[ this hurts. a lot. // song is by nothing nowhere

warnings: language, drug use, underage drinking, dubious consent, etc

concept: chase really hates bailey's boyfriend.

stay safe,
lew. ]

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"Chase, I really really need you right now because Dec took me to a party an' gave me this weird drink an' some really weird TicTacs that I don't think was candy. I feel dizzy, please come get me."

As soon as Bailey finished that sentence, Chase shot to her feet, spouting off an apology to the girl she had been talking to. "Hold on, babe, I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay where you are."

She hung up the phone, then immediately dialed another number. She didn't greet the person on the other end, just blurting out a quick, "Bailey's in trouble. I'm heading towards your car, I need you to drive me."

—

Marcus wasn't too happy about the girl next door bugging him at two in the goddamn morning. But if that friend of hers needed help, he'd hold off on the complaining.

"I'll go grab him. Thank you so much, it would've taken me forever to get to him without you," she told him.

"Whoa, girl, I'm coming with you."

"What? Why?"

"You're tiny and can barely lift a backpack, how are you gonna haul a drugged teen boy through a house of drunken high schoolers?"

—

Really, this would've been Chase's natural habitat. The dark rooms with barest flashes of light, coupled with bodies pressed together and bottles of liquid courage passed around.

She kept reminding herself that she wasn't here to have fun. Her hand on her stomach and Marc's hand on her shoulder helped reinforce that.

Finding Bailey was more difficult than she thought. He wasn't wearing his normal blue, and from the looks of his boyfriend's Snapchat story, they'd straightened out his curls for the night. But Declan's neon hair glowed underneath the blacklight in one of the bedrooms.

Chase really hated the guy. For more than just fucking around on Bailey. She had her extremely valid and secret reasons, and that's what lead to her shoving him roughly. "Where the fuck is Bailey?"

"I dunno, bitch," Declan spat, getting ready to shove her back- but the look on Marc's face made him think twice. "By now, he's probably passed out in a bedroom upstairs or with another guy, sucking his-"

"Stop, dickwad. Help me find him, and I won't have my good friend here kick your ass on my behalf."

Marcus rolled his eyes, but remained silent. Really, why did he let himself get dragged into this fucking high school drama when he had college finals to deal with within the next two weeks?

"He had one of my hats, wearing all black, and we put a strip of white tape on his shoulder to make him a lil easier to find. Have fun hunting." Declan turned away, but Chase grabbed his wrist.

"If I find out that you actually got him drunk and high, then left him somewhere, I'm gonna kill you. Not a threat. It's a fuckin' promise."

"Hey, he's the one that ran off. I didn't leave him-"

—

After quite a bit of frantic searching, shoving people around, and making threats, Chase and Marcus found Bailey in the backyard with a guy that neither of them had seen around before. Bailey seemed to be asleep across the guy's legs, and the stranger's hand soothed through the curls that'd began to reform due to sweat and humidity.

"If you hurt him in any way, I'll make sure no one finds your body."

The guy lifted his head, total deer in the headlights look on his face. "I just brought him out here to get some air, I promise," he stammered out.

She carefully knelt next to the guys, reaching out to fondly stroke Bailey's cheek. "Sorry we didn't find you sooner, baby."

His eyes opened just a bit, bloodshot and tired. "It's 'kay. Jus' don't let me go next time."

She leaned in and kissed his forehead, then stood up. "Kid, if you don't mind, could you help Marcus get B to the car? I'd help but my back already hurts enough."

"Sure. As long as you don't mind taking me home afterward. And- my name's Cody, by the way. What an end to my first week here." Carefully, he helped Bailey stand up, slipping his arm around his waist.

"Yeah... after graduation, things get fuckin' nuts. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to have fun."

"Why not?"

Instead of answering verbally, she made a gesture towards her rounded stomach, something that stuck out like a sore thumb on her tiny frame.

—

Once Bailey was safely tucked into Chase's bed, she did the responsible thing by setting out a bottle of water and a couple Advil for when he woke up.

She climbed in bed next to him, head on his chest. His heart beat faster than normal, but his breathing wasn't different in any way. He would be okay.

"Hey, B?" She asked, taking a deep breath.

It took him a few moments, but he did respond. "Yeah?"

"I think you need to break up with him. He's a horrible person."

"But I love him..."

"Just because you love something doesn't mean you have to keep it in your life. Sometimes it's better if you let things go, it'll be better for both of you in the long run."

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[ hi heavydirtysoul is next ]