The * indicates a change in point of view.
JUNE 2019
Jess always took it too far on a night out; she'd drink more than she can handle, and end up in the toilet of the club, throwing up the entire contents of her stomach. It wasn't entirely her fault, in fact, some of the boys egged her on far too much, and tonight wasn't an exception. She'd turned up at the club already drunk - I'm surprised she was allowed in - and had spent the past few hours at the bar, buying drink after drink. She'd made her way over to me in one of our booths, and collapsed down next to me in a fit of giggles, leaning her head on my shoulder.
"I don't feel good." She said, hiccuping.
"Do you want me to get you home?" I asked. She nodded. "Come on." I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her up from the booth. We quickly said goodbye to the boys and made our way out to the front of the club where we sat on a bench and waited for a cab.
"Thank you." She said, looking up at me.
"For what?" I asked.
"Leaving with me." She looked down at her feet. "I know I took it too far again."
"As long as you get home safe, that's all that matters." I chuckled. "Drink what you like."
"I shouldn't have had so much." She shook her head. "Usually I'd get home and he'd be waiting for me with a glass of water and some pain killers. We'd get into bed and we'd stay there all day the next day. We'd order in a pizza and spend the day watching films."
"Don't upset yourself." I said, placing my hand on her knee in comfort.
"It's just hard." She looked up at me, tears in her eyes.
I sighed. "Don't cry." I frowned. "Hey, why don't you come back to mine? The spare room is made up, you can stay in there if you like." She smiled and nodded at me. "There you go. Don't be sad, Jess. I know it's so hard but you're doing so well. Everything takes time."
The taxi arrived and I gave the driver my address. The journey home wasn't too long, and the two of us sat in a comfortable silence in the back of the cab. She stared out the window and watched as the world flew by, and I watched her intently, feeling sad for the broken girl sat beside me. I'd always admired her, and how she had the motivation to get up and carry on, even when life was throwing rubbish her way.
That's just the sort of girl she was though.
As the cab pulled up outside my house, I handed the driver the fare, and we made our way up the path. Unlocking the door, we let ourselves in and Jess followed me straight to the kitchen where I handed her a glass of water and a paracetamol. She smiled at me gratefully, before I led her up the stairs and showed her the spare bedroom. Realising she had nothing to wear, I found her a t-shirt of mine and a pair of shorts that she'd probably fit into, and left her to get changed.
I knocked on the door a while later, hearing her mumble the words 'come in'. Pushing the door open, I walked into the room to see her snuggled up under the large duvet. I sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the wall. "I know it's not the same, but I'm always here." I said. I couldn't mend a broken heart with the snap of my fingers, but I could certainly be a shoulder to cry on. "You've helped me through some shit in my life and I just want to be there for you."
