Vodka

Being totally honest it was never my drink, but whatever it was Friday night and I totally felt like getting bombed. I'm talking whole new levels of high score. They'd invent a new name for this.

Three Cherry Bombs (that's Rum and and Coke with a Grenadine shot followed by a swig of Rum Straight from the bottle, eat your heart out Johnny Depp) in and I was feeling it.

So, rather stupidly I switched to Vodka. Mostly, because it's what my best friend had. It seemed like a good idea. Never trust drunk thoughts.

Mine were typically dumb like "oh my god, I need the entire work of William S. Burroughs"  Where as Elle's were strange like "oh my lets break out a Ouija board while we're all drunk."

Yet, here I was in her house getting drunk. When some nameless male model type passed me a blunt. I took a deep hit and considered my options. I could bail now. Something in my swimming head told me that was not happening. 

"Peaches, do that thing you do." Elle asked me begging in that way that gets her most things.

"It's not a thing." I say kind of trying to sink into the sofa.

"It totally is. Just because one person hasn't manifested right." Elle said sympathetically. I knew she just wanted me to do what she wanted but, it was nice hearing.

"You're just saying that." I said giving her my best drunken smirk."You know me I'm rarely sincere." She said with a sadistic little chuckle.

I took the sharpie from her hand. I started to stare at the bare shoulder she turned to me. I zoned out. The first time I did this we were 12 watching the copy of Trainspotting our friend Thalia brought. I wrote on Thalia that she would get the lead in the play. We didn't really think anything of it until she did.

To this day, my accuracy is alarmingly high.

I had this new feature, one that I didn't tell anyone about not yet. If I wrote something it came true. It was different from the predictions. It had to be like affirmational, like "I am really marrying my boyfriend" it couldn't be I wish.

I looked at Elle's skin it said "Elle will get promoted." I smiled letting her go off to discover what I had written.

I was not so cocky as to believe the wishes granted had anything to do with anything inside me.

Hours later, I was drunk and a little baked sprawled on the sofa feeling more than a little sorry for myself. Elle didn't even think to thank me I'll bet. I hated to admit it, I could really use a hug, some love. No one really tried talking to me.

I was just the friend group's glorified fortune cookie. I began to wonder with the keen insight of a drunken Master. Did my best friend not actually like me?

If Elle kept me around like a trinket, did that mean I'd wasted years?

"Elle I want to go home." I said with a whine. Elle rolled her eyes and looked at me. She sighed and reached over her head, handing me a black rotary phone. I looked down at it, confused. I have spent more time at Elle's house then my own apartment, I have never seen this phone before. The deadpan delivery as Elle spoke to me also was puzzling.

"Dial this number and say you need a ride, nothing more." She said handing me a card. I was confused but I dialed.  She seemed done with me and anything I might need. She didn't even offer me a hug good bye.

"Now go wait outside for a black cab." Elle said oddly cold. Feeling confused I just left.

Grumbling and falling deeper in my thoughts, was Elle playing a joke were they going to laugh inside watching me wait for a cab that would never come?

"Stiff upper lip." I said trying to steel myself. Whatever this night had in store I'd survive, I vowed to myself.

I walked into the night, sure enough waiting outside there was a black cab. I stared absolutely dumbfounded, I couldn't believe it. A black cab that shone like polished Obsidian. Shaking I opened the back seat door, maybe I had been too drunk.

I climbed inside. The cab driver said nothing to me he just drove off into the night.

Odd.

"Excuse me, I need to go to 567 Copper Pot Lane" I said weakly.

To no response.

A deep yawn emanating from my soul came out before I could say anything else. My eyes felt heavy and my lids started to droop.

Suddenly I felt sleepy. I could not stay awake. When I did manage to startle awake, I'd see spectral figures along the road. Somehow my brain lulled me into thinking this wasn't frightening at all.

I'd find myself quickly falling back asleep. This kept happening, over and over. I started to feel very warm.  It wasn't uncomfortable yet.

Somehow, somewhere between dozing and waking, a girl who had dark hair and piercing eyes sat down next to me. A strange feat, if I had been thinking more clearly; but I was drunk, and found myself staring into her silvery grey eyes.

“H… Hello?” I felt a dryness in my mouth as I spoke.

“Shhh…” She whispered calmly, the echo of her voice as voice as sweet as honey.

My gaze remained transfixed, and I found myself unwilling to look away.

“My presence here is not meant to alarm you,” she said. But I don’t

think I saw her mouth moving at all. Her words seemed to radiate from her, as she added simply, "You are right."

I closed my eyes a tear slipping free. The weight lifting from my soul for once. I don’t know how much time had passed, but I felt like I had been asleep for hours. The space was far too warm, and it had the light and haze that a cab shouldn’t. But my brain didn’t process this, my thoughts swimming around in my head in some kind of drunken stupor.

Or… was it for some other reason?

Suddenly I woke back up again. I was still in the cab’s back seat, with Elle looking at me curiously. I’d wondered how long we’d been here. I shook my head remembering Elle could not be here. I waved at here with my wrist hanging limp, just in case.

Were we parked or moving? It was hard to tell.

My wooziness told me we were in fact still moving.

Sunlight pierced through my window as I rolled over in my own bed. Not really sure how I got here but, I knew the step I had to take next