Many people would say I was spoiled because I wanted to be free and away from my parents. I grew up in Italy and Spain under strict rules, having my life dictated from the time I was born. Yes, I liked to party and drink with friends, but I worked hard and went to school to get my degree in fashion. Have I done a few things that I shouldn’t have done? What twenty-two-year-old hasn’t? My brother made a bigger deal out of things than it needed to be. On top of that, my boyfriend and his right-hand man Gael were acting more like him, being over-protective since we’d decided to become a couple.
I stepped out of the bathroom from a long shower with a towel wrapped around my waist and stopped at the sight of Gael sitting on the edge of my bed. I smiled and extended my arms out and approached him, but he nudged me away.
“What’s wrong?”
“I should ask you that question.”
I rolled my eyes.
“If you're here to yell at me, then you can leave.” I placed my hands on my hips.
“Who are you?”
“I’m having fun. Is that a crime?”
“You got mixed up in a shootout with your brother's wife!”
“That wasn’t my fault.”
“What about you being out with some guy, and he’s groping you?”
I forgot about the party I went to with some friends from school. A few guys approached us, and we got to talking and drinking. I told them I had a boyfriend, but there wasn’t any harm in dancing with a few friends.
“It was harmless flirting.”
Gael jumped up in my face, squinting his eyes.
“We’re done.”
“Wait… What?”
“You disrespect me, Alessandra. I knew this was a mistake from the beginning.”
“Gael, you're making a bigger deal than it really is. Besides, I’ve never cheated on you.”
“You need to live life and explore. I’m obviously not a priority, and I wouldn't want to hold you back.”
“That’s not true.”
“Si, it is, mi amore.”
“Did Joaquin tell you to do this?”
“Joaquin doesn’t even know I'm here.”
I grabbed a pair of high-waisted jean shorts and a crop top from the closet and got dressed.
“I’ll listen.”
“That’s not the only problem.”
“What else? I’m doing fine in school.”
He tilted his head to the side, and I rolled my eyes.
“All right, I was late a few times and missed an exam.”
“Do you love me?”
My hands were on his chest.
“More than anything.”
“Then we should take a little break, and you should explore on your own.”
“No!” I shoved him back.
“Alessandra!”
I cursed him out in Italian, and he ran a hand down his face and walked off, leaving me behind his back to push and shove to get his attention.
“Please don’t do this.” I grasped his arm.
“Let me go.”
“Who is she? Did you cheat on me? You’ve hated the age difference.”
“The only issue in this relationship is you.” Gael opened the front door, and I stood in shock, released his arm, and watched him walk out of my condo.
“Arghhh!” I dropped to my knees in tears at not seeing Gael anymore. All my life, I’d loved him and wanted us to be together. Now, by my own doing, we’d broken up.
Ring! Ring!
“Hello.”
“Alessandra? Are you all right?”
I looked around my home in disbelief that Gael wouldn’t come back to me.
“No.”
“Well, come out with us to the bar.” My classmate Odessa was in her last year of design school and popular on campus. She was tall and blond with brown eyes, thin with a model body that had all the guys in love.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Why? This will be fun. I already have Rich and Eliot eating out of my hands,” Odessa said.
“I just broke up with my boyfriend.” I sniffed over the phone.
“All the more reason to let your hair down.”
“I can’t.”
She groaned through the phone.
“Listen, you sound depressed, and I think you should come out. Get some fresh air.”
Thinking over her words, I decided I could use a moment away from any memories of Gael and me together.
“One drink, and then I’m leaving.”
“One drink,” Odessa repeated.
The room was loud with blaring music, and I was on my third drink, sulking in pain from calling Gael for the third time in a row. My calls went straight to voicemail. I was tempted to go to his house, force him to speak to me, and then cook his favorite meals.
“To the single life!” Odessa held a glass in the air.
I froze when an arm wrapped around my waist, and a husky voice whispered in my ear, “Aren’t you Alessandra Fuertes?”
