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Rachel’s eyes fill with tears. “Didn’t mean to. Mom made daiquiris for her and Danny. Then she made me one without alcohol. They started acting really weird. Like, gross. And I wanted to come home, so I walked, but then I started feeling weird.”
“What did she put in the drinks?” Meg asks, and we lead Rachel to a couch. “Do you know?”
“She said something about an edible. Whatever that means.”
I sigh and close my eyes. Oh, you sweet, innocent girl.
“Shit,” Jules mutters. “Do we need an ambulance?”
“I don’t think so,” Meg says. “She needs to sleep off the high.”
“Is this what it feels like to be high? Because it sucks. Why do people do this?” Rachel’s eyes fill with tears. “My dad’s gonna kill me. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“He’s not going to be mad at you,” I assure her. “It’s not your fault. Why didn’t you call me? You didn’t have to walk.”
“Forgot my phone.” She blinks slowly. “This is the weirdest thing. I think I’m sleepy.”
“She’ll be hungry in a bit,” Natalie murmurs.
“Let’s put you to bed,” Maggie suggests, and we take her upstairs. Meg comes along to continue to monitor her, and when we have her all tucked in, and Rachel is snoring peacefully, we walk out, leaving the door open so I can hear her.
“You have to call Hunter,” Maggie says immediately when we return downstairs.
“He’s in the middle of a fight,” I remind her. “He’s on live television. I can’t just call him. Or even text him. She’s safe now and not in the hospital or anything. I’ll tell him when he gets back tomorrow.”
“He’s going to be seriously pissed,” Lexi adds.
“I think this is exactly the kind of thing that had to happen to get Carla to go,” I reply. “There’s no way he’ll let Rachel have anything to do with her now. It’s not safe.”
“What a horrible mother,” Izzy says, shaking her head. “And trust me, I know what a bad mother is. Intimately. My mom sucks, big-time. But she’d never do something like that.”
“I don’t envy you tomorrow,” Jules says. “He’s not going to be happy.”
“It’s not like he’s going to punch the walls or something,” I reply. “But yeah, he’ll be angry. And he should be.”
“Keep an eye on her tonight,” Meg says. “She should just sleep it off and wake up fine tomorrow. If I’m interpreting what she said correctly, it sounds like Carla the moron made the drinks with the cannabis for her and whoever Danny is first, and then made the virgin one for Rachel with residual stuff still in the blender.”
“She’s not a terribly smart baby mama, is she?” Lexi asks.
“The good thing about that is, there shouldn’t have been much in Rachel’s drink. Just enough to knock her out for a while.”
Meg runs down the list of what to do if things go bad, and then we wrap up the party early.
It’s hard to be silly and have fun when my boyfriend’s fifteen-year-old minor just came home high after spending time with her mom.
I lock up, clean the kitchen, and then go up to check on Rachel.
She’s turned on her side and is still sleeping well. She looks so young. So sweet.
I’m afraid to leave her.
What if there was too much in that drink and she starts to have serious issues from it?
I can’t leave her.
So, I lie down next to her and keep an eye on her. Listen to her breathe. I smooth my fingers through her hair when she whimpers.
“It’s okay, honey. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I want my daddy.”
“I know. He’ll be home in the morning. But we’re okay, you and me. I’ve got you.”
“Glad.” She licks her lips but doesn’t open her eyes. “Glad you’re here. Don’t leave us, okay?”
“I’m not going to leave you.”
“Messed up.”
I cup her cheek, my heart breaking for her. “It wasn’t your fault, Rach. Honest. I know you’ve been in trouble in the past for things that were your fault, but this isn’t one of them. You’re not in trouble. I just hate that you were alone and that you walked home. I would have come to get you. I love you so much.”
Her lips tip up. “Love you. It sounds real when you say it. Not like her.”
I feel a tear fall from the corner of my eye. “It’s real.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, and I think maybe she’s gone back to sleep, but then she says, “Can I have Grandda’s number?”
I grin. “Sure, but he’s not very good with his phone.”
“I’ll teach him. He’s my favorite.”
“I think you’re his favorite, too. Don’t worry, we won’t tell the others.”
I didn’t sleep much, but I didn’t expect to. I just lay next to Rachel, listening to her breathe. She slept all night. Didn’t even make a peep.
