Toxic (Better Than You) by Raquel Valldeperas

shouts at me before taking off towards the fight that’s about to get ugly. I watch as he parts the crowd and, with the help of our very big bouncer Rico, pulls apart the two guys. Order is restored.
                  “Hello! Can I get a drink?” Some girl is waving her hand in my face. I have the urge to grab it and stick a fork through it, but I think that would get me fired so I settle for making her yet another sex on the beach.
                  “How do girls drink this shit?” I shout, mostly to myself. But the girl hears me and purses her lips, starts tapping her fingers on the bar and stalks off as soon as her drink is in her hand. No tip for me.
                  “You’re not very good at this!” I hear someone say. I’m about to give her a piece of my mind, but when I look up and see the familiar face, I smile instead.
                  “Yeah, well, bitches annoy me.”
                  “I guess nothing’s changed, huh?”
                  Sam’s right- nothing has changed. Except for her. It’s only been six months since I’ve seen her but she looks like a completely different person. The long, dirty blonde hair that used to cascade down her back in waves is gone, chopped off at her chin. Her skin is still pale but now it’s dull and pasty. No one would notice that or the fact that her eyes are distant, not really focusing on any one thing, except for me. I’ve seen those eyes in every state of drunk and high, but they never looked anything like they do now.
                  “I get off in a few hours. Wanna wait around?” I ask her quickly because Nathan is eyeing me from down the bar and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m slacking or because I’m actually talking to someone.
                  “Sure! Just bring me some tequila and I’m good!”
                  I laugh. Of course she still drinks tequila. I pour her a shot of the house and then get back to serving the rest of the bikini clad girls. There seems to be a never-ending stream of people and as the hours go by, I start to get more and more impatient. The hit I had before my shift is wearing off, leaving me feeling cold and out of control. I haven’t had a chance to take another. The screen on my brand new phone tells me it’s been eight hours. The longest I’ve been without a hit is nine and that’s only when I’m sleeping. Right now I’m fully conscious of the fact that I’m awake and starting to crash. I know that at any moment the shaking will start and I won’t be able to breathe. I need something, and fast.
                  “Hey, Kait! I gotta pee! Cover me for a sec?” I yell at Kaitlin, who nods her head and gives me a quick thumbs up.
                  There’s an employee bathroom at the back, but instead of going in there I go through the exit door next to it and run out to my car. I’ve only got a few minutes and as I search my car and purse, it becomes obvious that there’s nothing in either. What do I do?
                  Sam.
                  The noise of the bar hits me like a wall as I sprint back in. Sam’s right where I left her. “Sam! I need you!”
                  She looks at my hand on her arm, into my eyes, and follows me without question. It may have been a while since I’ve seen her, but she knows me well enough to know that I’m crashing. Just before I enter the hall leading to the employee bathroom, with Sam in tow, I catch Nathan’s eyes. They burn into me, threaten to rip me open and leak the truth, but I look away. The need for what Sam will undoubtedly have is stronger than the way Nathan makes me feel. I lead her to the employee bathroom, shut the door and lock it.
                  “I usually bring enough for another hit halfway through my shift but I must have forgotten it and I can pay you