Free True by Erin McCarthy

didn’t cover. I only did work study for spending money.
    Tyler sat down on a powder blue toilet, his legs spread apart. He patted his knee. “Sit down.”
    “No!” I was
not
going to perch on his knee on a toilet.
    He blew a cloud of smoke out in my direction and was about to say something when Jessica came up behind him. She smiled at me, then leaned over, pressing her breasts against his back, and draping her hands over his shoulders onto his chest. While she whispered something in his ear, I glanced over at Brandon, who looked as uncomfortable as I felt. Taking a huge sip of my beer, I tried to be nonchalant as I watched Tyler nod at whatever she was saying, her bunny tail rising to the sky above her perfect ass.
    Oh, God. I felt anxiety rising in my throat like a clam gone down wrong before sliding back up. I didn’t want to see them make arrangements to hook up later. But Tyler leaned forward and pulled something out of his front pocket. He passed it back to her, and she slipped it down the front of her costume into the haven of her boosted breasts. She gave me a big grin, then gave Tyler a loud smacking kiss on the side of his head. He made a face and pulled away, waving her off.
    “What was that?” I asked after she left, laughing at his dismissal, because I wanted to throw up and I had to know, even if I sounded pathetic or bitchy or rude.
    “Vicodin. Jess wants to get high tonight since her intended fuck buddy isn’t here.”
    I should have raised my hands to catch my jaw dropping, but I didn’t have time. I stared at him, mouth gaping open in shock. I thought
he
was her fuck buddy. And since when did my roommate use Vicodin? Not to mention, why did Tyler have it?
    “What?” I stuttered, the bottle of beer slipping in my hand. “Oh, shit!” I gripped it harder and prevented it from hitting the ground. But then I felt so stupid and so freaked out about what I’d just heard, that I just started walking away. I wasn’t even sure where I was going.
    “Where are you going?” Tyler was right behind me.
    “Bathroom.” I didn’t look at him, but I could practically hear his frown of disapproval.
    “Okay. You want me to go with you?”
    “To the bathroom?” I shot him a look of disbelief. “No. I’ll be right back. I promise.” I would. I was wearing his jacket, and besides, I didn’t have any way to get back to the dorm. Plus, I really didn’t want to embarrass myself any more than I already had. I just needed a minute alone to get my shit together.
    Someone was in the bathroom, of course. The door opened and it was Jessica.
    “Hey!” she said brightly.
    I pushed her back into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
    “What, Rory? Are you okay?” Her brow furrowed and her bunny ears bounced as she shook her hair back.
    I set my beer down on the sink and studied Jessica. “What’s going on? What did Tyler give you?”
    “Just a happy pill. I like the way it makes my skin itch.”
    Clearly my face registered the horror I was feeling, because she took both of my hands into hers. “Oh, come on, don’t make a big deal out of this. I do it like once a month. It’s no different than getting wasted a few times a month.”
    “It chemically alters your brain.”
    “Which is why it feels so good.” Jessica laughed. “Seriously, this is not a problem. I just didn’t feel like drinking tonight, but I wanted a little high. This is a legal drug, you know.”
    She had a point there. And I couldn’t imagine that one pill would do more than was intended when a doctor prescribed it. It would just make her feel loopy and numb, which I guess was what she was going for. I felt a little relieved but not exactly okay. “Just don’t take more than one at a time, okay? Promise me.”
    Jessica nodded. “Yeah. Of course. I’m not looking to OD. Are you okay? Did something happen with Tyler?”
    “No. Nothing happened,” I said truthfully. I didn’t understand the whole casual attitude toward sex