Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ New Addiction ❯ Close Call ( Chapter 3 )

New Addiction 3

Close Call

Disclaimer: I do not own Tamers.

As soon as Ai got home, she looked for a good party outfit. "Oh, do I have anything party-worthy? Argh!" she growled as she searched her whole closet. "Dresses, dresses, more dresses, slacks…oh!"

"Hiya, Ai!" Impmon said, crawling out from under her bed. She screamed in surprise. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He saw the frustrated expression on her face. "Whatsamattah?"

"Oh, I have nothing to wear!" she exclaimed.

"But aren't those clothes you're wearing?" he asked.

"Ha-ha, very funny," she muttered. "Hmm, where did I put those jeans with the holes in them?" She tapped her mouth and Impmon pulled open the bottom drawer. He held up a pair of blue jeans with ripped knees. "Yah mean these, Ai?"

"Yeah, thanks!" she took those quickly. "Now, I just need a good top to go with it. Something a bit…hmm…you know…" she shrugged, "partyish…"

"Yah goin' to a party?"

She nodded.

He frowned, "oh no…you're not going on a…on another date, are you?"

She laughed, "Nope. Just a person's house. It's not formal or anything…casual. I need something…casual."

"I know just the thing!" He jumped upon her dresser, opened the top drawer and tossed out a few shirts until he found a purple V-neck short-sleeved shirt. "I like this one!"

"Thanks, Impmon!" She said.

"You're welcome." He grinned and closed his eyes. He waited for a while why Ai held the clothes.

"Uh, Impmon?" she asked.

"Huh?"

She cleared her throat and nodded toward the door. "Privacy, please?"

He blinked, "oh! Hahaha! Sure, I'll just go and er, torture Calumon or something."

"Impmon!"

"It was a joke!" he stepped out of the door so she could get dressed.

Ai quickly changed into her party duds and then took a look in the mirror. She started walking out of her room when someone wolf whistled. At first she thought it was Mako, but it was Impmon, standing on the counter.

"Impmon," she blushed slightly.

"Marvelous, girlfriend!" he exclaimed. "Hey, hold on, your look is missing something." He looked her over and walked around her a few times. "Ah-ha! I know!" he took the red bandana off his neck and hopped on the table. He waved her over and raising an eyebrow in confusion, Ai walked to her partner. He put the bandana around her head then stepped back, putting his left pointer finger to right thumb, right pointer finger to left thumb, as if he was taking a picture. "Looking' good toots!"

Ai smiled. It has been a while since Impmon showed her some attention. "Thank you, what next, your leather jacket?"

"You're a genius!" he snapped her fingers. "But I'm keeping the guns, okay?"

"I'll go get my d-power," she said and he ran after her to her room. "DIGI MODIFY! DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVIATE!"

"IMPMON DIGIVOLVE TO BEELZEMON!"

Ai set her d-power down and Beelzemon took off his leather jacket, carefully so that he would not injure his wings. He held it out for her and put it on Ai. Beelzemon grinned. "You look great Ai…who's my partnah?"

"I am," she said quietly.

"I dinnit her yah," he said.

"I am." She Said a little louder.

"One more time."

"I AM!"

"That's more like it!"

"But Mako is too," she reminded.

"Of course. Both of yous twos are my partnahs. I've got two partnahs for the price of one!" he laughed. "What more can a digimon ask for?"

Ai smiled, "Well, thanks, Beelzemon. I'm off to my party."

"Hey, take me with you!" he said.

"But Beelzemon, you'll eat all the food," she said.

"No I won't."

She folded her arms and looked at her partnah.

"Oh, phooey…you know me too well." He muttered. "Well, can I at least take you there? Please, please, PLEAAAZE?!"

"Beelzemon…."

"OH, come on! You're going to walk there?" He asked. "You want to show up to that party in style!"

"But I can't let anyone see you," she said.

"But you'll still be showing up in style."

