Free Devils Roses 01 - Cursed by Tara Brown

slight incline and sat on the end of her bed.
    "What happened?" She looked frightened.
    “ I don’t know. Everyone says we were drinking together and then we were throwing up. They brought you here right away I think, and me in the early hours of the morning. They tested us and we have some crazy date-rape drug in our systems. They think someone did this to us on purpose.”
    Her frightened look grew in intensity. “Who would do that?”
    I pressed my lips together and furrowed my brow. “That’s just it, no one knows. The party had to have over a hundred people at it. People from all the close-by schools and whatever.”
    “ How long have we been here?”
    “ You six days—me five. I spent the first night at Shane’s house." I blushed as I thought about it. “Giselle, don’t tell anyone, but I know I didn’t put myself to bed. I was naked when I woke and clean. I’m scared someone did something and then cleaned me up. But I can’t remember.”
    She looked disgusted. “What is wrong with people? Dude, I hate to tell you this, but you need to get the nurse to do a check. She can check and make sure you’re still a virgin. I have to say though, like if you weren’t a virgin anymore, you would be sore down there. I was like super sore when I lost mine.” She looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
    I sighed looking down at her arm where the IV was poking in. “I wish my mom was here.” I hadn’t said those words in a long time. The moment seemed harder than all the others, I had been through. It felt hopeless and out of control. I felt as if I was at the end of my rope and ready to just let go and fall.
    “ Me too.”
    I looked at her confused. “Where is your mom?”
    She trembled a tiny bit, as her lower lip quivered and a small tear left her right eye. “She, like left. A month ago, she just packed everything and left. My dad doesn’t know what to do with his life without her. He works, like non-stop. He doesn’t come home some times, just sleeps like at the office.”
    I put my IV-free hand out on the blankets. “Giselle, I am so sorry. I had no idea.”
    She shook her head. “No one does. She told us she was going to visit her sister, but she just left. Dad has one credit card, he can track her with. I guess she’s been in Mexico for a week, paying for two people. My dad is a mess.”
    I bowed my head and nodded weakly. “My dad isn’t taking mom's death any better. I don’t think any of us are. My family is a mess too.”
    Giselle looked at me, her huge eyes glistened. Her long, silky black hair framed her perfect oval face. Her skin was an olive color, with naturally pink full lips and eyes so dark the pupils were not visible. Even heartbroken and horribly sick, she was stunning.
    “ We have each other, it seems.” She gripped the hand I had given her.
    "Yeah, I'm just down the hall. If I can make it back there." I pressed the button for the nurse. She came running in, breathless.
    “ Oh, thank Heaven, you girls are both awake.” She looked at Giselle specifically. “How are you feeling, sweetie?” She put the tools to work and checked Giselle’s vitals.
    “ Okay, but I was wondering if we could share a room.”
    The nurse nodded at us. “I’ll have your stuff moved over right away. I can’t believe you walked all that way, hun; it’s a long ways for a sick kid.”
    I patted my trusty IV cart. “It helped me the whole way.”
    The nurse laughed at me and shook her head.
    Before we knew it, we were sharing a room and Giselle was regaling me with tales of boys and shopping discounts. There was no more sad talk about moms and dads or boys who like to drug girls.
    I listened, happy to be distracted by simple things that really had no bearing on my world.
    Normally, I liked to surround myself with intelligent people, who only talked when important or interesting things were to be said. In that moment, a story of drinking while in Cuba and a few helpful hints about strange Cuban men,