18 Chapter 19: Freedom

"You sure you're okay?" Mona ask, not for the first time since picking me up from the Davis home. I look over at her jet-black hair and done up makeup, then back to the road ahead of us.

"Yes, Mona. Now are going to tell me where you were on your way to dressed up like that?" Mona has the decency of blushing and I briefly wonder If my best friend is starting to get ahold of her old ways.

"It's not what you think. An old acquaintance of mine, one from back in the day, is having a small hang out at his house tonight. I wasn't going to go at first, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. I know what will be there, I'm not stupid, but I can't necessarily live in a world where drugs and alcohol don't exist."

I stare at my best friend with pride but worry. I understand her point of getting into the real world, but it may be too soon for her.

"It doesn't matter anyways. I came out to get you and if you ask me, that sounds like God's way of letting me know that maybe I wasn't supposed to be at that party tonight."

"Or maybe it's his way of telling me we both are." Mona stares over at me, glancing between the road and myself. I know I have thrown a lot at her just now.

"Jo?"

"Is it too late to go to your friends party?" I can once again feel the heat creeping up around my neck and to my face.

"Jolie, what's going on? I thought you wanted me to take you home."

"I just want to live a little. Being there with Brian and his perfect family made me feel even more like a freak show. I know all of you still see me as Jolie, but I don't feel like myself. I don't like who I am when I look in the mirror, I don't like who I've become being scared of every little thing. I just want one night, just one night to not feel like the girl who got rapped."

I close my eyes at how straight forward I sounded. Mona is the first person I have said that to, and it's the first time I used the word the detective and doctor's refused to say aloud around me.

"So, what, you going to go to a college party, which by the way you have never even been to, and what? Mingle, dance, cheat on your boyfriend? I mean it's not like there are a ton of shit to do at these things."

I can feel her anger towards me, but I battle it anyways. I wasn't kidding when I told her I was tired of being Jolie. The real Jolie would have never left her safe and sound home, the real Jolie wouldn't have run away from Brian and his family tonight. The real Jolie wouldn't be arguing a pathetic point to go out and party with her best friend.

"Mona, either you're going to take me, or I'll find a way there myself."

The car is quiet for a few moments, neither of us speak. I almost get my phone out to call a cab but stop when I feel the car slow down and make a U-turn.

"I got only two rules Jolie. One, you stick by my side every single moment. I won't forgive myself if anything at all happens to you, I mean it, I will call your mom and have her drag your ass out of there if I have to."

"Okay, Mona, I get it. I promise, I just want to have a little fun."

"And second, come tomorrow, you tell Brian where we went. I won't keep anything from him when it comes to you."

"Deal." This one I don't plan on keeping, but I need her with me this one time. Once I get my foot in the door and are more aware of my surroundings, I plan on finally doing something about these live-in nightmares.

- - - - -

Thirty minutes later we pull up to a very busy neighborhood. Mona decides to park around the corner and have us walk to the house that is flowing with people coming in and out of.

"Before we go inside, I just want to tell you something." I stop when she does right before the entrance to the house where the door is wide open. There are girls scattered around the front yard laughing and taking selfies, while a group of men to the right of us, is unloading a keg from the back of a car.

"This was my scene for a while. This is what I would do when I needed my escape, but please, don't think it was worth it for one minute." I nod my head, then turn us back to the door and together we head inside.

The house is larger than Brian's. Its large foyer made up of mostly people gathering their keys and coats. The lights are dimmed and there are neon strobe lights going back and forth. As we enter further into the house, the music that you could easily hear from outside begins shaking the walls. Sia's cheap thrills plays louder as people center around each other in the middle of the make shift dance floor.

My mind and body come alive as people rush past us laughing and drinking without a care in the world. Women are barely dressed in cut offs and crop tops. The men are wearing jeans and tee's, majority wearing the local college's basketball jersey's.

It's a basketball party?

"Mona?" Before I could ring her neck for her not telling me that I would probably see people Brian may know, someone calls out her name. I glance towards the loud booming voice and come face to face with a tall and lean man with a long beard.

