A/N: Two years later... oops. Hope y'all have been safe during quarantine, and I hope everyone is okay! Thank you for reading.
A/N 1/27/24: I did not realize that I never finished posting this chapter. The world has been through so much lately and I've had this chapter sitting in my drafts for 4 years.
So, in reality... Six years later... oops.
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I thought that love was in the drugs
But the more I took
The more it took away
But the more I took
The more it took away
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Alicia stepped softly on the pavement, Asher following behind her, hands in his coat pockets as he watched Alicia as she complained about a difficult customer she'd dealt with the day prior.
He smiled at her, a soft chuckle making her pause and furrow her brows in confusion. "What? Why are you laughing?"
He laughed a little bit more, smiling wider as he stepped in front of her, continuing on their walk. "You're cute when you go off on a tangent like that."
He smiled at her, a soft chuckle making her pause and furrow her brows in confusion. "What? Why are you laughing?"
He laughed a little bit more, smiling wider as he stepped in front of her, continuing on their walk. "You're cute when you go off on a tangent like that."
Alicia felt blood rush to her cheeks, a smile forming on her lips. She brushed a section of her hair behind her ear, following behind the redheaded man. They settled into a comfortable silence, watching passerby's as they drank from their milkshakes. They'd gotten into a habit of doing this every couple of days for the past month, and they had grown quickly attached to each other.
"Oh!" Alicia exclaimed, pulling her phone out and quickly searching for a picture. She pulled up the one Aislynn showed her the week before, showing it to Asher. "I'm not really a party person, but dressing up in glow-y body paint sounds... fun, I guess? So, would you like to go?"
Asher scanned the picture, 'hmmmm'-ing and looking up at Alicia. "That's tonight."
Alicia nodded, taking her phone back and sliding it in her pocket. She shrugged, continuing to walk as Asher followed along. He pondered the idea, before nodding.
"Alright, sounds fun. I'll go."
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Alicia watched herself in the mirror, her makeup bold and bright. She went out and bought body paint made to glow under a blacklight. She had two stripes of pink on her cheeks, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and patterns drawn across her arms. She adjusted the top she was wearing, letting out a sigh as she turned back to Aislynn.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Aislynn smiled, applying a final stroke on her fingernail polish and looking over to Alicia. "Of course. We deserve a fun night out after all the work and studying we've been doing. Plus," She added in a singing voice. "Your boyfriend is coming."
Alicia rolled her eyes, giving the dark haired woman a glare. "He's not my boyfriend. We've known each other for a month."
"And you've seen each other almost every day." Aislynn responded, pushing herself up from where she was sitting on the couch. She was interrupted by a knock on the door, turning to look at the entrance. Aislynn stepped forward, opening the door to reveal Asher, standing there with a grin and a loose-fitting tank top, body paint drawn into geometric shapes across his body.
Asher extended a hand, greeting Aislynn. "Hi, I'm Asher. You must be Alicia's roommate. It's nice to finally meet you."
Aislynn took the man's hand, pulling him into a friendly hug. She then released him, giving him a big smile. "It's nice to meet you, too." She turned back to Alicia, grabbing the keys from where they were hanging by the door. "Are we ready to go?"
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The drive to the venue was uneventful, Alicia taking the role of designated driver and pulling into a parking spot close to the building. She stepped out of the car, two small chirps emitting from the vehicle as she locked it. She turned to the other two, shoving the keys in her purse and gesturing towards where people were entering and exiting the venue.
The venue looked like an abandoned warehouse, all concrete and dangling light fixtures that shook with the bass. The crowd was dancing to the music, a sea of up and down jumping and sporadic twisting. Aislynn turned to Alicia and Asher, pointing a thumb over at the bar and mouthing “I’ll be right back.”
Alicia nodded, moving to face Asher. The building was dark, black lights hanging from the ceiling the only light in the place. Asher’s paint stripes glowed orange and green, bright neons complimenting his fair skin.
