Status: hiatus.
Face Value
Five
The air was cold and bitter around me as I walked out the front doors of my personal hell. Like I told Kieran, I couldn’t do it. For the third day in a row I stood outside the door to the music room, my hand frozen on the handle. About to do something I hadn’t done in five years, and I pussied out. I ran. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, through three corridors, down four flights of stairs and right out the front doors of the school. I was shaking and jumpy, I needed something to calm me down. I couldn’t go home because my dad would have killed me for playing hooky, and Raz was in class so I was alone, again, but this time I knew exactly where to go.
I walked down the empty sub-suburban street, my school was located on, and around to the back of the school where the smokers and druggies hung out. At my school we called them “art aid”. They sold any and every drug you could think of that could apparently help you in your “art”. I only knew one of them, Renee. We grew up together but when we got to high school we just grew apart. I still talk to her sometimes, but it’s never what it used to be like.
“Hey Renee, you got anything for me?”
“Holy fucking shit! Kieran, is that you? How’ve you been bud?” She asked as she threw her finished cigarette butt onto the ground, crushing it between her shiny red doc martins and the already dirty cement. She captured me in a one arm hug.
“I’ve been okay, I just need a little something to take some of the edge off, you know?” I said, reaching around to give her a proper hug.
She pulled away from me a bit, giving me a skeptical look.
“I thought you decided to stop after you’re dad found out? Didn’t you get into like shit loads of trouble?”
I turned my attention to the ground.
“Kieran, look at me, I don’t want you doing this if you’re going to get yourself into trouble again.”
I gave her a quick nod, which I guess she accepted as a promise because she moved away from my arms to one of the guys propped up against the wall, and then swiftly back to me.
“Take this in a safe place, a place you feel comfortable and like nothing can hurt you. A zen place if you will.” She whispered with a small smile as she placed a small colourful tab in my palm.
“Do you have a zen place Kieran?”
“Not really.”
“Oh for Christ sake, come with me.” She grabbed my hand and tugged me to the big tree that was in the side yard of our school. Underneath it sat Everett, the new girl, and Kane (druggie art aidee), who seemed to be having a deep discussion about something.
“Kieran, this is Talia and Talia this is Kieran, my bud.”
“Hmm, that’s great Renee, but I’m kind of busy here.”
Wow, what a bitch.
“He needs a zen place, can you bring him to the shed and look after him?”
“Uggh, seriously? You have got to be kidding me.” I could tell she was trying not to roll her eyes.
“He’s a good friend of mine, and I don’t want anything to happen to him. So please just look after him for me.”
“Why can’t you do it yourself?”
“I have business to attend to.”
“He needs a babysitter for a little trip? That’s pathetic.”
“I don’t need to be fucking babysat,” I spat, “Renee, I don’t need her to look after me, just bring me to the shed and I’ll be fine.”
“Oh no no no no, she’s going to watch you because this shit is strong and I don’t want you to flip out and ruin my shit,” then she turned to super bitch Talia and whispered something into her ear.
Renee must have said something exceedingly convincing because Talia facial expression change from discuss and anger to one that was was to smug for it to be legal.
“Fine, but this is going to cost you.”
“Thank you! You’re the best,” She yelled exasperatedly giving her a quick hug, then turned to me and gave me a soft but swift peck on the cheek.
“I’m glad that you’re back to bad Kie, enjoy your trip.” She whispered with a smirk, before she ran off to handle whatever business she had.
Talia and Everett moved past me with hands intertwined, Kane stood up after and silently signaling me to follow them.
I caught up with them, quickly falling into step when Kane asked my what was on the tab that Renee gave to me.
I hadn’t checked so I pulled the tab out of my jacket pocket and staring back at me was the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. Kane took a look over my shoulder and smirked.
“Man, you’re in for one hell of a trip.”
I walked down the empty sub-suburban street, my school was located on, and around to the back of the school where the smokers and druggies hung out. At my school we called them “art aid”. They sold any and every drug you could think of that could apparently help you in your “art”. I only knew one of them, Renee. We grew up together but when we got to high school we just grew apart. I still talk to her sometimes, but it’s never what it used to be like.
“Hey Renee, you got anything for me?”
“Holy fucking shit! Kieran, is that you? How’ve you been bud?” She asked as she threw her finished cigarette butt onto the ground, crushing it between her shiny red doc martins and the already dirty cement. She captured me in a one arm hug.
“I’ve been okay, I just need a little something to take some of the edge off, you know?” I said, reaching around to give her a proper hug.
She pulled away from me a bit, giving me a skeptical look.
“I thought you decided to stop after you’re dad found out? Didn’t you get into like shit loads of trouble?”
I turned my attention to the ground.
“Kieran, look at me, I don’t want you doing this if you’re going to get yourself into trouble again.”
I gave her a quick nod, which I guess she accepted as a promise because she moved away from my arms to one of the guys propped up against the wall, and then swiftly back to me.
“Take this in a safe place, a place you feel comfortable and like nothing can hurt you. A zen place if you will.” She whispered with a small smile as she placed a small colourful tab in my palm.
“Do you have a zen place Kieran?”
“Not really.”
“Oh for Christ sake, come with me.” She grabbed my hand and tugged me to the big tree that was in the side yard of our school. Underneath it sat Everett, the new girl, and Kane (druggie art aidee), who seemed to be having a deep discussion about something.
“Kieran, this is Talia and Talia this is Kieran, my bud.”
“Hmm, that’s great Renee, but I’m kind of busy here.”
Wow, what a bitch.
“He needs a zen place, can you bring him to the shed and look after him?”
“Uggh, seriously? You have got to be kidding me.” I could tell she was trying not to roll her eyes.
“He’s a good friend of mine, and I don’t want anything to happen to him. So please just look after him for me.”
“Why can’t you do it yourself?”
“I have business to attend to.”
“He needs a babysitter for a little trip? That’s pathetic.”
“I don’t need to be fucking babysat,” I spat, “Renee, I don’t need her to look after me, just bring me to the shed and I’ll be fine.”
“Oh no no no no, she’s going to watch you because this shit is strong and I don’t want you to flip out and ruin my shit,” then she turned to super bitch Talia and whispered something into her ear.
Renee must have said something exceedingly convincing because Talia facial expression change from discuss and anger to one that was was to smug for it to be legal.
“Fine, but this is going to cost you.”
“Thank you! You’re the best,” She yelled exasperatedly giving her a quick hug, then turned to me and gave me a soft but swift peck on the cheek.
“I’m glad that you’re back to bad Kie, enjoy your trip.” She whispered with a smirk, before she ran off to handle whatever business she had.
Talia and Everett moved past me with hands intertwined, Kane stood up after and silently signaling me to follow them.
I caught up with them, quickly falling into step when Kane asked my what was on the tab that Renee gave to me.
I hadn’t checked so I pulled the tab out of my jacket pocket and staring back at me was the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. Kane took a look over my shoulder and smirked.
“Man, you’re in for one hell of a trip.”
