Irresistible Refrain

15

An insistent rapping that matched the pounding in my head woke me. Bleary eyed, I squinted at the hotel clock.

Shit. I had slept the whole fucking day. No surprise given the amount of liquor I’d consumed.

Someone banged on the door again. “Hold on!” I shouted, swaying unsteadily as I shoved my legs into my jeans and managed a couple of buttons before I made it to the door and swung it open.

“You look like crap,” Dizzy pronounced after looking me over.

I shrugged. Incidentally, not a good move when you’ve got a hangover as bad as mine.

“War told me to get you.” Dizzy came into the room, glanced at the all the empty bottles, and raised a brow. “You drink all that by yourself?” he asked.

I nodded, which was another bad idea. The motion made the room rock and my stomach roll. I ran to the bathroom, rejecting whatever was left in my tortured guts.

Dizzy walked in just as I was flushing the toilet. He leaned his rear against the counter. “What’s going on? The guys and I heard you and War arguing on the bus. Sounded like he threatened you.”

I stood up slowly holding onto the door frame for support before pushing Dizzy aside to unwrap one of the plastic drinking cups so I could rinse the vile taste out of my mouth. “Can you give me a break here?” My gaze met his in the mirror as I pulled out a toothbrush from my bag.

Dizzy unsympathetically shook his head. “This is because of my sister, isn’t it?”

Toothbrush sticking out of the corner of my mouth, I closed my eyes and nodded.

“He finally find out about prom?”

I shook my head. No. Not yet. Thank God. Be more than just a shove and a warning when he found out about that. I went back to scouring my teeth.

“What then?” His eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you slept with her again?”

I spit, drank a sip of water, rinsed, and spit again. “Dizzy, c’mon.”

“No, Bryan. You come on. You know how War is about her. Remember what happened when he found out about her and Martin?”

“Yeah, I remember.” Dizzy knew the basic facts, but he didn’t know the whole of it. War’d scared the hell out of me though. I’d found out how deep his feelings for Lace ran as well as how closely they mirrored my own. This was such a fucked up mess. “You know Lace is using now too?”

“Yeah Bryan, I fucking know. She said she’s quitting. That she’s got it under control.”

“And you believe her?”

“I gotta believe her.” He shrugged, but appeared troubled. “What can I do? It’s her life.”

Yeah, that was pretty much the same basic conclusion I’d come to…after nearly drowning myself in a sea of booze, thus the God awful hangover. I was really worried how this was all going to play out in the end. War’s warning hadn’t been an idle threat. I knew he would do anything to keep her, just as I would give up anything for a chance to make her mine. Knowing that they were both shooting up had ratcheted up my sense of urgency about everything. I didn’t want a replay of what’d happened with War before.

2 years ago

“War! Asshole! Open the damn door!” I yelled. When he didn’t, I looked over my shoulder and gave War’s mom a wary glance. She looked just as concerned. Her hands were clasped tightly together in front of her.

“How long’s he been in there?”

“Since last night.”

Fuck, I thought.

“He was really upset when he came in.” She bit her lip. “I haven’t seen him that upset since the time he tried to see his dad.”

Yeah, well, I definitely remembered how that went down, and that wasn’t a good sign. I banged on War’s bedroom door again.

Nothing.

“I’m gonna break it down. Ok, Ms. Jinkins?”

She nodded.

I kicked the door with my booted foot, gave it two solid ones. On the third, the wood splintered and the door swung open.

“Shit!” I exclaimed when I saw him. War was face down on the carpet. The room reeked of vomit. Spoons and a syringe lay on the floor beside him. He was deathly still.

“I’m calling an ambulance,” Ms. Jinkins told me and hurried out of the room.

I fell to my knees next to my friend and turned him over.

He groaned.

Thank God. I pulled him up to a seated position and slapped his face a couple of times. “Wake up, dammit. C’mon, man.”

“Why Lacey,” he mumbled without opening his eyes.

“Shit. War. Listen to me. Your mom’s gone to call an ambulance. That’s gonna bring in the cops. Me, personally, I don’t give a shit, but I know you do. You’ve got priors. It’ll land you in jail, that’ll kill the RCA deal for sure. You ok with that?”

War opened his eyes, legs shooting out straight as he tried and failed to stand. He clumsily wiped the side of his mouth. “Mom!” he slurred. “Mom, come here!”

“War.” Out of breath, she ran back into the room, cordless phone in her hand.

“Put the phone down, Mom. I’ll be ok. I don’t need that kind of trouble. Not with my record.”

Her brow creased. Looking uncertain, she glanced at me.

I grabbed War by the shoulders. “Shooting up drugs is serious shit. The next time could be your last. Against my better judgment, I warned him, “You want us not to call the ambulance you gotta promise not to do this kinda shit ever again.”

“I screwed up.” War looked away. “I lost her. I should’ve listened to you about the RCA deal. I should’ve talked to her first and explained, but it’s too late now.” He paused and his voice lowered. “I saw her with him last night, Bryan. She’s with that piece of shit Martin Skellin.”

I knew. I had seen her, too. It had been like having a hot knife rammed into my abdomen. Long legs, short ass skirt. She’d been practically having sex with him out on the dance floor. That guy was bad news. There was no way he loved her. That’s what made the whole deal such a brutal wakeup call. Up until then, I’d been sure that if she ever broke it off with War, she would end up with me.