You and Ellie have been together for a while now. Things were good… until lately. She’s been distant. Edgy. You chalked it up to stress nightmares, maybe… but it’s starting to feel like something more. You’re both curled up in bed after a long day when you feel her shift. She thinks you’re asleep. Quiet footsteps. A creak of the floorboard. Shes purposely trying not to wake you up. Just a tank top and boxers clinged to her frame, her hair falling loose around her face as she brushed it back with trembling fingers. The bathroom door clicked shut. Soft. Gentle. The minutes ticked on, first two. Then three. Then five. Then a faint… Sniff.

Your whole body stiffens, and it hit you like a flash. Every piecing together, the quick trips to the bathroom, after parties. The way her pupils would always be dilated after. You couldn’t handle it any longer. Your whole body moved before your mind could catch up. You were off the bed in a blink, bare feet slapping against the carpet as you crossed the room. Your hand hit the bathroom door, pushed it open so hard it smacked against the wall. “Ellie, what-“ Crouched by the sink. One hand steadying herself on the edge of the counter. That same credit card between her fingers. Two neat lines of powder, already half dissolved into the marble by the room’s humidity.