"Hey Bernard." Mona hugs him but pushes herself away quickly. "How are you?"

"Shit girl, it's been way too long. Where the hell have you been?" He doesn't offer her a chance to answer before he chugs his beer down and belches loudly in the air.

"Oh, you know, around. Listen, you seen Mick?" Bernard glances over at me and licks his lips. My instincts are on flight, but I know I have to do this. I have to try and make this work.

"Yep Mick's around here somewhere. Probably upstairs banging that chick from his new job. You want a drink or something?" He glances back at me causing me to lean further into Mona.

"No, I'm good. This is my friend Jo."

"Jo, nice to meet you. Any babe of Mona's is a fuck buddy of mine." He say laughing his ass off while trying but failing to hold his drink up. His teeth are yellow and when he lifts his hands to scratch his head, I see track marks on his arms.

"Very funny dickwood. We'll see you around, I think I see someone." Bernard salutes us and Mona grabs my hand and leads me further into the home where everyone's bodies are pressed up against each other.

"Who's Mick?" I yell out since the music is still too loud for normal conversation.

"Long story. Let's go upstairs and check. Once we see him and I speak with him, we can get going. Party is getting a little out of control."

Mona drags me up the stairs, my hand tethered tightly with hers. We pass several lines of people that leads to the restrooms and even more people making out in the corners of each corridor. I try not to stare at just how many people are here and stop suddenly when I spot one person I would recognize anywhere. Mona lets go of my hand but spins around when she feels I am no longer attached to one of her appendages.

"Jolie what's the matter?"

"Derek?" The figure spins around and narrows his gaze on both Mona and myself. "What are you doing here?"

Derek looks around then quickly rushes up to me and pulls me and Mona into a room with two people on the bed nearly having sex. I turn around at the blatant way the girl is going down on the guy and jump when I hear Derek yell at them to get out. The couple must get up and run out of the room because I hear the door slam not ten seconds later.

"What the hell are you doing here Jolie?" His voice sounds different and I fight the demon from making its way back up the surface of my mind as it remembers the last time I was in a small room. "Well?"

"Relax dick, you're scarring her. Wasn't the smartest thing to bring her into a small blackened room." Mona says while walking over to me and placing her arms around with comfort. I try to find my balance in them, but it only frustrates me further. Brian was my only solace, and it doesn't even work with him anymore.

"Shit. Sorry Jo. I just didn't want anyone seeing you. Brian Davis' girlfriend wondering around a party like this isn't exactly what you need right now." I cringe at the fact that I had a feeling my face would draw some unwanted attention. Hearing Derek say it aloud has me just wanting to go home.

It was stupid to come here.

"I'm okay Derek, really. Mona and I were just leaving. She was just looking for her friend." Derek turns to Mona, checking her out from head to toe more than once then looks back over to me.

"What's this friends name?"

"Mick."

"Ain't here anymore."

"How the hell would you know that? What, are you all things Mick?" I almost laugh at my best friend. Derek is tall and muscular, his demeanor screams not to fuck with him, and yet she is standing there, all five feet three of her, ready to pounce on him if need be.

"Because, Mick's my cousin. He left with his girlfriend about an hour ago." Mona's mouth gapes open leaving me to step forward, grab her hand and thank Derek.

"Go straight home Jolie." I nod my head and lead Mona out of the bedroom. I don't see Derek come out as we make our way downstairs.

"Mona?" Mona and I both turn to her name being shrieked by two girls running over to us and enveloping her into a hug. Because of our close proximity, I get crushed in the gesture as well. "Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

"Hey ladies, I came to see Mick, but I guess he left."

"Yeah, was here for a bit but his new little girlfriend apparently can't hang so they took off. Girl have you seen Monica? You have to see her." Mona is being pulled by the two nameless girls but attempts to hold onto me as well. I pry her hands off me and she gives me a confused look.

"I'm going to go talk with Derek. I'll be right back."

