The Night We Met
by Abby Jimenez
Contents
34: Larissa
Overview
Larissa moves in early and finds Mike blackout drunk, forcing her to clean up and confront the scope of his drinking. Lexi presses her to see it as binge alcoholism. Hoping to confide in Chris on the drive to the cabin, Larissa is blindsided by his new girlfriend, Heather, deepening her isolation and ending with her getting physically sick.
Summary
After moving into Mike’s guesthouse a day early, Larissa calls Lexi in tears to help clean. She spends hours steam-cleaning vomit and urine after finding Mike blackout drunk, with a vodka receipt confirming a binge. Mike offers no acknowledgment, claims a migraine, and leaves for the cabin as if nothing happened.
In Lexi’s car, Larissa recounts the night. Lexi labels Mike’s behavior binge drinking and urges Larissa to tell Chris. The conversation triggers Larissa’s memories of her impulsive father, intensifying her dread about enabling another self-destructive man. Over the next two days, Mike texts casually from the cabin while drinking with Jesse, reinforcing Larissa’s realization that “one is always three.”
Larissa plans to confide in Chris during their drive to the cabin, believing he’ll know what to do. The house still reeks despite days of cleaning, amplifying her disgust and anxiety.
When Chris arrives, Larissa is stunned to find Heather, his new girlfriend, in the front seat. Feeling blindsided and betrayed, she sits in the back with Woofarine, unable to discuss Mike. Heather chats warmly; Chris and Heather hold hands, and Chris neglects his usual EpiPen check, which makes Larissa feel uncared for.
Overwhelmed by the juxtaposition of the cabin trip, Chris’s new relationship, and the lingering memory of Mike’s binge, Larissa asks to skip lunch. The tense silence and Heather’s presence heighten Larissa’s panic. Near the end of the drive, nauseated and spiraling, Larissa grabs Chris’s water bottle and vomits.
Who Appears
- LarissaNarrator; discovers Mike blackout drunk, cleans the mess, recognizes his binge drinking, feels betrayed by Chris bringing his girlfriend.
- ChrisFriend and driver; arrives with new girlfriend Heather, unintentionally sidelines Larissa’s planned confide, skips usual EpiPen check.
- MikeBoyfriend; binge drinks alone, passes out in vomit/urine, later leaves for the cabin claiming a migraine, oblivious in texts.
- LexiLarissa’s friend; brings a steam cleaner, names Mike’s behavior as binge drinking, urges Larissa to tell Chris.
- HeatherChris’s new girlfriend; rides to the cabin, friendly and talkative, inadvertently intensifies Larissa’s isolation and distress.
- WoofarineLarissa’s dog; offers Larissa comfort during the tense car ride.