Chapter 2


    "Hey, Maya!" Prisci shouts way too enthusiastically for this early in the morning.


    I wince and wave my hand in front of her. "Not so loudly, please..." I beg her and rub at my throbbing temples: it''s like my brain switched ces with


    my heart and my heart doesn''t like my skull, so it''s trying to break free to get back to my chest. "I woke up and you weren''t there. I thought you left me


    alone in your house.” I grumble as I examine her from head to toe and back; I frown as I take in the white t shirt that''s at least three sizes too big for


    her. "Is that your Dad''s shirt?” I ask her, then I nce at the bedroom door that she''s grasping the knob on so tightly that her knuckles are white. "Did


    you juste out of your Dad''s room?"


    Prisci takes her lower lip between her teeth and nods. "Yeah. Um...you missed a lot."


    I frown as I take in her appearance, again. "You slept with your parents?”


    Prisci blushes, but shakes her head. "Not exactly..." she hedges, then she licks her lips and takes a step toward me; she grips my bicep and starts


    to lead me toward her bedroom. "You were passed out drunk when I came up to check on you, something that needs toa stop, by the way!” she growls.


    with an angry re at me that makes me look away in shame. "You were sprawled out across my bed and you were dead weight: I couldn''t move you


    and my parents were fighting, then my mom left, and all hell broke loose...” she trails off with a sigh as she leads me back toward her bed; she


    releases my arm at her bedside, then walks around the bed to sit Indian style on her side and grabs the pillow she hadn''t slept on to hug it to her.


    "Like you, my Mom got totally shitfacedst night.” Prisci says with an angry re.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    I blush, kick my shoes back off, then sit beside her on the bed; I can''t sit Indian style because of my too-tight mini skirt, but I sit sideways on my left


    hip. "I''m so sorry.” I say sheepishly and reach forward to touch her left hand; her Mom is usually a total bitch to her and even I know it only get worse


    when the woman drinks. I feel awful. "I should have been there for you."


    Prisci sighs. "My mom left in the middle of their fight.”


    I gasp, my eyes wide. "She didn''t drive.”


    Prisci nods and finally locks eyes with me. "She almost hit a woman with a baby stroller..." she exins and her eyes fill with tears of misery. "She


    was so drunk that she didn''t notice a stop sign and she swerved to miss the baby, but ended up in oing traffic. There was a van with a family,


    two kids were hurt..." she exins and buries her face in the pillow to cry; she cries quietly, her shoulders shaking the only indication of her emotional


    state.


    "Oh, shit, Pri..." I whisper, my hand moving to her shoulder. "I''m so sorry.”


    "No more drinking, Maya." she snaps, her water eyes locking with mine. "Swear to me."


    I flinch as if she pped me. "I''m not an alcoholic, Prisci. I don''t need to swear-"


    "You drink to cope, to feel, to deal. It''s the same thing." she cuts me off. "Swear it.”


    I frown, but nod. "Okay, okay. I swear. Not another drop. Ever.”


    She nods, then wipes the tears from her face. "Mom''s in the hospital..." she says as if our odd exchange hadn''t just happened. "I did actually leave


    you for a while because my Dad and I had to go see her, but she totally flipped. She''s facing some real jail time and Daddy can''t do a damned thing to


    help her this time. so she went ballistic on us both..." she trails off and her eyes ze over as she relives whatever happened in the hospital


    "Pri, don''t." I say and touch my hand to hers, again.


    Prisci snaps back to the present. "Sorry." she says smile as she looks back at my face, then she slides from the bed and smiles a real smile. "I''ll get


    dressed, then wake up my Dad to drive you home. Why don''t you go and have some orange juice to refresh your mouth?" she teases with a too-


    knowing smirk and a quirked eyebrow.


    I blush and roll my eyes, then slide from the bed and scoop up my shoes. "Whatever."


    Prisciughs softly.


    I head downstairs and toss my shoes by the front door, then slip my feet in to a pair of flip flops that Prisci always leaves there for me to use. I head


    into the kitchen and dig in the refrigerator for the carton of orange juice; as I''m pouring myself a ss, I hear doors click back upstairs and give a


    listen while I sip. I frown when I realize that it''s ridiculously quietpared to the usual activity in the mornings, but I shrug it off as my best friend


    being mindful of my hangover. After pouring myself a second ss of OJ, I look for the bread to make some toast just in time to hear Prisciing


    down the stairs.


    "Bagels are in the freezer now, so they won''t go bad as fast.” she states as she does up the zipper and button on a pair of jean shorts; she’s


    abnormally flushed for having juste down the stairs. "Daddy is gonna have a quick shower, then he''ll be ready to drive you home.” she exins


    with a deep blush before she breaks eye contact and moves to the coffee maker.


    I watch her make the coffee and purposefully avoid my eyes. "What''s wrong?”