“So, shall we dance?” Asher jokingly extended an arm, which Alicia took. He twirled her around, eliciting a small laugh from the girl. He then joined in on the jumping and swaying of the crowd, a goofy grin on his face.
Alicia stood there for a moment, enjoying the view of Asher having fun when she felt Aislynn’s hand brush against her arms.
“Hey. I got you guys some drinks.” She handed a cup to Alicia, and another to Asher once she waved him down. Alicia sipped on the drink, a sweet non-alcoholic punch on her tastebuds.
The three of them traversed the crowd, making their way to the middle where a disco ball of various colors hung above them.
The three of them danced together, Alicia’s hands finding Aislynn’s as the two friends laughed together. Alicia eventually moved back to dancing with Asher, his hands on her waist and hers finding their way to wrap around the back of his neck. He pulled her into a kiss, his lips tasting like cheap vodka and fruit punch. The kiss intensified for a few seconds before Alicia pulled away, taking a deep breath and laughing.
“I’m gonna go get another drink. All of this is dehydrating.”
Alicia broke away from the embrace, making her way through the crowd to the bar. She smiled at the bartender, a dark haired girl with tattoos and a lip ring. “Could I get some punch, please? No alcohol.”
The lady smiled at Alicia, filling the cup up as Alicia turned away to survey the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw someone she recognized, her hearing tuning into their conversation.
“—someone has to take him, because he can’t stay with me anymore.” A male’s voice angrily spat, to which a familiar sounding woman replied.
“C’mon, Madison. We have to help him. He’s going through—“
“A hard time, yeah. We get it. We all are. But he is the only one who’s coked up.” Another familiar man’s voice said.
“C’mon, Tommy. That’s not fair.” Alicia finally turned to see who spoke, and saw the group of people she went to high school with. Jonas was the one who replied to Thomas, standing there with Liza and another man—Madison, she presumed—looking into the crowd at a man who was dancing, jumping up and down, a wild look in his eyes. It took a moment for Alicia to recognize him, but when she did, she shouted his name.
“Nico?”
He turned to face her, a wide grin breaking across his face when he saw her. He made his way through the crowd, pulling Alicia into a hug when he got to her.
He smelled strongly of booze and cigarette smoke, more than anyone else in the venue. She could tell that he was on something by the way he held her tight, letting go of her after a couple of seconds.
"Alicia! Hey!" He smiled at her, turning back to the others.
The group waved at her, small, awkward smiles on their faces as they did so. It was obvious they were annoyed with his antics, and Alicia could see why they would be.
"Nico, c'mon. We have to talk about something." Madison said, his stormy grey eyes glaring at Nico. "You need to find another place to stay, I can't have you at my place anymore."
Nico frowned, crossing his arms at the man. "And why not, Mads?"
Mads rolled his eyes, giving Nico a small huff. "You know why. I can't have you dragging your mess into my apartment. Look, man, we've been friends since we were born, but this is getting out of control. You need help."
Nico looked stunned, a heartbroken expression forming on his features. "But-but-"
"Nico, he's right." Liza interjected, a soft look on her face. It was obvious they all cared about him and were worried about him. "You need help, but we're done enabling you. It's time for you to get out of this funk you're in."
Nico took a step back, folding his arms together and looking away and into the crowd.
Alicia suddenly interjected, speaking before she really had time to think about what she was saying.
"He can stay with me." The group turned to look at her. "For a little while, if he wants." Nico cracked a small smile at her. "But no more of this. You need to get help if you're going to stay with me."
Nico nodded, taking a beat before responding. "Okay. Yeah. If that's what everyone thinks is best, I'll do it."
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"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Aislynn smiled, applying a final stroke on her fingernail polish and looking over to Alicia. "Of course. We deserve a fun night out after all the work and studying we've been doing. Plus," She added in a singing voice. "Your boyfriend is coming."
Alicia rolled her eyes, giving the dark haired woman a glare. "He's not my boyfriend. We've known each other for a month."
