Caught Up In A Moment, But Not In The Right Way

Mason

I woke up seeing the sun out I roll over feeling no one next to me I sit up seeing only the slight imprint of where Clara was at just last night.

I look over seeing her pants were gone and her shoes weren’t there either I notice her cell phone was gone too.

I grab my phone dialing her number hearing the ringtone of me singing I was hoping she would pick up.

“Hi! This is Clara I’m obviously not answering my phone call back or leave a message.” Her happy tone voice before the beep.

I sigh rubbing my forehead leaving a message “Hey Clara, it’s Mason look I don’t know if you’re still mad at me or not but could you call me back as soon as you get this I love you.”

Where the hell could she be? We’ve been in California for few days and she doesn’t really know all parts of the streets.

I grab my sunglasses and stuff my phone in my pocket. My cigarettes were still here so I guess she didn’t want a cigarette with her like she normally would. I light myself one trying to calm myself down from the worries running through my thoughts.

When I went down stairs seeing my family I was really upset about last night, I hurt my own girlfriend, I got her hurt, and then I lied to her face.

I take a coffee from the counter seeing Mitchel staring at me with a hurt expression; I roll my eyes taking a drink.

I try to call again and I got the voice mail I leave the same message feeling my heart start to race.

“Did she leave last night?” I ask.

Mom looks at dad then dad looks at Mitchel I glare waiting for someone to say something.

“Well?”

“She took your car but she didn’t say where she was going….she just took off.”

“Maybe she just went to Hannah’s?” Mom suggests.

“She could have tried to explain herself I’ll wait till noon and call her again if not then I’m calling Hannah.” I say sitting down on the couch watching cartoons with Marc.

“I’m sure she’s just trying to calm down I heard everything the other day.” He says looking at me.

“Marc, I don’t need to hear this from you right now.”

“Mason, you messed up all that time at home she told you not to do it and what do you do? You did it regardless of her feelings and then you lie to her in her face that’s low.”

“Marc, leave your brother alone he’s under enough stress.” Mom says giving me a weak smile.

Marc just rolls his eyes stuffing his face with lucky charms Clara’s favorite at least on a good day it was her favorite, he wasn’t wrong though I didn’t listen to her because I’m too suborn to listen and I lied to her face.

The next few hours was like waiting in a hospital room for someone on their death bed. My eye kept checking on my voice mails, text message, and emails.

Everyone kept checking up on me making sure that I wasn’t trying to freak out but it didn’t take long for me to freak out it was nearing to the afternoon hours and I was stuck with nothing.

I dial Hannah’s number hearing it ring at least five times I bit my lip hearing the click of someone answering.

“Hello? Hannah speaking.” Her annoyed voice makes me regret calling.

“Hannah, is Clara at your place at all?” I ask trying not to sound worried.

“No why?” she ask in a worried voice making me panic.

“Shit…last night we didn’t talk at all after you left I woke up this morning she wasn’t there.”

"Fuck, she's probably off trying to find some heroin."

“I thought she was dead done with that shit.”

"We're going to find her Mason. I'll be at your place in ten minutes." She says I could hear her getting hr keys.

"Okay hurry up please!"

"I'm coming right now!"

She got there in ten minutes like she said she would, I inhale my cigarette pacing like I’ve gone mad which I have by this point.

I get inside her car we went everywhere that could be possible we didn’t even stop as the sun was going down so were my hopes this was all my fault.

I shouldn’t have lied to her by now she could be dead from over does.

"She's not going to be dead is she? Cause she did take my car." I ask

"No, she won't be dead. And what does your car have to do with that?

"That’s the only way we could find her my car is white kind of easy to find."

"Oh. Well, there's a white car parked right there. Is it yours?"

“Y-yeah why the hell would she be in Skid Row area it's the most gang and drug abuse street ever."

"Um, hello! Ex-drug addict on the drug abuse street? What do you think?" she ask giving me an evil look.

"Now get out of the car and let's start looking!" she says getting out I follow.

"Okay Okay sorry I've never looked for a druggie okay so I'm following you." I say going to a dark alley.

I notice a group of guys staring at us I stay close to Hannah making sure none of them would make a move on her, she was running down the alley I try to run after her.

"Look! There she is!"

I look over seeing my girlfriend curled up on a nasty bed her brown hair messy and her glasses barely on her face, I froze seeing the rubber band wrapped around her arm and her getting ready to put more drugs in her arm.

Hannah

I saw Clara in an alleyway, sitting on a filthy mattress.

"Look! There she is!" I said, pointing to her. The two of us saw the hypodermic needle at the same time.

"Stop!" we shouted at the same time. She looked up at us, her hand stopping in midair.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked.

"I can ask you the same thing," Mason said. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed an escape," she replied weakly.

"Well did you fucking escape?" he yelled.

"Yes," she said simply. Her single word response hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Clara, you've been clean for three years! How could you do that?" I asked.

"How could you slap me? How could he lie to me in the fucking face, huh?" she relied.

"I slapped you because you betrayed me. What Mason does is none of my concern."

She started to cry.

"I didn't mean to betray you. I was tricked by some ass that I thought would be honest with me...go take your car and just leave me alone," she said, sobbing.

"No, I'm not leaving you here. If you don't want to go home with Mason, come home with me," I said.

"I don't want to be near any of you," she said angrily

"I'm sorry I hit you Clara. You don't know how much I regret it. Please, come with me," I begged.

"I'm still here you know," Mason said.

"You aren't my concern right now."

“I'm not going with you I'll just stay here with Danny away from all that shit at home," Clara said.

