r/Novels

My boyfriend handed my inhaler to another girl while I was having an asthma attack. She laughed. "Beg me for it." He told me to stop being dramatic. I couldn't breathe. Nobody helped. Then she crushed my last pill with her shoe. I knew right then, I wouldn't die alone.

Chapter 1 The air at the party was thick and heavy, almost suffocating. Music pounded through the room, loud enough to rattle my bones. My chest started to constrict, each breath becoming a struggle. With shaky hands, I fumbled for my emergency inhaler in my pocket. The canister felt way too light. I gave it a frantic shake—silence. Just then, Adrian walked over with Zoey tucked under his arm. He shrugged like it was nothing. "Zoey had a scratchy throat, so I let her use your puffer." My grip tightened around the empty inhaler, knuckles turning white. "That was my emergency meds..." Zoey peeked up from his shoulder, all sugar and innocence. "Don't be mad, sis. It was just a little tickle." I was fighting for air, each gasp feeling like a hand around my throat. "A tickle? Couldn't you have just had some water?" Adrian rolled his eyes. "Or a cough drop. Stop being so dramatic." The strobe lights flickered across his face, making him look cold and distant. My legs gave out, and I slid down the wall onto the floor. My phone screen swam in front of my blurry vision. I typed with trembling fingers, each word a battle. Every breath came out as a ragged wheeze. "Mom. Asthma attack." "Adrian gave my inhaler away." Adrian glanced at my screen and let out a harsh laugh. "Really? Tattling like a kid?" He snatched my phone and held it high above me, smirking down like I was some kind of joke. I tried to stand, to reach for it, but my head spun and I dropped back onto the couch. "My asthma… please…" I choked out. Zoey strutted over, waving a different inhaler with a sly grin. "Oh, is little Evelyn feeling sick again? Or is this just another performance?" "That's why you don't bring girls like her to guy hangouts. Always pulling some jealous stunt." I glared at her, each breath a fight. Zoey was Adrian's so-called "best friend" from childhood. Always glued to the guys, acting like she was just one of them. Adrian always praised her to me—how she was bold, straightforward, a real cool girl. When we first got together, I actually thought she was fun. But then Adrian brought me into his circle. Zoey put on a sweet act. "Adrian has good taste! Where'd you find this delicate flower?" "Stick with me, girl! We'll have fun together and ignore these losers." But her eyes always had a sharpness to them. She was sneaky. She'd talk about sisterhood while subtly pushing me to the sidelines. At every hangout, she'd bring up inside jokes and childhood stories I couldn't be part of. I'd end up sitting quietly in the corner. Then she'd throw an arm around Adrian and laugh. "Why so quiet, Princess? Jealous much?" I'd told Adrian again and again how she made me feel. But he always brushed it off. Told me I was being too sensitive. That's just how Zoey is—blunt and real. But now, Zoey wasn't even pretending. "What's wrong, Princess? Upset 'cause you're not the center of attention?" The guys burst out laughing. "Give me… the inhaler… I can't breathe…" My voice was shaking. The room got quiet for a second. Then the laughter got louder, harsher. Zoey clung to Adrian, cracking up like it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. "Good one! Adrian, don't fall for it!" The others joined in. "Adrian, you're not scared of your girl, are you?" "Dude, stand up for yourself! Put her in her place!" Adrian's face flushed red. He deliberately turned away from me and raised his voice. "Who cares? Let her be. She needs to grow up." The suffocation got worse. I clutched at Adrian's sleeve, making desperate, gasping sounds. "Help… me…" For a second, he looked unsure. But Zoey cut in fast. "Give it a rest, Evelyn. No one's buying it." I tried crawling toward the door. But Zoey shoved me back onto the couch. "Party's not over. You're not ruining this." She pushed me hard. My head smacked against the wall. A dull thud echoed, and my vision flashed with stars. Before I could even recover, Zoey let out a sharp scream.

Chapter 2 Zoey slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with theatrical shock. "Oh my God, you are so manipulative." "I didn't even lay a finger on you, and you just threw yourself against the wall." Adrian's eyes turned to ice as they settled on me. "Evelyn, haven't you caused enough drama already?" I dug my teeth into my lip, using the pain to anchor myself to consciousness. "I have severe asthma. If you don't back off, this could kill me." Every breath was like swallowing shards of glass, my throat raw and burning, the metallic taste of blood coating my tongue. Zoey dangled the inhaler tauntingly in front of my face. She took an exaggerated, deep puff right in front of me. "Ahhh, so good. Too bad you can't have any." "Guess you get what you pay for, right?" I clawed weakly toward it. She held it high above her head, smirking. "You want it? Beg me." My sight began to tunnel, darkening at the edges. A cold, clammy sweat soaked through my shirt. Adrian just stood there, watching coldly. "Zoey just wants a turn. Stop being so selfish." "We've all seen your medical records. You don't even have asthma." I clung to the last thread of my sanity. "Adrian, you've seen me have an attack. You know it's real." Zoey cut in, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Faking an illness for attention? Isn't that, like, everyone's move these days?" "What's next? You're gonna tell us you have depression, too?" The private room erupted in cruel laughter. Someone whistled, egging them on. "Adrian, this girl is a total piece of work." "Zoey's way more your style—chill, fun, not all... this." With the last of my strength, I lunged for Zoey. My fingers were inches from the inhaler when she suddenly sidestepped. I crashed hard onto the carpet, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. "Wow, and the Oscar goes to..." Zoey said, pretending to be impressed. She leaned down, her voice a venomous whisper meant only for me. "Just die already. You'd be doing everyone a favor." When she straightened up, her tone switched back to sweet concern. "Stop fooling around, Evelyn. Everyone's waiting for the toast." Finally, something in Adrian's expression shifted. He dropped to his knees beside me. "What's really going on with you?" he asked, his voice tighter now. "Help me..." I gasped, desperately clutching his wrist. "My medicine..." Adrian's frown deepened, a flicker of alarm in his eyes. He looked over at Zoey. "Just give her the inhaler." Zoey's face fell. She tucked it behind her back, stomping her foot like a petulant child. "Adrian, are you insane? After all the mind games she's played on you?" She turned to the room, raising her voice. "See? She's playing you again. And you're falling for it." A few of the guys immediately backed her up. "Zoey's been our friend for years. She wouldn't lie." "Girls like this just need to be put in their place." I felt Adrian's grip on me loosen slightly. He was hesitating. An agonizing spasm ripped through my chest. The world was fading in and out. "But... she really doesn't look good..." someone murmured uncertainly.

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