We Way? Three Way!

I came back. There were so many reasons that I didn’t even know what some of them were, but I came back. I’d been on my own for too long. From the beginning of June to the middle of August, I’d lived through so much. I did everything I knew I shouldn’t. I’d found a steady supply of alcohol and cigarettes right off the bat. I drank every day, never stopping for a hangover. At one point I smoked a pack a day, but that was before the guy who sold me the cheap cigarettes died and I had to quit cold turkey. I did build up a massive alcohol tolerance for a fifteen and a half year old girl. I made some friends who had some friends who sold drugs, all kinds. Heroin, meth, pot, cocaine, crack, acid, angledust, shrooms, opium, ecstasy. I wanted to try all of them, so I did. After all, the first one’s free. If I tried some and wanted more, I had to do some favors for people. I did quite a lot of favors. Every day was the same. Drink, smoke, drugs, repeat. I was starting to be known as the kid with the problems. Even the other druggies thought I was messed up. One day, mid August, I saw something familiar walking past me. It was Mikey. Hands in pockets, shoulders hunched, covered in dirt, Mikey. I called out for him and he turned around, looked at me, and teared up. I did too, a little bit. We ran at each other and hugged, right in the middle of the street.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“Not much, just hanging out.” I said.

“Why aren’t you at home? Why are you so dirty?”

“I should ask you the same question.”

“You smell like booze and smoke.”

“You smell like sweat.”

“Go home.”

“You first.”

We walked away after that. I decided to stop it all. I didn’t need drugs. I didn’t need alcohol. I needed to go home, and so did Mikey. Unless by some strange coincidence we met again, someone had to be first. I sat behind a building for as long as it took me to get over it all. I ate and drank whatever people threw out, and I waited for everything to be over. It took until September seventh for the hallucinations and shaking and need to stop. Three days later, I wandered back to the Paramour Mansion, my house. It was Mikey’s birthday. I knocked once and waited, Natalie came to the door.

“Dude, where’s the party?”