Igroaned and peeled my lids open. The light was stabbing through the edge of the curtain, and I could hear people talking. Were they outside? What day was it? I was groggy, and I felt like I had a never-ending hangover.

The voices were louder than before, and they sounded closer. I twisted to see the rest of my apartment, and I thought I saw two bodies in the kitchen area. That couldn’t be right. Who would be here? My hand searched for my phone, but it wasn’t in its usual place.

If I didn’t know better, I would think I was being held hostage. In my own house, though? That didn’t make sense, but who were those people, and what were they saying?

I strained my ears, but it was still white noise. Then it appeared like they were coming closer. I quickly shut my eyes and played dead—well, asleep. Unless I was supposed to be dead, maybe I should hold my breath just in case.

“Just check on her, will you?” That sounded like Davia’s voice.

What the actual fuck?

“Why do I need to check on her? She’s your ex?” another person questioned.

I didn’t recognize them, but I was right about Davia.

“Do you want part of the money?” Davia snarled, and I bit my tongue.

What money? Were they robbing me?

“I helped you get her here. If you cut me out now, I’ll go to the cops.”

“Oh yeah? And tell them what? I got back together with my ex and have every reason to be here, and what’s your excuse?”

Got back together with me? Bitch, please. Nothing in this world would make me take her back.

“I’ll tell them you drugged her.” This voice had a slight niggling of familiarity, but I couldn’t place it.

“How will you prove that? Everyone saw Caz drinking with us. I’ll just tell them she was ready for a wild night, and we already have the pictures to prove it. You’re better off keeping your mouth shut, and we can sell the photos to some trashy rag mag.”

Pictures? Of me… with her? Or worse, both of them?

I peeked one eye open, and I saw the taller girl approaching. I think I remembered her as Carrie or Charlie or something like that. Once she got closer, I pretended to be sleeping, and I felt a warmth getting closer to my mouth. Holy shit, was she going to kiss me? I looked just in time to see a hand, but thankfully, she wasn’t paying attention.

“She’s still breathing,” she called out, and I wanted to bite her.

What did she mean, still breathing? There was a chance I wouldn’t be?

“She’s been out for a few hours now. How much did you give her?”

“I don’t know. I’m not a scientist. When she turned to look at you, I had to act fast. I didn’t measure it out.” So much for Davia turning over a new leaf. If anything, she was worse than ever.

“Should I try to wake her?”

“Why would you do that? I grabbed all the valuable stuff that we could pawn. And since she’s still alive, we can leave guilt-free.” Of course, she wouldn’t have remorse for drugging me, stealing from me, or exploiting me. As long as her victim lived, Davia didn’t care how her actions affected them.

I would have burst into action like a raging bull if I had the energy. But my body felt as heavy as lead, chaining me to the bed while they slipped away without the punishment they deserved.

“All right. Should I call the police and have them do a wellness check?” At least the C person had a conscience.

“You just did that, dummy.” Davia’s voice was scathing, and I had no idea how I ever found her attractive. “Let’s go.”

I could hear footsteps as they marched across the tile floor, but then a loud pounding sound startled me.

“Caz!” Matrix’s voice boomed.

Oh my god, was he going to save me?

“Go away. She doesn’t want to see you,” Davia screamed through the door, and my muscles started to come alive.

“I’m going to use my spare key if you don’t open this door!” He wasn’t backing down.

I didn’t know what brought him here, but I was thankful.

“What do you want?” Davia seethed, but I heard the door slam open.

“Caz?” Matrix's tone echoed with concern.

I opened my eyes and propped myself up as best I could. “Over here.” I was weak, and my throat was scratchy, but I could see my house was full of people. I couldn’t make everyone out, but I could tell the bad ones were pinned to the ground by two big blondes. “Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked him as he rushed to my bed.

“Shiloh.” All he said was that one word, but it profoundly affected my racing heart.

“Is she here?” I needed to see her, but he kept me from moving.

“I’m here.” She limped toward me, and I wanted to sweep her into my arms and carry her.

“What happened? Are you okay?” My voice was still strained, but seeing her caused the blood to flow through my body again.

“I’ll leave you two alone. I have to make sure my girl doesn’t break anyone’s arm.” Matrix chuckled as he headed down to the entryway, where it appeared Devon and Sonya were making a citizen’s arrest.

“Don’t worry about me.” Shiloh’s hand floated lazily through the air, and I wondered if my vision was off or her movements were. She continued shuffling toward me until she sank onto the bed beside me. “Turns out I’m a little high.”

“Hey, I think I might be, too.” We both laughed, but I wasn’t even sure what was funny. “Is your leg okay?” I could tell she was in pain from the look on her face, but she also appeared dazed.

“Yeah, I might have broken a toe or two, I’m not sure.” She rested her head against my chest, and I wrapped my arm around her.

“Want to talk about it?” I urged her to relax on the bed, and she curled up next to me, leaving her sore foot dangling off the edge.

As I held her close, I could feel the steady rhythm of our heartbeats syncing, creating a sense of calm in this chaotic moment. Maybe it was our impaired state, but there was no awkwardness or anxiety about what this meant or why it felt so right. It was comforting to have someone who brought me peace, and I wanted to keep that as close to me as possible.

“Ember is wax fruit.”

I nodded as if I understood that completely, even though I hadn’t the faintest idea what that meant.

“She looks tasty from a distance, but when you bite into her, you get the ugly truth.” She sighed and closed her eyes.

“I think that’s Davia, too.” I mindlessly played with her hair.

“Why do we fall for fake shit?” I didn’t know if that was a rhetorical question or not, but I was feeling philosophical, so I decided to answer.