Chapter 5: Unhinged

                                    

                                          
Jen and I sat quietly in a bar, staring at our drinks. This was my sixth Malibu pineapple, and her third, not counting the tequila shots. My head buzzed, but it wasn't enough to numb the ache in my heart. I could still feel it—this heavy weight on my chest every time I took a breath. It reminded me of the day I found out Donny was being sent to America for treatment. I cried every night in my room, not because I wanted to, but because the tears just wouldn't stop.
I glanced at Jen, and she looked back at me at the same time. We both laughed at how pathetic we were.
It wasn't the news about Mike being declared the heir of one of the biggest corporations that had Jen so hung up—it was the news about his alleged fiancée. Mike had professed his love to her but then disappeared for two weeks on a business trip. The next thing she knew, the engagement rumors surfaced.
He'd tried calling her, but after coming out of a cheating relationship, my friend had lost all trust in men. According to her, she'd never trust anyone again.
"I can't believe we're in this situation right now," she said with a sarcastic laugh. "How fun to have a friend with the same problem."
We laughed at that.
But behind our laughter, the memory of that night at the beach party kept replaying in my mind. It's been three days since that fateful night, and yet here I am, still tormented by the complications of my feelings.
That moment haunts me.
"You're cold," Marco had said.
I felt embarrassed after what had happened, but he had been nothing but a gentleman. "I'll grab you a jacket," he offered, walking back to the mansion before I could tell him not to bother. He was only wearing a t-shirt, so I guess he couldn't pull off that movie-like moment of offering me his.
As I walked back to the party alone, I saw the group I had been with earlier, dancing, looking drunk. Donny stood among them, not dancing, just holding a beer and watching the crowd.
I kept to the shadows, near the coconut trees, staying out of his line of sight. The moonlight wasn't strong enough to fully light up the area, but I could still see his expressionless face, glowing in the soft light of the bonfire.
And then, I saw it—Amy tugged at his arm. He looked down at her, and without hesitation, she tiptoed and kissed him. I didn't even wait to see Donny's reaction; my body moved instinctively, as if burned. I turned away so fast, my heart sinking, the last bit of sanity I had clinging to just slipped away.
I had to get out of there.
I started walking, but something made me stop and turn back. I needed to see his reaction, to confirm what I already knew.
But his back was to me, and Amy's slender arms were wrapped around his waist.
"It's crazy how everything can turn upside down without us even noticing," I muttered, my voice breaking slightly.
Jen downed the rest of her drink in one gulp, and I followed suit.
The bar around us buzzed with conversation, but there was no music, no dancing. Everyone just sat and talked. I regretted coming here. We should've gone somewhere else, but we were both scared of running into familiar faces.
We kept ordering drinks—more and more, one after another.
The last thing I remember was the sound of glass breaking before everything went black.


My head feels like it's splitting open. I keep my eyes closed a little longer, afraid that any light in the room might worsen the pain. I remember Jen and I at the bar, the drinks, the laughter tinged with heartbreak.