"No Jolie, I told you the rules."

"Mona, I'll be right there. Be right back." I say pointing to the door we just came out of which is directly in front of us upstairs.

Mona gives me a worried look but with her friends talking to her and pulling her away I take my and opportunity and run back upstairs. Derek is no longer in the same room, but another guy is and he is smoking a joint. He looks up when he sees me, standing in the middle of the doorway, panting like a dog at the fact that I just climbed the stairs.

"Who the fuck are you?" I don't answer him. All I can see is the demon standing right behind him. The guys stands up and walks over with his joint waving loosely around in between his two fingers.

"You think you could get rid of me?" I close my eyes when I hear Steven's voice come out of the demon's mouth.

"Hey, I asked you a question."

"You can never escape me bitch."

"I need a hit." I open my eyes at the statement that just left my mouth. The guy just stands there like I just finished telling him I was pregnant with his baby.

"The fuck you say?" I look back down at his joint, my inner conscious screaming at me to run downstairs, get Mona and run like hell back to Brian's house. Back to my safe haven. But I knew what I was doing when I told Mona I wanted to come here. That night, Steven was able to do the most morbid thing to someone because of how high he was. Could I get the same euphoria?

"I-. I need something, anything to help take my mind off him. To help me escape him, even for just a few moments."

The stranger just stares at me, then down to his hand where the menacing scent of marijuana calls the both of us. He lifts his hands up and indicates with his joint for me to follow him. Every part of my body is screaming at me to run and hide, but with the demon sitting on the bed screaming at me that he will never leave me, I know this is something I have to try.

"You running from your guy?" He sits on the bed looking at me with a worried glance. I smile softly at his accusation.

"Something like that. I've never tried it before, but I know I need something. Something that will just help get my mind off things." I stare over from the joint to the stranger once more. His eyes are a soft green and has deep brown hair. He's tall, that much was evident when he approached me after I came into the room and has a long scar along the right side of his face.

"Name's Matt." He says passing me the joint. I stare at it for the longest time, but it doesn't seem to bother Matt at all. After another inner argument with myself, I grab the joint at hand and put it up to my lips.

I shake as I inhale how I've seen them do it in the movies. The burn ignites my body as it makes its way to the rest of my body. I begin coughing as if my body can't control itself, and pass it back to Matt, whom is chuckling.

"Burns your first couple times. Keep doing it, it will eventually start working." He says taking a hit then passing it back to me. I take it once more, noticing I can no longer hear the demon screaming at me, and inhale once more.

We do this for what seems like hours, going back and forth, smoking and talking about random things. When I tell him my name, he narrows his eyes at me and for a moment I worry he may know Brian, but he doesn't say anything after that.

I find out that Matt is a freshman at the local community college. He plays basketball, which he is the team captain of and lastly, has a younger sister.

"She's not here tonight?"

"Fuck no." I laugh my ass off at his disgust for his sister.

"Fuck, I'm out." He says digging around in a small black pack.

I look down in embarrassment knowing I had most of his collection. I thought we would end up only with the one joint, but as we talked, Matt brought out more and more. I know the affect is in full blast. I can not only no longer see the demon, but I'm genuinely happy. I met a friend, an honest, funny person, and am safe. I don't have everyone around me walking on egg shells and it feels damn good.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's your birthday after all right?" I laugh once more, but it gets cut off by the banging on the door that I hear. I ignore it, intent on not having any drama on my birthday. I haven't checked my phone but I'm guessing it's still before midnight.

"Who the fuck is banging on the door like that?" I hear Matt ask but am too tired to answer him. I lay back on the small bed making up a guestroom to this enormous house.

Matt stands up to answer it and that's when everything happens faster than I can control it. Derek jumps at Matt's throat and brings him down with one slam. Mona runs in crying and lays on the bed next to me. I'm too tired to tell her to calm Derek down and that I'm fine. I try to sit up, but the cloud of happiness and smoke ignite in my mind over and over again.

I am finally at peace.