    She doesn''t look at me. "What do you mean?"


    "I mean you''re acting weird." I say, then my eyes widen in fear. "Are you mad at me?"


    Prisci finally stares at me, stays


    silent for a few seconds too long,


    then sighs and looks away. "A little...”


    she admits as she continues


    eparing the-Coffee maker to start


    ewing. "I mean, you broke tradition


    y nassing-oul before my midnight


    rthday.and I had to sleep withsmy


    freaking father because you hddged


    mye entire bed with your dead


    weight .." sheins, then


    blushes heavily as she clicks the on


    button to the coffee maker before


    moving to the cab so that her


    back is to me. She reaches up for a


    box of her favorite toaster pastries


    and drops it on to the counter top


    with a sigh. "You were so drunk that


    I couldn''t even vent to you about the


    fight my parents had, the fact that


    my mother drove away drunk, or


    come with me to the hospital..."


    p


    b


    b


    bi


    I feel like the stinkiest piece of shit in a cat litter box. "I''m so sorry, Prisci...really."


    Prisci merely shrugs, then puts the box back on the shelf untouched. "It''s fine.”


    I move to her side, ce my hand on her shoulder, and wait for her to look at me. "I''m sorry." I say sincerely, our eyes locked together. "I''m a shitty


    friend and an even shittier person. I''ll do better. How about this..." I offer and smile as I lean a hip against the counter, then look around the messy


    kitchen and living room. "I''ll go home, shower, change, and thene back here to help you clean up. Let your Dad take you out to breakfast or


    something until I can get back here so that he doesn''t make you do it."


    Prisciughs. "Breakfast?" she asks with a quirked brow. "It''s almost 2pm, Maya."


    My head jerks around to nce at the microwave''s clock. "Well shit...lunch, then.”


    It works; Prisciughs.


    I smile at her. "Deal?"


    Prisci looks around the messy house and groans. "Deal."


    “What''s a deal?”


    We both nce up at Mr. Soleil, fresh from a shower.


    I stop breathing


    Prisci blushes, smirks, and looks away. "Maya has graciously agreed toe back and help clean up the aftermath of my party." she exins as


    she reaches for a travel coffee mug to make for her Father. "She''s going to go home to shower and change, first. but then wille back. Maybe we


    can grab lunch or something after we drop her off?" she asks as she turns off the coffee maker and hands the travel mug to her father. "I''m starved. I


    feel like I''ve run a triathlon, I''m so hungry...can''t imagine why..." she says with a smirk up at her father.


    Mr. Soleil smirks back at his Daughter, but then tries to hide it behind his cup of coffee as his eyes drift to Maya. "Ready?" he asks after taking a long


    sip of the steaming brew. "It''s after two, so I don''t think they''ll be much traffic and I need to pick up some more garbage backs as well as get this one


    some lunch before we all meet back here to clean up.” he says with a smile at Prisci as he elbows her yfully before kissing her temple tenderly.


    I can''t help but smile; I''ve always


    loved how close they are. "I''m ready,


    thanks." I say ag I move to collect


    my ss of G GJ; I chug it down, rinse


    the ss,then put it in the N


    dishwasher before heading to thes


    door ta Slide the flip flops off. Istide


    on my. heels, then scoop up my


    purse and follow them to the garage


    afd hop into the backseat with my


    bestie; I try my best to make her


    laugh as much as possible because


    of the night she suffered without me


    and, all too soon, we''re at my house.


    I climb from the car, thank her Dad,


    then hurry inside to shower.


    "Maya?"


    I freeze on the bottom step, the door mming shut behind me. "Yeah, Dad?"


    "Are you just getting home?!"


    I roll my eyes even though he can''t see me. "No big deal. I stayed at Pri’s.


    He appears in the entryway to the living room. "You could have called.”


    "Dad, seriously?" I gasp in


    exasperation as I step off the stairs


    to walk toward. him. "It was Pri''s


    birthday. I takd’you that. I always


    stay overfor her birthday. Why arex


    you tripping out about it all of a ~


    S


    p


    udder?” I demand as I lean dawn to


    uck hy heels off. "I mean, its not


    ke=." I begin, then trail off when I


    sé my Father''s wide eyes focusing


    on me way too hard to be normal. I


    follow his gaze to find my cleavage


    practically spilling out over the top of


    my way too tight blouse and I


    immediately stand to my full height


    while covering my chest.


    >)


    I feel myself blush. “Sorry.” I whisper and can''t even bring myself to look him in the face. "I''m going to grab a shower and change. I promised to help


    Prisci and her Dad clean up the warzone that the party left her house..." I ramble on and back away toward the stairs.


    "You''re going back out?" he grumbles.


    I nce back at his face. "Dad, what''s your deal today? I''m always with Pri.”


    "Maybe you might try staying home sometimes, is all..." he counters tiredly.