Chapter 40

GRACE'S POV 

By the time we got to Susan's apartment, she was already asleep, which left me to drag her halfway up the stairs. However, I could only do so much, so I turned to violence for help.

Placing her against the bannister, I took a deep breath and slapped her across her face. The sound of my hand against her skin met the almost silent staircase, making the man who was going up before us pause and look down. I smiled at him, letting him know we were okay.

Susan woke up with a start, her hand grabbing her cheek. “Ow! Am I dreaming? Or did you actually slap me?” She whined.

“I can't pull you up the stairs anymore. 

My biceps aren't exactly biceping.” I told her, letting go of her now that she was awake.

She opened one eye and glared at me. “You're not nice.” 

“I'm not nice for dragging you up three flights of stairs? When is your landlord going to fix the elevator?” I groaned, stomping a foot.

She opened the other eye as well and looked at my foot. “Well, child. It's not my fault the stupid thing spoiled and it's still not my fault that it's not been fixed yet. I'm the one that has to suffer from stairs.” 

I sat on a stair above her. “Why'd you have to live so far up in the building anyway?” 

She poked my shoulder. “You picked this apartment for me when I said your apartment gave me the creeps.” 

I blanched. “Are you serious? You said my apartment was too small and you weren't interested in seeing any other places in the building, so you begged me to help you pick another building with bigger apartments.” 

She paused, her mouth forming an ‘o’. “But still. Just don't try to contradict me.” She huffed and looked the other way. 

I chuckled, shaking my head. “I don't know how I put up with you, honestly.” 

“You know something?” 

“What?” I leaned in, expecting a serious talk.

“I'm mad hungry.” She whispered, a glint in her eyes. 

I used my fingers and kicked her forehead. She exclaimed and grabbed her forehead, wincing. 

“What was that for? That's the second assault in five minutes.” She cried, shutting her eyes as if she was in terrible pain. 

I grabbed her arm and pulled her up till she was standing and protesting. “It's time for you to get home and feed yourself, don't you think?” We went up the stairs, continuing the six flights journey.

She moaned like I was punishing her. “I'll have you arrested for manhandling. I'll even sue you for…for something terrible.” 

I smirked. “You're very hopeless.” 

“You know what I mean.” She touched my nose and touched hers.

I sighed, getting ready for another episode. “What are you doing now?” 

She giggled, and touched both our noses again. 

“Susan, what the heck are you even doing with our noses?” I asked again, narrowing my eyes.

She sighed, tired. “I don't even know. Are we there yet?” She barely looked up from her toes. 

I looked at the remaining flight of stairs. “Yup, we're almost there.” 

She groaned. “Almost? Why are you taking forever?” 

“Maybe because I'm carrying the weight of two people all at once.” I snapped.

She glanced at me and looked back at her feet. “Meanie.” 

I ignored her, because if I responded, I might actually leave her right there on the stairs and go home. And as tempting as that sounded, I was, unfortunately, a good person. Or at least, a responsible one.

By the time we reached the door to her apartment , Susan had somehow become heavier. I didn’t know how that was scientifically possible. But it was happening.

“This is it, we're here.” I muttered dropping her against the door.

She lifted her head slightly. “If I die here, tell my story.”

“You’re not dying.” I told her as I searched my bag for her keys. I knew she'd get drunk, so I took her keys to safe keeping. Look at that, I was very right.

“Tell them I lived beautifully.” she continued, almost singing.

I snorted, finally finding the keys.“You lived loudly.”

“Same thing.”

Her head was blocking the door knob.

I sighed. “Move your head.”

“I am moving it.”

“You are not.”

“I am thinking about moving it.”

“That doesn’t count!” I exclaimed, running my hand down my face.

The moment we stepped inside, or well, I stepped inside and she crawled inside, she immediately collapsed on the floor like a dramatic movie character who had just survived a war.

“I can see the light,” she whispered, squinting at something only she could see.

“That’s your hallway bulb,” I said flatly, shutting the door behind me.

She opened her eyes wider and squinted again. “It’s very bright.”

“It’s not, you're just very drunk. Which, remind me again, weren't you almost sober before we left the bar? How is it that you're this drunk?”

She didn't say anything, and didn't even move an inch. I furrowed my eyebrows in suspicion.

“Susan,” I called. Still no response. “I could've sworn I gave you enough water to sober you up.”

All I got was silence from her. Then, I heard it. A small, inconspicuous slurping sound.

“Susan, what’s that? .”

Nothing. Only her leg twitched as the slurping sound stopped.

I walked closer and nudged her leg. “You said you were hungry.”

A muffled voice came from the floor.

“I lied.”

Of course she did. I knelt beside her and without warning, I put my hands underneath her and turned her over. The sight I saw left me frozen in shock.

“Susan!” I yelled.

“Mmh?” 

Susan, my best friend whom I thought I gave enough water to sober herself up, was drinking from a hidden flask in her coat. It was so subtle that you wouldn't even know there was something like that. 

“How did you even get that?” I spluttered, willing my eyes to be tricking me.