I stretch, realizing I'm fully dressed and in my own bed alone. I could've had a cuddle buddy and that would've been fine by me. I realize it's daybreak and I go out onto the patio, smiling at the memory of refinishing it with Doogie and ma last summer, grabbing a glass of flavored water along the way. I sip it, leaning over the little bit of railing near the front of it and watch the sunset like I have every morning since May, appreciating life and what I do have. JC's question from last night plays in my mind again and I go inside, unsure if he actually stayed after meeting Doog. I notice a pair of huge feet hanging through the arm rest of my mom's couch, I know Doog spent the night like he occasionally does and round the corner to find JC asleep as well. I turn toward the kitchen sink and realize my counters, walls and cabinets are covered in baking items, the sink filled with dirty dishes. I take three small steps toward the table, spotting a note on the table in Doogie's chicken scratch. 'Sorry about the mess, Boog. Wake us up after you've had your water and a shower. JC and I will clean this up for you. -Doog'.

"Damn right I'm waking you two up," I grumble to myself. 

"What the fuck happened in here? How aren't you covered in this? Why are still in the clothes from yesterday?" Deven angrily rambles, hands on her hips and I point to the couch and love seat. 

"Ask Doog and JC; I didn't do it; they put me in bed." I grab two washcloths and dish towels, throw them at the two guys. "Doog, JC! Get your asses up and clean my destroyed kitchen! Pronto!" I scream, the items landing on their backs and they jump, sitting up. They have flour, sugar and who knows what else all over the front of their clothes. 

"What the hell?" Deven demands from them. 

"We had a food fight with some of the ice cream cheesecake stuff," Doog informs me. 

"I'm sorry," JC quickly apologizes. I take a deep breath to calm down a bit.

"Just clean it NOW."

Doog's eyes bulge and gets right on it without another word, JC doing the same. "Elise, do we have time to talk before the celebration?"

I don't like how he asked that. What the fuck did Doog tell him? "It's only seven and the party isn't for another four hours. Depends on how long it takes to clean this horror scene," I inform him. 

Two hours later, they're done and I've showered, feeling better. "We succeeded in making that ice cream cheesecake."

"Thank you, JC and Doogie."

"Can we please talk?"

"Sure," I answer JC.

"Alone?"

"I have to run one more birthday related errand."

"The esentpray run?" Deven questions.

"Yes." She and Doogie hand me money to get gifts for them. I sigh. "Come on, JC. We can talk during the trip."

He nods and follows me as I grab my small bag and car keys, getting down to the garage. I open the door so we can leave and climb into the car, turning over the engine before pulling out. "I heard you used to do drugs," he opens with.

I sigh. "Doogie?" He says nothing, but I feel his blue eyes on me. "I used to do cocaine, meth and pills."

"Do you still do any drugs?"

"MDMA and marijuana, sometimes I drink. I smoke to help me fall asleep, I'm a severe insomniac. The MDMA, I only do that on Fridays or Saturdays, pending what's going on during the weekend. I wait till the kids go to their friends' or are asleep. I've been doing that for five years and I only take MDMA once every couple months. I haven't had it in about two months now." We get to the stop light by the Water Street Market Basket. "I don't mean to hide it, but it isn't something I flaunt, either."

"I don't mean to be a dick, but if you're the kind of person who goes crazy on that kind of thing..." he trails off.  I laugh, the traffic light turning green and I press down on the gas pedal, cruising toward the Fifth Street bridge. I turn left onto the bridge and cut onto Lunenburg Street, heading toward Walmart.

"MDMA helps you chill out and you focus on bright colors and lights, shiny things and you need to drink a ton of water and chew gum all the time. If you smoke cigarettes, you'll blow through half a pack in that eight hours or if you smoke weed, you'll need a bowl or two and you're good for bed after four or five water bottles." He's giving me the crazy look at the John Fitch/Lunenburg Street intersection light when I look at him. "It also makes you super happy and heightens your sense of touch."

"So it's a hippie drug?" he inquires. I chuckle about the way he worded it.

"Minus all the hallucinations, yes."

"How much do you take at one time?"

I give him the same look he'd just given me a few moments ago. "Very little for first timers, maybe about the size of the camera lens on the front of an iPod and then after that, around the size of the lens on the back of an iPod or a dime. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Do you want to try it?" I offer.

"No!" he loudly and far too quickly denies. 

"I haven't died from it and I've been doing MDMA occasionally for five years, cautious of how much I take at one time and I ALWAYS have water with me. When I do have it, I smoke weed with it."

"I'll smoke weed and watch you on the other stuff, I'm not too comfortable taking it right now."

I giggle. "That's fine by me, just when I try to interact with you or something, make sure to react to me."

"Alright."

We walk back in and Doogie is sitting in my kitchen chair, his back to the door. He looks like he's taking a nap. I smack the back of his head HARD, causing his head to snap up and his hand to rub where I'd hit him. "Where's Deven, big mouth?"

"Park down the road with the kids, something about baseball or soccer."

I look at JC and smirk. "Soccer. We should set most of it up, considering it's half an hour from party time."

"Do you have Molly?" Doogie questions me. 

"You down with Molly?" I ask, my eyebrow raising up. 

"Once in a blue is alright, just no snow."

"I gots Molly, we can roll face later after the kids all go out tonight. Parachute?"

"Sure."

Grahm's party was great, mainly teenagers he and his siblings know were in attendance. It ended an hour ago and they all left with friends, their parents and I have been friends since high school. I look at Doogie and begin crushing the chunk of MDMA into a fine powder, wrapping it a piece of toilet paper so it doesn't get stuck. It would catch on my tongue ring otherwise and it would lodge in his throat, both scenarios would suck balls. Deven nods and downs hers as I do the same, Doogie following suit seconds later. JC looks worried. "How long does it take to kick in?"

"It takes anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour, come on."

"The glow room?" Doogie double checks. 

"Well, duh!" Deven retorts. I lead the way down into the glow room in the basement, turning left into the best room to roll face in. I turn on the black light as we file into the room and JC sits beside me, his hand on my thigh.

"Trust me, man, she's gonna get really lovey and if she's just too much for you, lemme know," Doogie tells him. 

"Ok."

"Or me," Deven says sitting on my other side and Doogie sits on JC's unoccupied side in the moon chair. Doogie concentrates on the illusion poster, it's black light sensitive and when you're rolling it looks as if it's moving. Deven is watching the music graphics on Windows Media player Doogie had started a minute ago with me, my body beginning to become highly sensitive to any form of sensation; I can feel the lightest touch, even if your fingers aren't directly touching me.

"Doog, gum?"

He hands Deven and I a piece of 5 Swerve gum, JC turning it down and he takes a piece himself. "Why do you need gum?"

"It's either chew gum or grind your teeth, gum is a better choice in my opinion." I look at him. 

"What? Do I have a booger or something in my hair or on my face?"

"No. Can I cuddle to you? Do you mind?"

He smiles. "It's fine."

I scoot back on the couch and lean into his body, my head on his shoulder and he winds his arm around me. He rubs my side and I reach for his other hand, winding my fingers in his when he offers it to me. "See, JC, MDMA isn't that bad if you don't do it all the time," Doog remarks.