Burn Before Reading(80)

“Let’s go,” Fitz sat up. “I’m hungry.”

“Me too,” I agreed, my stomach gurgling ravenously.

We sat up and walked upstairs together. It was strange; even moving my body felt good, like I was doing it in slow motion, underwater, like I was moving through a room chock full of the fluffiest, most cottony pillows ever. Fitz and I crammed our paper plates with turkey and fancy omelets and cheesecake before collapsing on the nearest available couch. Someone had turned on some music, and people were dancing in the living room. It looked fun. If just moving my body felt good, I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to dance like that. Fitz saw me staring, and once we finished eating he pulled me up.

“C’mon. Dance with me.”

“I can’t!” I laughed. The sound of my own voice startled me. How long had it been since I laughed like this – like I was excited and really having fun?

“You have no choice, madam. I put secret dancing juice into those pills,” He whispered, and I laughed again. He led me through the crowd to the center.

“I seriously can’t dance,” I insisted. Fitz smiled back at me over his shoulder.

“Just listen to the music. Don’t think about anything else – just listen to the drums.”

I might’ve been high, but I wasn’t totally unaware of how I looked. I swayed nervously. Suddenly, Fitz flailed his arms and legs in an enthusiastic dance. Nothing I’d do would look anywhere near as bad. I laughed so much my stomach felt sore, and when I came up for air all I could hear was my blood rushing in my ears and the drums pounding on them. This music was great. I raised my arms, the pillows pressing against my skin again, all over, so soft and comforting.

We danced until I felt like my face was on fire. Fitz pulled me by the hand out of the crowd.

“I’m so hot,” He gasped.

“And you know it!” I elbowed him. He chuckled and pointed at the glass doors leading out of the kitchen and to the pool outside.

“Let’s get some air.”

There were way less people outside than inside. When the cool autumn air kissed my sweaty skin, I almost gasped. It felt incredible – like suntanning for hours and then dipping into the cold ocean. I nursed my pleasant chicken skin as Fitz took off his shoes and put his feet in the pool. I did the same. For a while, we watched the stars, swirling our feet in the water. People outside started to filter inside when someone yelled ‘beer pong’. Soon it was only me and Fitz left. I briefly wondered where Wolf had gone – Burn said he was out here before.

Fitz’s eyes wandered up the legs of a girl playing beer pong inside. He nudged me.

“I’m going to go get a drink. You stay here, okay? Do you want anything?”

I shook my head. He moved to get up, but I clutched his arm.

“Thank you, Fitz. For this.”

He smiled, playfully. “Anything for my dowdy little scholarshipper.”

He disappeared inside the house, leaving me with the delightful emptiness in my head. In a way, it was sort of like how I felt skydiving, except without the adrenaline. In fact, I probably had negative adrenaline, with how slow I felt. Even my blinks felt like they took ages. The water was so cool on my feet, and my body was so comfortable. The world went dark.

I don’t remember anything that happened after that, pen-and-paper. The next thing I remembered was shouting. Lots of loud voices, all at once. They were soft, but they slowly grew until they were tearing across my eardrums.

“I can’t believe you did this!” A furious voice, burning from the inside, consuming every sound in its flames.

“It was one second, Wolf!” A melodious voice, angry, but fluid and bright, like a fizzy drink. The wildfire voice burst forth again.

“One second? You’re telling me you left her alone, intentionally, to what, go chase your tranquilizers with bourbon? Is your fucking party high more important than her?”

“He chased a girl,” A third voice said, low and even, like wet gray sand, though the edges of it trembled.

“A girl,” the fire voice sneered. “You disgust me.”

“I didn’t know she’d fall in –“

“She was your responsibility!” Fire shouted so loudly it echoed. “She trusted you, and you abandoned her, and if she’s permanently hurt I swear to God, whether you’re my brother or not I will tear your spine out through your throat –“

Something soft was beneath me – not the pillows, something more solid than that. I opened my eyes, the air so cold. My body felt wet all over, pools of it staining the bedsheets beneath me. I was in a room, hazy people gathered around me. Someone sat on the bed next to me, someone huge and broad, and two people stood, shouting at each other.

“B-Burn?” I tried. My voice was hoarse, and it hurt to talk. The figure looked at me. My vision cleared – it was Burn, his face softening with worry.

“There you are. Are you alright?”

I laughed, though it hurt. “I feel like shit.”

He grinned a small grin at our inside joke, and helped me sit up, slowly. The change in elevation made my lungs squeeze, and I started coughing. I couldn’t stop, the coughs wracked my body. He handed me a glass of water, and I drank greedily.

“My throat’s on fire,” I managed. Wolf was now in front of me, green eyes burning.