17

Cameron

"Holly? Why is Adeline kissing Tyler?" I ask.

"Excuse me?" Holly's eyes widen and she turns to look at me. I nod my head in the direction of where Adeline and Tyler are cuddling.

"Is she serious?" she grumbles, drawing Esther into our conversation as well.

"Who?" Esther asks.

"See for yourself."

Her first reaction is a silly smile, followed by a shrug, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"So what? It's good for her to reconnect with him. Why blame her?" Holly replies in a cold tone.

"Leave her alone. She didn't ask for our opinion."

I can't help but keep my eyes on Adeline as I watch the scene unfold. With her hands clutching Tyler's t-shirt, she seems slightly off-balance, and if it weren't for Tyler holding her up, I'm sure she would wobble. A slight tension builds within me and I decide to approach the couple to understand what's going on. As soon as I reach them, Tyler grabs my arm and starts talking to me, obviously relieved to see me.

"Is she completely drunk or something?" he asks, struggling to support Adeline who is clinging to his neck.

"I don't know... Well, no. She shouldn't have been drinking."

I lean closer to my sister, brushing away a few strands of hair that cover her face. Her cheeks are flushed and she seems barely able to keep one eye open, her head resting limply against Tyler's chest.

" Adeline, are you okay?" I ask, worried.

Her head rolls back and she lets out a moan from deep in her throat.

"Th...thro...throw up," she struggles to articulate, as if her mouth is sealed.

"Are you sick? Come with me."

I grab her by the waist and pull her away from the buffet, where a few people have gathered to enjoy the spectacle she's providing. Why is it that the drunk person at a party attracts so much attention from others? It's as if the person who doesn't know her limits is the best form of entertainment.

"What's happening to her?"

Holly and Esther rush over and help me gently lower Adeline to the sand. Unable to support herself, she falls limply to the ground with a dull, muffled thud.

"I don't know, she can't walk properly anymore and she's having trouble talking," I say, starting to panic.

" Adeline, how many drinks did you have?" Esther asks, getting more and more worried.

Adeline opens her eyes with great difficulty and tries to hold up a finger, all the while bursting out laughing. We all look at each other, unable to understand why she's in this state. What the hell has she done?

"Is your friend on drugs or something?" a guy from our school, who we didn't notice approaching, stands next to me and looks at my sister lying on the sand like a waste.

"What do you mean drugged?" Tyler asks, his tone becoming threatening, as if the guy is talking utter nonsense.

"She's clearly out of it. I don't know what she took, but if I were you, I wouldn't let her close her eyes."

"Why?" I worry.

"You don't know how people react to drugs. She could vomit and choke if she stays lying down."

Obviously panicked, we all stare at each other before the girls rush to Adeline, lift her up, and hold her in a sitting position.

" Adeline, you have to stay sitting. Do you hear me?" Holly asks. "What are we going to do, damn it?"

She turns her eyes to me, increasingly worried about her friend, whom none of us can take care of. Nervously, I run a hand through my hair, pulling it hard. We need help, but if I call the paramedics, they'll call my mother or Henri, and I'll be in big trouble. Besides, Adeline took her father's car; it would take him forever to get here. With a jerk, I grabbed my cell phone to check the time: three fifteen. Everyone is asleep, and there's only one person who can answer and come here. And who will probably be better able to handle this situation than we are.

" Adeline, I'm sorry, but it's a matter of life and death..."

I dial my brother's number and a worried tone rings in my ear.

"Hello..."

A plaintive groan accompanies his answer, and his hoarse voice makes it clear that I woke him up. I hope he's not mad at me.

"Dude, I'm really sorry to wake you up, but..."

I don't finish my sentence because my heartbeat makes me breathless. I have to breathe or I'll be the one who has to be taken to the hospital.

"Is something wrong?"

My brother's voice snaps me out of my attempt at controlled breathing. This time I think he's fully awake, and I'm even sure he's already standing in the middle of his room.

"We're at the beach party, and I think Adeline has been drugged."