"And you've seen each other almost every day." Aislynn responded, pushing herself up from where she was sitting on the couch. She was interrupted by a knock on the door, turning to look at the entrance. Aislynn stepped forward, opening the door to reveal Asher, standing there with a grin and a loose-fitting tank top, body paint drawn into geometric shapes across his body.
Asher extended a hand, greeting Aislynn. "Hi, I'm Asher. You must be Alicia's roommate. It's nice to finally meet you."
Aislynn took the man's hand, pulling him into a friendly hug. She then released him, giving him a big smile. "It's nice to meet you, too." She turned back to Alicia, grabbing the keys from where they were hanging by the door. "Are we ready to go?"
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The drive to the venue was uneventful, Alicia taking the role of designated driver and pulling into a parking spot close to the building. She stepped out of the car, two small chirps emitting from the vehicle as she locked it. She turned to the other two, shoving the keys in her purse and gesturing towards where people were entering and exiting the venue.
The venue looked like an abandoned warehouse, all concrete and dangling light fixtures that shook with the bass. The crowd was dancing to the music, a sea of up and down jumping and sporadic twisting. Aislynn turned to Alicia and Asher, pointing a thumb over at the bar and mouthing “I’ll be right back.”
Alicia nodded, moving to face Asher. The building was dark, black lights hanging from the ceiling the only light in the place. Asher’s paint stripes glowed orange and green, bright neons complimenting his fair skin.
“So, shall we dance?” Asher jokingly extended an arm, which Alicia took. He twirled her around, eliciting a small laugh from the girl. He then joined in on the jumping and swaying of the crowd, a goofy grin on his face.
Alicia stood there for a moment, enjoying the view of Asher having fun when she felt Aislynn’s hand brush against her arms.
“Hey. I got you guys some drinks.” She handed a cup to Alicia, and another to Asher once she waved him down. Alicia sipped on the drink, a sweet non-alcoholic punch on her tastebuds.
The three of them traversed the crowd, making their way to the middle where a disco ball of various colors hung above them.
The three of them danced together, Alicia’s hands finding Aislynn’s as the two friends laughed together. Alicia eventually moved back to dancing with Asher, his hands on her waist and hers finding their way to wrap around the back of his neck. He pulled her into a kiss, his lips tasting like cheap vodka and fruit punch. The kiss intensified for a few seconds before Alicia pulled away, taking a deep breath and laughing.
“I’m gonna go get another drink. All of this is dehydrating.”
Alicia broke away from the embrace, making her way through the crowd to the bar. She smiled at the bartender, a dark haired girl with tattoos and a lip ring. “Could I get some punch, please? No alcohol.”
The lady smiled at Alicia, filling the cup up as Alicia turned away to survey the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw someone she recognized, her hearing tuning into their conversation.
“—someone has to take him, because he can’t stay with me anymore.” A male’s voice angrily spat, to which a familiar sounding woman replied.
“C’mon, Madison. We have to help him. He’s going through—“
“A hard time, yeah. We get it. We all are. But he is the only one who’s coked up.” Another familiar man’s voice said.
“C’mon, Tommy. That’s not fair.” Alicia finally turned to see who spoke, and saw the group of people she went to high school with. Jonas was the one who replied to Thomas, standing there with Liza and another man—Madison, she presumed—looking into the crowd at a man who was dancing, jumping up and down, a wild look in his eyes. It took a moment for Alicia to recognize him, but when she did, she shouted his name.
“Nico?”
He turned to face her, a wide grin breaking across his face when he saw her. He made his way through the crowd, pulling Alicia into a hug when he got to her.
He smelled strongly of booze and cigarette smoke, more than anyone else in the venue. She could tell that he was on something by the way he held her tight, letting go of her after a couple of seconds.
"Alicia! Hey!" He smiled at her, turning back to the others.
The group waved at her, small, awkward smiles on their faces as they did so. It was obvious they were annoyed with his antics, and Alicia could see why they would be.
