“You should come out with me tonight,” Sabrina looked at her friend through the mirror while applying a light purple lipstick and mascara.
Marnie lay crouched on the sofa, still in her pajamas. Her tousled auburn hair swirled around her face. She hadn't told Sabrina what had happened during her summer vacation. She'd just asked her friend if she could crash on her couch. Fortunately, the girl hadn't questioned her and had even told Marnie's mother she hadn't seen her when she called looking for her.
Marnie was happy they were both going to school at the university down the street. Sabrina had tried living in the dorms like Marnie, but didn't like the roommate they paired her with. She'd gotten a job when her parents said no, and scored a studio.
For the last two weeks the girls stayed up late eating popcorn and watching Gilmore Girls reruns. With school only a week away, Sabrina wanted to go out and have some fun before she had to chain herself to the library.
“I don't have anything cute to wear,” Marnie sighed, slamming back on her pillow.
“You can wear something of mine. Come on, it will be fun. We need to get out and dance off the pizza we've been eating. “
Sabrina had a point. Maybe going out would help take Marnie's mind off her assault and her family's betrayal.
The party was a simple get together in the clubroom at the Alpha Beta. After meeting a few more girls, Marnie and Sabrina decided to ditch the campus party and head to a rave. The warehouse was filled with blue lighting which accented the crowd's day glow accessories. She drank in the scene, admiring the day glow pink wands waving in the air. It reminded her of fluorescent fishes, glowing in an underwater tank. Sabrina guided her through the crowd and toward the bar. Marnie ordered a bottle of water.
“You only want water?”
“Yeah.” Marnie glared at her. She didn't feel like making the same mistake twice, so she was steering clear of spirits.
The bartender handed Sabrina a bottle of water and a Manhattan. Marnie watched as Sabrina leaned over to whisper in the bartender's ear. With a knowing smile he reached under the counter and handed Sabrina a small, zipped plastic bag filled with white powder. Sabrina paid him and then took Marnie by the elbow and guided her into the bathroom.
Sabrina took out her compact mirror and poured some of the contents of the plastic bag onto the glass. She took out her driver's license and used the card to push the powder into two straight lines.
Marnie's heart beat fast in her ears. The closest she'd ever been to drugs was watching a public health announcement on television. Sabrina took out a dollar bill and rolled it like a pro. Bending down, she sniffed the powder through the makeshift tube. When had her friend turned into a druggie?
Sabrina slid the compact over to Marnie.
“Your turn,” she said, handing her the dollar tube.
“What is it?” She said the words carefully, hoping she'd jumped to conclusions and her friend wasn't doing what it looked like.
“It's coke.”
“That's okay.” Marnie held her hands up.
“Come on, this will loosen you up. It's what people do at a rave,” Sabrina said. “If we're not high, they'll kick us out.” She winked. “Besides whatever's been bothering you, this will make you feel a lot better.”
Heat crept up her neck, and Marnie fanned herself. The room, which once felt cool, turned nauseatingly warm. So Sabrina had suspected something. Her pleas, that she needed time away from her family, hadn't fooled her. She glanced back at her friend. Sabrina's eyes bore into her, a question threatened to leap from her lips. She wasn't about to answer any questions about what happened. She raked a shaky hand through her hair. Whirling away from the stare, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror.
Big violet eyes stared back at her. Her life turned upside down, in one night. She was living in a nightmare, and all she wanted to do was get away. It can't get any worse. Marnie turned, took the dollar and jumped down the rabbit hole.
It took her to the toilet. Sabrina had lied. This was not fun. Marnie stood over the porcelain bowl emptying her insides. When she was done, Sabrina instructed her to do another line.
“It's like sex, the first time is always a bitch, but after that you can't get enough.”
Marnie snatched the bill from her hand and tried again. This time it really couldn't get any worse.
Sabrina was right. On coke, Marnie was happier than she'd been in months. Every song the deejay played was her favorite. The girls danced until their feet were sore, then they bought some more coke and danced some more. Soon Marnie was so high she didn't know if she'd ever come down.
“You need to get a drink, a real drink. Then you'll feel better,” Sabrina said.
Marnie ordered a beer, but it still didn't work. Soon her eyes were moving faster than she could comprehend.
“Sabrina this is too much.” She moaned, plopping onto the barstool. Sabrina stood next to Marnie, her feet moving to the music.
“Sorry, maybe three grams were too much for your first time.” Marnie caught a hint of acerbic sarcasm mixed with indifference in Sabrina's tone.
“Alcohol won't bring you down fast enough,” the man sitting next to Marnie said.
She looked at the speaker and a smile crept to her face. He was gorgeous. The man wore jeans and a T‐shirt that said Stuck on You. Even in the darkness Marnie could see his long, blond hair fell into his deep turquoise eyes.
“Benny,” he said, holding out his hand.
Shaking it, she introduced herself.
“If you want to come down, come with me outside.”
Marnie looked at Sabrina, but her friend waved her off. Her foot tapped with impatience. She flashed Marnie an annoyed smile and turned to stare at something on the dance floor.
Marnie followed her gaze. Not something. Someone beckoned to Sabrina.