Ai sighed and looked at her feet. It has been some time since Beelzemon took her for an air ride thorough the city and here she was trying to talk him out of it. She'd get to the party faster and she always did like being in her partner's arms as he flew her around. She grabbed Perry's invitation and grinned.

"Okay. Let's go…partnah!"

"Yippee! Mako doesn't know what he's missing!" Beelzemon picked up his tamer and flew out of the window, just as Mako returned home from basketball practice.

"Ai? Impmon? Hello…oh, no!"

****

"So, Ai, what kinda party is this?" he asked. "I'd say Halloween but it's a bit early for that, huh?"

"Um, it's, ah, kind of…" Ai searched for an explanation, "an, um, dance and games party."

"How come Mako wasn't invited?" Beelzemon asked. "Is it for girls only?"

"No. Mako's too busy," she explained.

"What does the invite say?"

"Let's see?" she looked at the directions, "you should turn left here…"

"Got it!" he took a bit too sharp of a left and Ai tightened her arms around Beelzemon's neck.

"Ah! Beelzemon!"

"Sorry…"

"I think we should get you a flyer's permit," she mumbled.

Beelzemon chuckled, "yah funny, Ai."

Ai sighed. She knew exactly what kind of party she was going to. She saw the kind of crowd Perry hung out with; they were a bunch of teen rebels always getting into trouble. Maybe Chip was right about Perry dealing drugs. Perry always had a tired look to him and talked like he was hung over. However, Ai was too frustrated to even care. If he offered her a beer, maybe she would take a swig just to see what it tasted like. If they were smoking pot at the party, perhaps if she took one puff it wouldn't hurt her. If they gave her any pills, maybe they'd make her headaches go away. But of a part of her felt bad about going and she also felt bad that Beelzemon was taking her to a party that she knew her parents wouldn't approve of. Turning the next block, music filled the air.

"Someone has the music too loud!" Beelzemon shouted.

"I guess we might be close, Beelzemon," Ai said. "It's coming from that…building…"

"The one with all the lights on?"

"Yeah."

"I know that place. I thought they were going to tear it down. Looks kinda old for a party."

"Maybe," Ai mumbled, "but I bet it could be fun."

Beelzemon and Ai saw some of the partiers outside eating, drinking and talking and a few couples were making out. The party building was what used to be a factory, now an empty warehouse used for parties. But the party Ai was about to go to wasn't just some normal party.

It was a rave. This smart girl was going to a rave and she knew it. She knew it right from the moment she saw some of the partiers outside. She even had a hunch it was a rave.

"A rave," she whispered.

"A what?" Beelzemon asked.

"Nothing, Beelzemon," she said. "Just drop me off at that alley before someone sees you and freaks out."

"What, they think I can't come party too?" he questioned as he flew down the alley and set her down.

"Beelzemon!" she muttered. "You'll scare everyone away. None of those kids are tamers. I bet none of them know what a tamer is."

Beelzemon looked at the warehouse. "I'm not sure if I should let you go to this party."

"What?"

"Something is just a bit…strange."

"Beelzemon, I'll be okay."

"I think I'll stay here until the party is over so I can take you back home."

"You don't have to, Beelzemon, it's a party."

"Or maybe for a couple of minutes, incase something goes wrong."

"What could go wrong?"

"I dunno, never been to a party before. If you feel like you want to go home, I'll just stay here."

"Beelzemon, I will be just fine," she insisted. "Now go back home. I bet Mako will get jealous if you stay and party with me. You two can see that movie you like."

"How will you get home?" he asked.

"I'll…ask a friend to take me home," she replied hesitantly, looking back to the party. 'if I make any,' she added mentally. "Go home, Beelzemon. Thank you for taking me to the party."

"Can't you bring some party food back?" he asked.

She giggled, "okay, but I don't think they've got any doggie bags handy. Bye." She pulled down on his arm, making him bend down so she give him a kiss on the cheek. After being her tamer again, he's gotten used to it.

