The Mouth of Evil
The Stoner and The Nice Guy
Eric was high. No, he wasn’t just high, he was burned, incoherent, red eyed, and completely whacked out of his mind. In other words, he was beyond the human sense of reasoning and communication which of course forced his best friend Ramone to have to personally escort him to all of his classes and then make sure he was completely out of eye and ear shot of every authoritarian figure they encountered.
“Dude,” Eric said looking over at Ramone who sat right next to him in their chemistry 141 class. When Ramone didn’t give Eric the look of acknowledgment he wanted, he did what any person would do to get their friend’s attention and raised his hand to rest it on his shoulders. But, he missed, and his hand landed somewhere near Ramone’s crotch.
“Dude!” Ramone hissed and shoved a snorting and laughing Eric to the side. He looked away in irritation and looked straight ahead at the board where their professor was scribbling down a bunch of mess that he knew he’ll have to come in during office hours to try to understand.
“Dude I’m so gone,” Eric said in a lazy voice as he sank deeper into his chair and stared up at the ceiling in wonder. Ramone sighed and gave an apologetic smile to the girl sitting next to his roommate and best friend. She just shook her head in disgust, her blond hair stiff on her shoulders as she turned her attention back to the front of the class. He could only sigh again and follow her example, hoping the professor didn’t decide to take great interest towards the back of
the room and notice Eric’s passed out stoner state.
Ramone knew he should have never let Eric out of his sight last night, the guy tended to want to destroy every cell in his body with drugs now that he was out of his domineering father’s control, but for once he just didn’t want to babysit the rich politician’s son. That night he just wanted to have a little fun of his own and maybe hook up with the pretty brunette that kept giving him the eye from across the room. But now he regretted his decision and it was taking all his patience to try to stay sane while also making sure Eric didn’t get kicked out of college before the day was up.
“Alright, I’m letting you out 10 minutes early today and have a great winter break.” The professor announced but before he could even get passed the words "ten minutes", the class had already dispersed into a chaotic scramble as everybody tried to get out of the auditorium at once. Ramone rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling, thanking almighty God, for the end of all his classes and that it would be 4 weeks before he had to go back. He turned towards a sleeping Eric and roughly shook him awake. He garbled a little but then, with a lot of effort, let Ramone drag him out of the quickly depleting classroom.
“You seriously owe me for this,” Ramone mumbled as they stepped outside, the morose over cast sky and biting cold wind greeting their exposed faces.
“I owe you a lot of things,” Eric grumbled as he leaned against Ramone, his short 5’10 frame barely reaching Ramone’s 6’3 shoulder blade. Ramone simply sighed as he steered his friend toward their dorm. He realized that he had been doing a lot of sighing today. They walked down the sidewalk passing other young adults with book bags strapped to their backs and sour looks on their faces as they made their way to their Friday classes.
“You think they found her yet?” Eric asked in a mystified voice as he looked over at a pair of squirrels wrestling by a nearby tree.
“Who?” Ramone asked not really paying attention to Eric as he looked tiredly around him. The winter weather had destroyed all life from the once full trees leaving them barren crippled. Ramone knew his Californian skin wasn’t taking the depleting moisture lightly. He still hadn't become used to the Ohio weather and knew in his heart that he would never truly adapt.
There was a lengthy silence between them and he looked down at Eric who was slumped against him in cold defeat. He instantly regretted his careless words. Eric was looking up at him with hooded brown eyes as if he’s been watching him the entire time he was spacing out, and then he gave him what was supposed to be a sarcastic smirk, but in his stoned state it looked more like a grimace.
“You know who I'm talking about?” he said, a tinge of anger in his voice.
“Sorry man,” Ramone whispered sincerely, and gave his shoulder a tight manly squeeze as he
looked back down at him with a sure smile, “you shouldn’t worry too much about it. Your dad probably has the entire Appalachian police force searching for her or something, and they’ll find her. Soon.” At this Eric snorted and leaned away from Ramone causing him to remove his arm from his shoulder.