"I'm on my way," he says before I can give him any more information.

I move my phone away from my ear to check if the call is over, and my screen clearly shows that he hung up.

"My brother's coming," I say to the pairs of eyes that have been scrutinizing me all this time.

"Are you sure he knows what to do?" Tyler asks.

"It was either him or the medics. So yeah, I hope he'll be able to handle it... Damn, how did she get in this state?"

"She just drank from her glass. I don't understand anything," Holly answers. "It can't be the drugs."

She sits next to Adeline, supporting her sister's body with Esther's help as Adeline continues to collapse.

- She must have had more to drink than we think," Garret announces, breaking his silence since the incident began.

- Impossible. She was supposed to take us back. She would never do that knowingly,' I reply.

- Wait," Esther interrupts.

We all look at her, our stomachs churning, waiting for her to explain what she knows.

- At one point she asked me to pass her glass. It was on the sand and I thought she knew it was hers.

- Shit!

Furious, I bury my hands in the pockets of my jeans, trying not to go on a rampage against everyone at this damn party who dared to bring this fucking drug. Equally furious, Tyler paces a little further away.

- Who the hell brought that crap?" he spits.

Just as I'm about to answer, the headlights of a car make us all turn towards the parking lot. Knowing it's my brother, I leave everyone behind and run to meet him.

- Where is she?

He's barely out of the car before he makes a determined run for the spot I've indicated. He jumps off the stone ledge that marks the edge of the beach and rushes over to Adeline, who is sitting between the girls, some distance from the campfire. He kneels before her, takes her face in his hands and begins to speak to her.

- Adeline? Adeline, listen to me, you must not fall asleep yet.

Totally out of it, Adeline doesn't open her eyes to answer my brother and just mumbles an answer that we imagine to be "but I'm tired.

- I know," he whispers quietly before turning to us. "I think she's been given GHB.

- Is this a joke?" Holly blurts out.

- No. It's the only thing I know of that's undetectable in a drink and works that fast.

- How do we get rid of it?" Tyler asks coldly.

- It depends on the dose taken. Usually it wears off on its own after a while. An hour, sometimes more. Did you make her vomit?" he asks me.

- No, I...

Without giving me time to finish my sentence, Jayden picks up Adeline and almost carries her to a more secluded corner of the beach.

- Hold on to her,' he instructs us firmly.

I grab my sister's hips and hold on to her to keep her from falling. Meanwhile, my brother puts two fingers in her mouth.

- Come on, Adeline. This will make you feel better," he says softly, stroking her neck.

After three attempts, Adeline finally empties her stomach and starts to cry.

- It's okay,' I calm her down. "It should make you feel better.

- We have to get her home.

With agile movements, he puts one hand under Adeline 's legs and the other behind her back to lift her into his arms. In a state of complete lethargy, she slides against him and rests her head on his neck.

If you could see yourself, old girl, you'd have a fit just at the thought of being so close to my brother...

I almost feel like laughing at the situation, but quickly remind myself that she's drugged and things are really screwed up.

- We'll come with you," Esther insists, trying to hold him back.

- No, I'll take over," he replies coldly. "Cameron, move, let's go. And you," he snaps at Tyler, "better find out who did this."

They lock eyes for a few long seconds before my brother leaves the beach and heads for the parking lot, Adeline in his arms. With clenched jaw, Tyler keeps his eyes on Jayden's figure, seemingly ready to go after him and throw a punch.

- Sorry," I tell Tyler, putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "I don't know why he's so upset and cold.

- I have my suspicions," my friend mumbles and turns to me.

- What do you mean?" I ask in surprise.

He doesn't have time to answer me before I hear my brother calling my name from the parking lot and sternly telling me to get my ass in the car. Not wanting to upset him any more than he already is, I quickly grab my things and Adeline's before running to join them. I haven't even reached the car when Jayden is already in the driver's seat, motioning for me to get in the back with my sister.

Well, this is definitely not how I imagined the evening would end...