"Well, maybe I should let you have my blaster just in case someone--" he began.

"Beelzemon!" she cried with a chuckle, "this is just food and fun, not laser tag."

"Well, all right, Ai," he took off from the ground but stayed in midair for a while, "have fun at your party and be careful, okay? Catch ya later."

"Bye-bye," she waved at her digimon as he flew off. 'I wish some guys were as caring as Beelzemon,' she thought as she turned and walked to the party. The music got louder the closer she got to the warehouse. She could feel the vibrations under her feet and the base drum took place of her heart.

'I can do this,' she thought. 'It's just a party.'

She came up to the porch where a guy was drinking out of a plastic cup. She didn't see any beer cans in anyone's hand. Maybe the beverage everyone was drinking was soda.

"Excuse me, am I at the right place?" she asked as she held out her invite. "Perry Tusuko invited me."

He looked at the invite and nodded, "You're at the right place, babe. If you're looking for Perry, he's inside."

"Thanks," she said, shocked that he called her 'babe' and she walked past him and inside the warehouse. It was hot, steamy and even louder inside that it was outside. People were jumping in a huge moshpit and some couples were freak dancing in some corners. The smart side of Ai told her to get out of there. She wished that Beelzemon had stayed in the alley and she would run to him immediately, telling him that the party just wasn't the kind of party she needed. Beelzemon would take her into his majestic wings, hold his tamer for a while and then he'd ask if there was anyone who spilt something or made her mad then he'd teach them a lesson or two. Ai looked back.

'Beelzemon,' she thought and looked forward.

Another side of her, a rebel underneath all her sense of smartness, was about to rise. It pushed her to keep going. She was here now, Beelzemon left and she might as well have some fun. If beer was offered to her, the worse she could say was no, but it was also the best thing. 'I just wont' drink or smoke anything,' she thought. 'They'll smell it on me when I got back home anyway.'

As she got closer in, she saw Perry sitting on a sofa, eating some chocolate cake. She smiled and walked to him. "Hi, Perry."

"Huh?" he looked up at her, glassy-eyed. He looked at her for a moment or two, thinking of who she was. Then he smiled when he recognized her. "Oh, hey, Ai. I knew you'd be here. Sit down. Want some cake?"

"S-sure," she replied and she sat down near the end of the sofa. Perry handed her a piece on a paper saucer and he sat next to her with his arm rested on the top of the sofa. She could feel him touching her. She shivered. He was getting awfully cozy with her all of a sudden.

"It s really good cake."

"Did you get it from Matsuko's bakery?" she questioned.

"Nope," he said, "I made this myself."

"You did?" she asked, tweezing off a chunk with her index finger and thumb.

"Yeah. I like to make things with chocolate. Chocolate makes everything better. This will take all your problems away." He winked at her as she finished eating her cake. It tasted just scrumptious at there was a hint of flavor she could not decipher. But he was right. It started to take her problems away. Her lips and fingers covered with the remains of the cake, frosting and crumbs, she felt quite giddy. She started to lick her fingers and lips. "Perry, can you get me something to drink?"

"Oh, of course, where are my manners?" He stood up and went to her a drink.

"Thanks." She put her fingers in her mouth and sucked on them. Whatever was in that cake, it was changing everything about herself.

"Here ya go, Ai." Perry handed her a cup.

"Wait, I don't drink…"

"But you just asked for a drink."

"Of course!" she giggled, "but not beer. I'd like some soda."

"It is soda," he told her. "It's hard to get beer anyway. You'd think I'd try to make you drink beer?" he smiled. "Come on, Ai, we're underage."

She took the cup, "just soda, all right." She took the cup and started gulping it. It was soda, but what she didn't know, that there was something else in her drink. Some of the came from the corners of her mouth, down her chin. "Oh, I need a bib…what a mess!"