“It’s been three weeks Ray, and that prick could care less about her, probably even less than he does about me. She’s not even his, let alone my full sister, so why not stop looking? She'll probably be better off dead than in our messed-up family.” Ramone flinched at his friend’s harsh words. He knew that the only reason Eric had been going out more often was so that he could have something to take his mind off his sister's disappearance, but he also knew that no matter what psychedelic drug he ingested, it would never be enough to make him forget his little sister.
They walked quickly to their dorm in complete solemn silence, Ramone having to catch Eric before he fell over plenty of times, and when they finally stepped into their room, Eric went straight for his bed, his hoodie clad form slamming against it like he was a ton of bricks that gravity was just waiting to take a hold of. Ramone went to their little mini fridge, pulled out a bottled water and a bag of pretzels, and set it on the windowsill next to Eric’s bedside. As soon as he turned to leave he heard a slight mumbling sound.
“What was that man?” he asked with a heavy sigh, and he looked back at Eric, and Ramone felt his stomach twist at seeing his best friend’s teary eyed and dejected features.
“You know I didn’t mean what I said back there right? You know how much I love Ally. I would never say anything bad about her. You know, that right?” His voice cracked and Ramone, feeling sympathetic and a little awkward, went to his side.
“Hey man,” he said coming towards him and placing a hand on his shoulder as he watched his friend try to control the tears that were threatening to spill out, “I know you didn’t mean it. That’s your little sister, and I’m sorry you gotta go through this, but don’t worry. Everything’s going to be OK. They’ll find her.”
“You better hope they do,” Eric said in an emotionless tone that caught Ramone off guard, “because if anything bad happens to her… I don’t know how I’m going to cope.” The last part was but only a whisper but Ramone found himself retracting his hand from Eric’s shoulder who was looking at the other side of the room where Ramone’s bed was with a knowing resolution in his eyes that not even the effects of marijuana could extinguish.
“Just get some rest,” Ramone said, feeling as if it’s the only thing he could say, and he stepped away from Eric who seemed to not even notice his retreat. He made his way towards the door, unconsciously checking the room as he did, and when his hand gripped the doorknob he looked back at Eric whose body was slumped in grieving defeat against his large comforters, and then he left the room.
“Dude,” Eric said looking over at Ramone who sat right next to him in their chemistry 141 class. When Ramone didn’t give Eric the look of acknowledgment he wanted, he did what any person would do to get their friend’s attention and raised his hand to rest it on his shoulders. But, he missed, and his hand landed somewhere near Ramone’s crotch.
“Dude!” Ramone hissed and shoved a snorting and laughing Eric to the side. He looked away in irritation and looked straight ahead at the board where their professor was scribbling down a bunch of mess that he knew he’ll have to come in during office hours to try to understand.
“Dude I’m so gone,” Eric said in a lazy voice as he sank deeper into his chair and stared up at the ceiling in wonder. Ramone sighed and gave an apologetic smile to the girl sitting next to his roommate and best friend. She just shook her head in disgust, her blond hair stiff on her shoulders as she turned her attention back to the front of the class. He could only sigh again and follow her example, hoping the professor didn’t decide to take great interest towards the back of
the room and notice Eric’s passed out stoner state.
Ramone knew he should have never let Eric out of his sight last night, the guy tended to want to destroy every cell in his body with drugs now that he was out of his domineering father’s control, but for once he just didn’t want to babysit the rich politician’s son. That night he just wanted to have a little fun of his own and maybe hook up with the pretty brunette that kept giving him the eye from across the room. But now he regretted his decision and it was taking all his patience to try to stay sane while also making sure Eric didn’t get kicked out of college before the day was up.
“Alright, I’m letting you out 10 minutes early today and have a great winter break.” The professor announced but before he could even get passed the words "ten minutes", the class had already dispersed into a chaotic scramble as everybody tried to get out of the auditorium at once. Ramone rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling, thanking almighty God, for the end of all his classes and that it would be 4 weeks before he had to go back. He turned towards a sleeping Eric and roughly shook him awake. He garbled a little but then, with a lot of effort, let Ramone drag him out of the quickly depleting classroom.