"I won't let you. I'll call the fucking cops like last time if that's what it takes. You're getting out of here tonight whether it's because you're going to jail or because you're coming home with me," I said defiantly.

Mason stood up and walked over to Clara. In the next moment, he had her over his shoulder and was walking back toward the car.

"Mason, let me go now!" she screamed.

"Nope. You're either going home with me or Hannah; but either way, you're leaving here. Now which one? Me or Hannah?"

"Hannah...you're hurting me," she said. The look on Mason's face almost broke my heart.

"Fine," he said, turning to me. "Hannah, I'm putting her in your car."

"Don't think you're ever going to see me again after this Zombie," he said after he'd gotten her in the car.

"I don't care," she said. "I can just go back here easily."

"No you won't," I said. "Even if it takes Trace and I both."

"I could take you both easily," she said.

"Do you know me at all Clara?" I aske. Because

"No I don't!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know you..." she said sarcastically.

"How do you not know me? We've been best friends for five years!"

"I just don't okay? Stop telling at me."

"This isn't you talking. It's the heroin. We're going home," I said, starting the car.

"No it's not I'm perfectly normal!" she protested.

"We're still going home. And I won't sleep tonight just to make sure you don't leave."

"What about Mason?" she asked.

"He's going to go home. You said you wanted to come with me, and he's going home," I replied.

"Why can't he go?" she asked.

"Go where?"

"With me...."

"Because you didn't want him to!" I said, throwing my hands up.

"But I do want him too do you have to yell at me?"

"You're being weird, that's why. Two seconds ago you didn't want him to come at all."

"Can't he just come with us?"

"Do you know how much chaos that may cause?" I sighed.

"Oh, my God! There's CHAOS!" she said, freaking out.

"Are you still high Clara?" I asked, looking at her funny.

"Maybe...does that matter? I think not chicky."

"It does, actually. Because I don't want you yelling your head off at Mason when you're sober again because he came with us."

"I'm not going to yell," she said, sounding like a little kid.

"Promise?" I said.

"Yeppers!" she said.

"Okay, fine. I'll call Mason and tell him to meet us at the condo."

"We live in a condo!? AWESOME!"

"No, you used to. Trace and I do now," I said.

"That not awesome," she said, sounding disappointed.

"You know what else is not awesome?" I asked, looking at her.

"Men with manly breast?" she said with a completely straight face. I couldn't help but laugh.

"No. That I have to take you back to my condo because you're high," I said, getting serious agian.

"I am not high I already told you this, gosh."

"Yeah, but then you told me you were."

"Okay so maybe I'm who cares," she shrugged.

"I do."

"Well, stop caring," she said.

"Now, see, I can't do that."

"I wish you could," she sighed.

"Keep dreaming."

At that moment, she passed out.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath. I picked up my cell phone and called Mason.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Mason, meet us at the condo. Now she's insisting you be there."

"No way. I'm not going anywhere near Cyrus," he refused.

"If you love her you'll do it," I said.

"Fine," he said after a long pause. "I'll be there. How is she?"

"She passed out," I said.

"Oh my God, why aren't you freaking out?" he asked.

"Because I've been through this before. She'll wake up in a couple of hours and be fine."

"Okay, well I'll be there later."

We hung up and I drove to the condo. I left Clara in the car and went to get Trace. He was on the couch.

"I need your help," I said.

"With what?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Clara. She's in the car. She's passed out. She um...relapesed," I said, messing with my hair. He got up and went out to the car. He picked her up and laid her in the guest bedroom.

"Oh, there's one more thing," I said.

"What?"

"Mason's coming," I said, playing with my hands and looking at my feet.

"Who's coming?" he asked, looking down at me.

"Mason," I said nervously. He looked really, really angry.

"I'm sorry, I really am," I said before he could say anything. "She's high and she needs him."

I looked down again, holding back the tears.

"She needs him more than she needs me," I said softly. Trace sighed and hugged me. At that moment, Mason came through the door.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Geez Mase, ever knock?" Trace asked.

"I'm not in the friendly mood. Where the hell is my girlfriend?" he asked.

"Guest room," Trace said, nodding his head toward the room.

"Is she okay now?" he asked, almost frantically.

"She will be," I replied softly.

"Can I go see her, or does she want her space?" he asked.

"She's unconscious, I don't think she'll notice if you're in her space or not," I replied.

"I don't know if I want to go in there she probably could attack me."

"Mason, just go," I said.

"I'm really sorry guys..." he said.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked.

"For having to bring her mess over here like this," he replied.

"Mason, don't worry about it. Really," I said softly.

"I just feel horrible. If I had just listened to her none of this would have happened."

"Yeah, well I slapped her in the face, so..." I said.

"What am I suppose ot do when she wakes up and comes back home?" he asked uncertainly.

"She needs you Mason. Just be there." I said, patting his arm.

"I've never dealt with her being on drugs or recover from them. I don't know what to expect."

"Tell you what. I'll come over every day and help you," I promised.

"It's just one time though right? She won't just go right back to it?" he was really worried about her.

"I don't know. But the chances of her doing it again are higher if neither of us are there for her."

"I trust you on this...someone else I know only did weed don't know who that would be," he said, hinting at Trace.

"You did weed too, Musso. Don't even...." he voice trailed off as he saw the warning look on my face.

“I've never touched that stuff that was Mitchel smart one," Mason retorted.

"Both of you just stop. Don't do this right now. Please," I begged, sick of the fighting.

"Fine...uhh Hannah could you umm go check on her with me?" Mason asked.

"Yeah, sure," I replied.