"Here," he handed her a napkin and she rubbed her mouth and neck off. She placed down the napkin and spotting what she thought was candy, ran over try them. "Mmm….yummy…."

Perry chuckled, "Like those, huh?"

"Mmm…oh yeah…" she said.

"You're a little bouncing grasshopper, aren't you?" he asked, teasingly.

"I guess so," she said, "boy, I feel so good! I feel like I can run miles. I've never felt like this, I mean, oooh, wow!" she started talking way fast and he took her hand.

"How about a dance?"

"A dance? Sure! All right!"

The couple started dancing and Ai was not in her right mind at the moment. She was high, like the rest of the people there. She decided not to drink any beer or smoke pot or anything that would alter her consciousness. But from underneath her nose, she had been slipped some drugs from the cake, the soda and the candy. The girl had drugs in her system, and she didn't even know. Ai was definitely high, but not on friendship, on controlled substances.

****

Chip was laying on his bed, tossing his soccer ball up in the air. He had been there since he'd come home from school, debating if he'd done the right thing talking to Ai. Was it worth his time? Ai hated his guts, she and about the rest of the school. Did he make a difference telling her that Perry did drugs? Was she planning on going to the party? Was she there now?

Chip groaned and catching the ball, sat up. He wasn't doing anything just sitting here. He had to make sure Ai wasn't at the party. He couldn't' let her get high and hurt herself. He knew Perry all too well. He'd wait until she was drugged up and high and they'd play some of their 'drug games'. Remembering, he frowned. He'd seen them before when he was a party of Perry's. Perry tried to get Chip to play them. He showed him what he got and said he was free to use any of it. But Chip knew what that was. Chip might not be the smartest guy in school but he knew the difference between drugs in candy and soda and beer. When Chip refused, Perry said he was sorry and he wouldn't' do it again. But Chip knew he was lying. He'd find another way to slip drugs in to people, by food. All he had to do was replace flour with cocaine and he has a cocaine cake. A bit of speed in soda, that would give someone quite a sugar high. The kinda games they played when they were all high was nuts. The stoners would stand in a circle and someone in the middle. The person in the middle would stand straight and stiff as a board while the others pushed the individual around. Sometimes they were so high they thought they could do magic and levitate or do other crazy things.

"I gotta make sure she didn't go to that party," Chip muttered, "or I'll never forgive myself." He stood up and went to the phone. Searching for Ai's last name {AN: Does it ever say what Mako and Ai's last name is?} in the phone book, he hoped that she was at home doing homework, watching TV, in the shower, whatever, just as long she was safe at home and not at that party. 'Please Ai, don't be at that party.' He found her number and quickly dialed it. In two rings, Mako answered it.

"Hello?"

Chip could hear the TV and some guy with a funny voice saying: "Mako, tell them to call back! We're at the best part!"

"Hi, is uh, Ai there?"

"No she's out right now."

"Do you know where she is?" Chip's voice grew soft.
"She's at a party. Can I take a message?"

Chip was quiet for a while.

"Hello? Who's this? Anyone there?"

Chip remembered someone was on the other line. "OH, uh, that's okay. No message. I'll just call back later." He hung up, his eyes wide. "NO…she didn't…she went to the party."

Now Chip wondered what he should do now. It didn't take long for him to figure out a solution. He was the only one who knew where she was and what she might be doing. He had to stop her before she got hurt. Sighing in frustration, he ran out of the apartment, grabbed his bike and pedaled as fast as he could to the warehouse. He knew exactly where to go, because that was where Perry always had his parties. Aside from being a soccer player, Chip also loved to ride bikes. He had little bars inside the spokes of the wheels where he could do neat stunts and whatnot. He knew shortcuts throughout the city. He should be there in no time.

****

"Hey guys, wanna have a party?" Perry questioned.

A guy ran frantically inside. "Perry! Perry! Someone just called the cops! We've got to get the hell out of here!"