"Nico, c'mon. We have to talk about something." Madison said, his stormy grey eyes glaring at Nico. "You need to find another place to stay, I can't have you at my place anymore."
Nico frowned, crossing his arms at the man. "And why not, Mads?"
Mads rolled his eyes, giving Nico a small huff. "You know why. I can't have you dragging your mess into my apartment. Look, man, we've been friends since we were born, but this is getting out of control. You need help."
Nico looked stunned, a heartbroken expression forming on his features. "But-but-"
"Nico, he's right." Liza interjected, a soft look on her face. It was obvious they all cared about him and were worried about him. "You need help, but we're done enabling you. It's time for you to get out of this funk you're in."
Nico took a step back, folding his arms together and looking away and into the crowd.
Alicia suddenly interjected, speaking before she really had time to think about what she was saying.
"He can stay with me." The group turned to look at her. "For a little while, if he wants." Nico cracked a small smile at her. "But no more of this. You need to get help if you're going to stay with me."
Nico nodded, taking a beat before responding. "Okay. Yeah. If that's what everyone thinks is best, I'll do it."
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Nico sighed as he fell onto the couch, looking up at the Alicia, before turning his eyes to Aislynn and Asher. The man looked between the two girls, his face holding a concerned expression as his eyes fell back to Alicia. "I'll let the two of you handle this for now." He turned to glance at Nico for a moment, and then back to Alicia. "I'll text you in the morning?"
Alicia nodded, giving him a smile and a short kiss on the cheek before watching him walk out the door. She let out a long breath before she faced Nico again, who was rubbing his eyes with his palms and starting to look irritated.
"I see you haven't changed much," Aislynn quipped, annoyance written on her face at Nico.
"Aislynn, right. We never talked much in high school. Thanks for letting me crash here for a bit." Nico looked up at her, the energy and cheerfulness from earlier rapidly fading.
"Thank Alicia, not me." There was a pause while Alicia and Aislynn looked at each other. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you both in the morning."
Alicia and Nico both nodded, the red-haired man giving her a wave as she walked to her bedroom.
There was a tense silence following Aislynn's departure, both Nico and Alicia avoiding the other's gaze. After a minute, the quiet broke when Alicia turned to Nico and spoke.
"So, blankets. I have a few spare ones in the linen closet, let me grab them." Walking away, she rummaged through the closet to pull out two relatively warm throw blankets. She tossed her head Nico's direction once more. "One pillow or two?"
Nico's head jerked up from where it was buried in his hands, letting out a long breath as he processed what she asked. "Uh, one is fine. Thanks."
Pulling the pillow out of the basket it was sitting in, she slid a pillowcase on it, bundling it and the two blankets under her arms and making her way back to the man, handing it over. Another few seconds of silence fell between them as he took the items and set them on the seat next to him.
"Look. Nico, I'm not going to give you a lecture or judgement or anything. I know you've been through..." She paused, an empathetic look growing on her features.
'More than I could possibly imagine,' she thought to herself. She knew what happened, of course. She heard the stories. The rumors. The gossip about everything that happened on prom night, and after. Nico's downward spiral.
"A lot," she finally finished, moving to sit down next to Nico, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here for you. I know we haven't talked in a while..." She thought back to the weeks and months after prom night. The viewed and unreturned messages. "And I know we were never particularly close, but I care about you. I want you to be okay, and I want you to know that I'm here for you."
Nico turned his head to look at her, his eyes started to glisten with tears. His cheeks her slowly becoming pink, and his breathing hitched for a moment. "I'm..."
It looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it, giving her a weak smile instead. "Thanks, Alicia. I appreciate it."
The two locked eyes for a moment, a genuine smile forming on both of their faces before Alicia broke the silence. "Get some rest. I'm going to go wash all this body paint off of me. You can have the shower after me, if you'd like."
Pushing herself off the couch and making her way to the bathroom, she turned and gave Nico one final smile. "You're going to be okay. We'll get you through this."
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