The Drug In Me Is You(obviously)

I don't think I had talked to my 'family' since before Christmas. And I didn't have any morning classes with Ronnie, so my mornings sucked unless my friends Candice and Derek were here.
They were my friends even before I met Ronnie. But neither one of them were here today.

I sighed and shut my locker. Then started walking down the hallway to my next class.
"Hey, L.A.! Hey! Hey, you." My fists clenched and I narrowed my eyes. I hate that kid.

Max Green jogged up to me and gave me a smirk. "You seen Ronnie? I need to talk to him, ya know, see if he's comin' over later."

I looked him up and down. He was trying to get to me. Because we both knew damn well where he was.

"What do you want, Green?" I said annoyed.

His smirk seemed to get bigger. "I was just asking. It's just been a while since I've got to spend some quality time with my best friend since you came around, Allen." he sneered.

"Go back to hell, you fucking crack head." I spat then rushed off to my class.

"You can run from all your problems, baby." he called. Probably with that terrible smug expression plastered on his face.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. That was a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Besides, Ronnie didn't even come to school that day, which meant I was walking home. It wasn't that bad, even if my house was in the crappiest part of town, it was still kinda far from school though..

Kicking a rock along the sidewalk, I took my time heading home. My family's gonna be so pissed, I thought. They'll be pissed or act like I wasn't even there. I was hoping that it would be that second thought, so I could just walk in unnoticed and go talk to my dad, but of course not.

"Lacey!!!! Where. the. hell. have. you. been." my sister Jewel hissed through clenched teeth.

I glared back at her and spat. "I've been at school! Where else would I be!?!"

She scoffed and put her hands on her hips. "Oh, I don't know, maybe out and about with your druggie boyfriend?" she said smugly.

"You best take that back."That got to me. I was clenching my fists and stomping over to her, her fists clenched up too, ready to fight.

"What are YOU gonna do?"

Then our oldest brother, David , stomped down the stairs, glaring at both of us.

"You better not even think about." he was looking back and forth at us. His gaze stopped on me and he nodded towards the stairs. Then he causally walked to his room and slammed the door.

We knew to take him seriously whenever he told us to do something. It was like, his authority or something like that. Either way none of us crossed him, since he's the one who pays the bills.

I jogged up the stairs and flipped my sister the bird before I reached the door to our father's room. Then I quietly entered the room, and shut the door softly behind me.

"Hey, Dad.." I whispered.

He looked so sick I wanted to cry. The doctors said he only had a few more years left, if he took all his medication and Chemotherapy sessions. They told us that he suffers from Dementia. It happened after he came back from the war. And to put the cherry on top of it all, he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

"Sit down, Sweetheart." he said hoarsely. He smiled weakly at me as he patted the chair next to his bed.

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I sat down next to him and took his hand in mine.

"How are ya feeling, dad?" I kept my voice low, covering up the hostility it held earlier.

He tried to laugh but ended up having a coughing fit. I lurched forward to try and help him but he held up a hand to stop me. "I'm feeling a bit better today. How was school? Is everything ok with everyone?"

He was talking about my siblings.. It made me wonder if he had heard the shouting from downstairs. "School was fine. Uh.. Do you need anything, dad? Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat-" I stood up and turned to the door.

"No, I'm not hungry. I sure am thirsty though... Could you get me that glass of water over on the nightstand, Lacey?"

"Sure thing." When I handed him the glass he stared at it for a while before taking a drink.

"I think I need to rest for a while. I haven't got a good sleep in days." He groaned.

"Don't forget we have sleeping pills you can take. But, I'll leave you alone so you can get some sleep. Good night, dad. Love you.." Then I left the room just as quietly as I came in.

The house was quiet for once. So I took advantage of that and went to the kitchen to get something to drink and grab something to eat. There was a couple bottles of pop in the fridge so I grabbed one of those and made a sandwich.

I strolled into the living room and plopped down on the couch, munching on the sandwich as well. Slowly I took a sip of the pop. It was grape, my favorite.

Moments like this never happened, so I wasn't suprised when I heard a door slam upstairs and heavy footsteps coming towards the stairs.

Since I didn't plan on sticking around to see who it was I jumped up and bolted to and out the door, practically running away from the house.

I slowed to a jog, then a walk, and finally stopped to lean against an old building. I ate the last of my sandwich and wiped my mouth. Maybe I would skip going back home tonight. I'd probably just hang out with Candice. If not, I'd find something interesting to do, walking around these bright streets. Never being bored was an upside to "growing up" in Las Vegas, Nevada.