to an event. Finn seems to have woken up a bit from his drunkenness and received a similar message the only difference was that he received the message from Kristen. We call a taxi and arrive at the destination. Adelaide was welcoming us. Inside were Kristen, Mason, Sarah, Christina and…Carl? I didn't know that Carl was in Seattle. I greet them and Carl notices the confused look on my face.
"You're probably wondering what the hell I'm doing here."
"That's exactly what I'm wondering."
"Do you know each other?" Kristen asks.
"Of course we're cousins, we just don't talk that much."
"Who wants to play Spin the Bottle?"
We all said we wanted to. Kristen spins the first bottle and kisses Sarah, the tension between the two of them was all over the room, their kiss was long longer than many people who play the game do. After a few more kisses, it's my turn to spin the bottle, I spin it and it lands on Kristen. The kiss was short, I didn't want to kiss her long because at this moment I didn't need comfort and a long kiss. Then it's Finn's turn, it lands on Carl.
Finn
Carl? Why the hell did it land on Carl? I don't even know him, at least it's good that it didn't land on Hugo. He kisses me, long and passionately, I didn't understand where this passion came from all of a sudden. I'm ashamed to admit it but he really knows how to kiss, I blush, which makes Adelaide giggle.
"Looks like someone fell in love."
I blush even harder and even Carl chuckles. I'm not the type of person to fall in love at first sight but now I think it just happened.