She leaned in and said, “Have fun honey. I'm stepping outside for a minute.”
Marnie didn't want to stop her friend from being with a hot guy just because she was having a bad trip. Relief flashed across Sabrina's face. She gave Marnie a squeeze, before stepping toward the dance floor. As if she had forgotten something, she whirled around.
“Call me if you need me?”
Marnie nodded.
She turned, following Benny to the parking lot. He walked up to a black Acura and opened the passenger door for her.
Once in the car, Benny reached across Marnie, and gave the glove compartment a quick, firm pound. The door popped open. On top of a stack of papers sat a black box. He took out the box and inside laid a syringe, a spoon, a small bag of cotton balls and a small plastic bag of a red substance and a tourniquet.
Marnie's stomach flipped. She'd stepped into another movie. Who was this guy? She stuck her hand into her pocket, closing around her cellphone. Perhaps she would have to take Sabrina up on her offer after all.
With the precision of a skilled nurse, Benny took the tools out of the box. He put some of the red substance on the spoon and added a few drops of water. Marnie flinched when his pocket lighter clicked to life. He flicked the lighter underneath the spoon in a slow, fluid motion. As if it was a magic trick, the red substance disappeared and in its place was a clear liquid. Benny blew on the liquid and then took a cotton ball and placed it on the spoon. Once he was satisfied, he took the syringe out of the package and pulled the liquid into the vial. He cleaned her upper arm wrapping the tourniquet tightly. Marnie winced at the pressure; it had pinched her skin a little.
Benny slapped her arm a few times, and turned the light on inside the car searching for a vein.
“I don't know if I want to do this.” Marnie pulled her arm back.
The white of his teeth glowed in the dim light as he smiled.
“If you want to calm down, this is the fastest way to do it. Relax, everything's going to be fine.”
She relented handing him her arm. He was too cute to say no to.
Benny pricked her skin. Marnie was startled at the sight of blood entering the syringe, and she was sure she had made a mistake.
Her fears were ripped away, like a kite in the wind, once Benny administered the dose. Her muscles softened and she lay against the seat. It felt like a warm blanket had been wrapped around her and someone had patted her lovingly on the head. Everything was all right. A smile appeared on her lips as Benny put away his kit. The horror she'd endured two weeks ago now seemed silly and far away. She was a sexy diva. Of course people wanted to sleep with her.
He asked her if she wanted to go back to his place. Marnie merely nodded. She was so content in the car, it didn't matter what happened next.
Back at Benny's apartment, he gave Marnie a little trip one-oh-one education. He'd given her a shot of H. The best way to trip was to do H and yayo, a street name for coke, together. Sitting on his sofa, Benny gave Marnie a bump of coke.
One sniff ripped away the layer of drowsiness that had enveloped her in the car. Fire burned between her legs and snaked a path to her stomach. Glancing at him in the brighter light, Benny was even more handsome. He wanted her, she could tell. And why not? She knew she was delicious. She would simply wait for him to make his move. The two made small talk for an hour and Marnie snorted more yayo.
Benny told her she was pretty, signaling he was ready to make his move.
She egged him on. “Well, what do you want to do about it?”
Marnie knew nothing of flirting or where it would lead, but tonight, her normal worries about rejection failed to exist. It seemed incomprehensible he wouldn't want her.
He inched a hand over her waist and peeled her jeans off. Marnie didn't say a word; she simply leaned back on the sofa, feeling calm and peaceful. Benny pulled her legs apart, his tongue gliding between her legs. She stiffened as a jolt of heat took possession of her body. Her breath caught in her throat. He took his time exploring her outer lips before slipping his tongue inside. Marnie arched her back off the arm of the sofa. While her mind scrambled to make sense of it all, her hips bucked forward, inviting more of his lavish treatment.
Benny gave Marnie another bump of coke and took her into his bedroom. In his room the two disrobed and gathered together on the center of the bed. Benny pushed Marnie down, exploring her stomach and breasts with feather‐light kisses that teased more than satisfied. He cupped her left breast and gave it a considerable amount of attention. Finally, he put a cap on his member and entered.
She felt no pain, and all memories of her recent abuse were furthest from her mind. But something was wrong. She gulped in air, but didn't feel like she could get enough. She was sinking lower and lower into the bed. A memory clawed at her mind desperate for attention. Stop. She beat hands against his chiseled chest. He rolled off her, a question knitted between his brows. She wasn't content to be on the bottom, but didn't bother to offer him an explanation. She cupped her hands around his face, taking possession of his lips. Crushing them with her own bruising kisses. She lowered him onto his back, digging the heels of her palms into his shoulders. She straddled him.
He rewarded her aggressiveness, taking a vial of coke he had lying on the mattress and poured a line on his chest. Marnie smiled and eagerly sniffed it away. With her on top, the sex intensified to another level. She rode Benny hard, but passion ignited in his eyes and he urged her on, slapping her ass as they crested each peak.
With a nice stash of coke on hand, the two fucked like animals well into the early morning. It wasn't till Marnie's nose started to bleed that they took a break. It was disappointing since she was having the best sex she had ever encountered.