“My friend just broke up with her boyfriend, can you show her a good time?” Odessa winked her left brow and giggled, falling in the arms of the guy's friend.
“He’s a fool for hurting you,” he said. I ignored him and waved for the bartender to give me another shot of tequila.
“Rich, take her on the dance floor.”
“Not in the mood to dance.”
“Come on, Alessandra. I won’t bite… unless you need a little pain,” he growled in my ear.
“Alessandra, if you're going to be bored, you could have stayed home,” Odessa blurted out. I nodded and figured it was time to get out of my funk.
“One dance.”
“One dance, and then we can have a little party alone.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out a bag of pills.
“I don’t do drugs.”
“Not drugs, just something to make you feel good.” Rich opened the bag, pulled a pill out, and popped it in his mouth. Then he gripped my chin, pressed a kiss to my lips, and sucked on my tongue. I felt the pill ease into my mouth.
“Sexy,” Rich said, pecking me on the lips. The music changed, and the crowd grew louder. I felt lighter on my feet and smiled.
“What was that?” I asked, swaying my hips. Odessa came up beside us and bumped into me. We laughed.
“Relax, Alessandra, it's fun and harmless.”
An hour later, we were inside a diner with a group of six of us, drinking and laughing after hanging out at the bar. My mouth was dry, and I was hot and sweaty from dancing too much. It was going on one in the morning.
“What are you getting, Alessandra?” Odessa asked.
My eyes were low. I could barely keep my head up, and I thought I was seeing two Odessas.
“Huh?”
“Are you all right?”
“I don’t feel good.”
I fanned myself.
“You need some food in your stomach.”
I shook my head.
“Can you call Sofia?”
“Who is Sofia?” Rich questioned, rubbing on my thigh. I pushed his hand away, crossed my legs, and slid my hand in my purse to grab my phone.
“I need to call my brother.” I tried to dial Sofia’s number when my head got drowsy. Someone yanked the phone out of my hand, and everything went dark. My eyes rolled in the back of my head.
My head was heavy, and I groaned and rubbed my forehead from the massive headache. When I opened my eyes, I saw I wasn’t at home.
“She’s woken up,” I heard a voice say.
“Mhmmmmm…” I moaned.
“Alessandra.”
“Sofia.”
“Call the nurse,” she said.
I looked around the room and saw Gael standing at the window with a hard glare on his face and Joaquin sitting in the chair near my bed. Sofia talked with a nurse, and I realized I was in a hospital bed, wearing a white gown.
“What happened?”
“You were drugged.”
“Huh?”
“You're going back home,” Joaquin said.
“Joaquin, not now,” Sofia snapped.
“No.”
“Either you go back home, or you're moving in with us,” Joaquin demanded.
“I’m not a child!” I spat, and my head pounded.
“Then act like an adult. You could have been attacked or worse!” Joaquin shouted.
“Joaquin, can I talk to her alone please?”
“Odessa’s my friend,” I replied.
Gael shoved off the wall, shook his head, and sauntered to the door.
“Gael… wait,” I called his name, trying to sit up.
“Don’t. I’ll check in on you later.” Gael opened the door and walked out.
“Alessandra, that girl is not your friend,” Sofia remarked, walked over, and grasped my hand.
“I’ll be outside,” Joaquin said.
“They hate me,” I muttered.
“No, they’re disappointed, and we have a lot going on.”
“Don’t let them send me back.”
“You should think about what you're doing; it’s interrupting our lives,” Sofia argued.
“You're just like him, trying to run my life,” I fussed, yanking my hand away.
“Anytime we get a phone call in the middle of the night with the words drug overdose, what do you expect us to do?” Sofia questioned.
“Can you leave me alone please?”
“Tonight, you sleep, but you need to make a decision. Tomorrow, you're not going back to your condo.” Sofia kissed me on the forehead, and I closed my eyes and let the thoughts of Gael consume me as I drifted off to sleep.