“You seriously owe me for this,” Ramone mumbled as they stepped outside, the morose over cast sky and biting cold wind greeting their exposed faces.
“I owe you a lot of things,” Eric grumbled as he leaned against Ramone, his short 5’10 frame barely reaching Ramone’s 6’3 shoulder blade. Ramone simply sighed as he steered his friend toward their dorm. He realized that he had been doing a lot of sighing today. They walked down the sidewalk passing other young adults with book bags strapped to their backs and sour looks on their faces as they made their way to their Friday classes.
“You think they found her yet?” Eric asked in a mystified voice as he looked over at a pair of squirrels wrestling by a nearby tree.
“Who?” Ramone asked not really paying attention to Eric as he looked tiredly around him. The winter weather had destroyed all life from the once full trees leaving them barren crippled. Ramone knew his Californian skin wasn’t taking the depleting moisture lightly. He still hadn't become used to the Ohio weather and knew in his heart that he would never truly adapt.
There was a lengthy silence between them and he looked down at Eric who was slumped against him in cold defeat. He instantly regretted his careless words. Eric was looking up at him with hooded brown eyes as if he’s been watching him the entire time he was spacing out, and then he gave him what was supposed to be a sarcastic smirk, but in his stoned state it looked more like a grimace.
“You know who I'm talking about?” he said, a tinge of anger in his voice.
“Sorry man,” Ramone whispered sincerely, and gave his shoulder a tight manly squeeze as he
looked back down at him with a sure smile, “you shouldn’t worry too much about it. Your dad probably has the entire Appalachian police force searching for her or something, and they’ll find her. Soon.” At this Eric snorted and leaned away from Ramone causing him to remove his arm from his shoulder.
“It’s been three weeks Ray, and that prick could care less about her, probably even less than he does about me. She’s not even his, let alone my full sister, so why not stop looking? She'll probably be better off dead than in our messed-up family.” Ramone flinched at his friend’s harsh words. He knew that the only reason Eric had been going out more often was so that he could have something to take his mind off his sister's disappearance, but he also knew that no matter what psychedelic drug he ingested, it would never be enough to make him forget his little sister.
They walked quickly to their dorm in complete solemn silence, Ramone having to catch Eric before he fell over plenty of times, and when they finally stepped into their room, Eric went straight for his bed, his hoodie clad form slamming against it like he was a ton of bricks that gravity was just waiting to take a hold of. Ramone went to their little mini fridge, pulled out a bottled water and a bag of pretzels, and set it on the windowsill next to Eric’s bedside. As soon as he turned to leave he heard a slight mumbling sound.
“What was that man?” he asked with a heavy sigh, and he looked back at Eric, and Ramone felt his stomach twist at seeing his best friend’s teary eyed and dejected features.
“You know I didn’t mean what I said back there right? You know how much I love Ally. I would never say anything bad about her. You know, that right?” His voice cracked and Ramone, feeling sympathetic and a little awkward, went to his side.
“Hey man,” he said coming towards him and placing a hand on his shoulder as he watched his friend try to control the tears that were threatening to spill out, “I know you didn’t mean it. That’s your little sister, and I’m sorry you gotta go through this, but don’t worry. Everything’s going to be OK. They’ll find her.”
“You better hope they do,” Eric said in an emotionless tone that caught Ramone off guard, “because if anything bad happens to her… I don’t know how I’m going to cope.” The last part was but only a whisper but Ramone found himself retracting his hand from Eric’s shoulder who was looking at the other side of the room where Ramone’s bed was with a knowing resolution in his eyes that not even the effects of marijuana could extinguish.
“Just get some rest,” Ramone said, feeling as if it’s the only thing he could say, and he stepped away from Eric who seemed to not even notice his retreat. He made his way towards the door, unconsciously checking the room as he did, and when his hand gripped the doorknob he looked back at Eric whose body was slumped in grieving defeat against his large comforters, and then he left the room.