"Cops?" Ai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, pack up what you can and let's move!" Perry exclaimed.

Ai stood motionless as everyone hurried out of the warehouse, leaving her behind. Blinking, she realized she should do as everyone else was doing and get out also. She could hear the sirens and she wished that Beelzemon was still here.

"I'm going to get in trouble," she thought running down the street. "They're going to catch me if--"

"Hey, Ai!" Someone cried. She thought it was Beelzemon at first, until she saw Chip riding his bike towards her. "Hop on!"

"Chip, what the…how did you?"
He stopped his bike. "We'll talk later. You can't get caught! Get on."

"How? This is a bicycle, not a…not a motorcycle!"

"Just stand on the stubs," he insisted and lean against me.

"But I…"

"Darn it, Ai, there's no time!" he shouted, exasperated. "I know you hate my guts, but you've got to trust me!"

She groaned and did what he said. He rode away quickly, but not too quickly that she would lose her balance and fall off. If she had anything, he didn't know how much and he wasn't sure how stable she was. Maybe he should've taken a taxi or a bus or some means of faster transportation. But unlike other taxi drivers out there, he could hide in places and he knew every shortcut there was. No one from the party would lose the cops, but Chip certainly would. A few blocks down from the party and away from the sirens of police cars, Chip started to slow down.

"How did you know where I was?" Ai demanded.

"I know where Perry has his parties," he said.

"I mean…how did you know I went?"

"I called you," he replied. "Oh and by the way, you're welcome!"

He stopped suddenly and she fell down. Chip got off his bike and turned to her. "You dork!" she snarled.

"You're stoned, aren't you?" he asked. "You had something."

"Mind your own business! I didn't have anything! I didn't see any drugs at that party. You're so full of crap, Chip! I was having the time of my life until some stupid person decided to ruin our fun and call the cops! Geez, the music couldn't have been that loud!"

"It wasn't just the noise," Chip said. "It was the environment."

"What?"

"I told you, drugs."

"I didn't see anyone using drugs. No beer, no pills, no pot or anything. Just food and fun and dancing."

"Food?" he chuckled. "Did you have anything?"

"Yes! I had some cake. And let me tell you, it was the best cake I ever…" she felt suddenly sick to her stomach, turned around and threw up in the street.

Chip groaned and turned away. "You did have drugs, Ai."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded after she finished retching.

"Perry puts them in the food. Cocaine chocolate cake, chocolate covered pills and soda with a touch of speed. He slipped it in there."

"What? You mean…I was having drugs, and didn't even know it?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know Perry," Chip said. "I was at one of his parties once and I caught him doing it. Some people wouldn't take the drugs so he hides them in food until they are addicted and if they really want some, with some cash, he'd sell it to them. I told you, Ai. He does drugs."

"Oh, you're lying! He probably just put too much sugar in it or something."

"Come on, there's something I want you to see." He got on his bike and she got on behind him. She was shocked when he took her to the cemetery.

"Oh, are we going to dig up dead bodies now?" she demanded.

"No," he grabbed her hand and pulled her throughout the cemetery. He stopped at a tombstone and pointed.

"SPENCER HONDA," Ai read. "Who's he?"

"My uncle."

"How'd he die?"

"Drug overdose."

Ai flinched. "Drug overdose?"
"Yeah," he put his hands in his pockets, "He took every drug offered to him. He didn't care. He started doing drugs as a twelve year kid and the year he turned twenty one, he took just too much drugs at once and it killed him." Chip turned around as Ai stared at the tombstone. That was Chip's uncle in there.

"I only met him once," Chip said. "And I hardly remember it. I know about this stuff, what drugs can do to you, the difference between candy and drugs. You still think I'm lying? Do you?" he turned slightly.
By the quaver in his voice and the tears in his eyes, she knew he couldn't be lying. But would it be enough to make her stop drugs, not that she has started?

TBC