Imperfect

Chapter 4

It's been a long time coming, I know this. Sorry guys I just haven't been in the writing mood lately.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Nell’s POV

I stopped the car in our driveway and shut off the engine. For a long moment, I sat there and listened to Paige’s soft snores, relief and anger creating a strange cocktail in my gut.

My eyes slid to the cup-holder next to me and I slowly reached out to pick up the pill bottle sitting there.

Klonopin.

Did she even get it? Did she even understand what she was taking?

She could’ve died.

“Tell me you didn’t pick me up,” Paige groaned from the backseat.

My hand tightened around the pill bottle. “I did.”

“Oh god,” she grumbled. I watched in the mirror as she sat up and scratched her forehead with fingernails painted purple. “Did people see you?”

“Yes.”

“Great. And I was doing so good at pretending I didn’t know you.” She shifted towards the door and pushed it open, sliding out to stand unsteadily on the interlocking stones of our driveway.

Rage pulsed under my skin, making my vision go a little hazy as I reached out to open my own door.

Her steps were slow so it wasn’t hard to catch up to her.

“How much did you take?” I asked, my voice quiet and shaky as I thrust the pill bottle under her nose and gripped her forearm, forcing her to stop just in front of the door.

“Just a couple,” she said, rolling her eyes, her lips spreading into a mocking grin. “Let me go, spaz.”

“Do even know what this is?” I hissed, tightening my grip on her arm and pulling her closer to me, my anger reaching a boiling point as she tried to brush me off.

She shrugged. “Something that’s supposed to help you loosen up would be my guess.” Her eyes seemed clear for a second as they locked on mine, a knowing glow in their depths. “Which, now that I mention it, is a bit suspicious. You’re just as uptight as ever, Nellie. You’ve got all these pretty little bottles lined up in your medicine cabinet. You can’t tell me you take those meds and you’re still this fucked up.”

“This isn’t about me,” I snapped, letting her arm go to run a shaking hand through my hair. “You mixed Klonopin with alcohol, Paige. You could’ve di―”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” she said, waving her hand dismissively as she placed her other one on the door knob. “Besides, if I didn’t take them, who would? What do you do, Nell? Flush them down the toilet?” She tilted her head back and laughed in my face. “I suppose I should’ve known. When you first came back at the end of the summer, you were a totally different person, a complete space case. But now you’re back to your old spazzy ways.” Her lips tilted up further as she leaned a bit closer to me, her hand on the doorknob helping her keep her balance. “All your pill bottles were alphabetized, Nell. Want to tell me how normal you are? Care to convince me that you’re not insane?” She snorted, her eyes narrowing on me as my breath came in short pants, my hands fisted so hard at my sides that my nails were digging into my flesh. “Look at you. You’re a fucking nut job. Why don’t you just give up? Mom and Dad are never going to take you seriously, so why don’t you just quit trying and go back to the loony bin where you belong.”