“There you are.” She loops her arm through mine. “He’s upstairs.”
Upstairs.
A bad feeling washes over me as we move through the party. Bodies everywhere. Music pounding. I take the stairs two at a time.
Thea opens the bedroom door.
Axel is on the bed. Passed out. Head lolling to the side.
Immediately, I’m seeing Mom. Her head on the couch. Her eyes half-open. Her chest barely rising.
“Axel!” I shout, reaching for him.
I start slapping his cheek. No reaction.
“Fuck! Thea! How long has he been like this!”
Tears blur my vision as I grab him, try to sit him up. His body is dead weight.
“Axel! Wake up! Thea!”
I’m trembling. Shaking so hard I can barely hold him.
“Call an ambulance!”
Thea crosses her arms. “I can’t fucking call an ambulance. We’re all going to get busted.”
I glare at her through my tears. “Are you fucking serious? He’s not responding!”
“Check his pulse. He’s alive, just knocked out.”
“What the fuck’s wrong with you!” I cry. “Help me carry him. Grab his legs.”
I take most of his weight, holding him under his arms. She grabs his legs reluctantly.
We carry him out of the room. Getting him down the stairs is a nightmare. Thea can’t keep her balance, stumbling on every step.
“How much have you had to drink?” I ask.
“This is why I didn’t invite you!” she snaps. Jesus Christ, she’s in a mood.
“What are you talking about!”
“You’re like my fucking mom, Lexi!” she shouts. “And it’s so exhausting to be around!”
The words hit me like a slap.
“Well, I’m sorry that I care about you!” I shout back. “And I don’t ever control you. I just think drugs are dumb! Look at my fucking brother right now. I’m freaking out.”
We’re stopped on the stairs. The music blares around us. People stare.
“Were you here with him?” I ask quietly.
“What?”
“You were, weren’t you? Are you high right now?”
“No.”
