You're My Nicotine

"What?!" Hazel cried.

Sitting in the cafeteria at school on Monday, October had just broken the news to Hazel and Joshi about what she really had at the party. For the whole weekend the two had thought that maybe she had just had her drink spiked, but now they find out she was infact drugged up because Walker had told her it was a better way to forget things.

This was shocking news to Hazel and Joshi. They did not in any way suspect that Walker did drugs.

"Did it help?" Joshi asked, his brow creased in concern.

"Did it?" October repeated, "It made me feel so amazing, guys, you have no idea." She felt herself craving just talking about it.

"Well it certainly didn't make you look amazing," Hazel spat.

"What's the big deal?" October asked her.

"The big deal is you scared the shit out of us, October," she replied sternly, "I mean, what the hell were you thinking messing with Coke?"

October shrugged, "I wanted to try something new."

Suddenly Walker sat at the empty space next to October at their table, Hazel and Joshi opposite them both.

"Hey, you, how you feeling?" he asked, facing October.

"I'm okay," she replied and laughed lightly, "Alive and well."

"Friday night was pretty gnarly, huh," he smirked.

October grinned back, "Yeah, got a bit crazy."

"Did you manage to get her home alright?" Scott asked, looking at the other two opposite.

"No thanks to you," Hazel murmered under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Yes, we did," Joshi replied for her, "Thanks."

"Good," nodded Scott and turned back to October, "So, um, have you got anything planned after school today?"

"Not that I'm aware of," she answered.

"'Cause I was thinking maybe we could hang out or something?" he shrugged. "And you guys could come, too, if you want," he added as he glanced at Hazel and Joshi.

"Sounds awesome," October smiled and he nodded with his own infamous smile.

A couple guys over the other side of the cafeteria called Scott over and he stood from the table.

"Come, I want you to meet some of my friends," he said to October.

"Sure," October replied and stood. "Back in a sec," she told her two friends and followed behind Scott to the other side of the room.

Hazel and Joshi turned to each other, their eyes filled with concern for their friend.

"Dude, we are not going," Hazel stated, "We're not, we just can't..."

"No, of course not," Joshi agreed, "But she already told him it 'sounds awesome'..."

"We can't let her go, it's suicide," said Hazel and took a sip from her juice.

"Now that's a little extreme," Joshi replied, "But we don't want to sound demanding, I mean, we can't exactly tell her what to do."

"Well she should see that this is a bad idea, Josh, she's not the drug sort, right?"

"No... Well, I-I don't think so..."

"Hey," October breathed as she sat back down and got out her cell phone.

"Who are you texting?" Joshi asked her and took a bite from his burger.

"My mom," she replied, clicking away.

"What for?" Hazel questionned.

"Telling her I'm going out after school," October said, "You're both coming, right?"

"With Walker?!" she cried.

"No, with the boogeyman," October replied sarcastically.

"Uh..." Joshi spoke, "We can't."

"Suit yourself," shrugged October, "Just me then."

Hazel stared at her in amazement, "You're kidding, right?"

Her eyes moved from her cell to look back at Hazel.

"Tell me you're not seriously going out with Walker after school..."

"I'm going back to his," October said simply, "Why not?"

"Uh, hello? He's a fucking druggie?"

"What's your point?"

"October, you can't go back to his," Hazel told her.

She put her cell on the table. "What's with you two?" she asked, "First you want me to hang out with him and now you're saying you don't want me to?"

"We changed our minds, it's better with just the three of us," Joshi reasoned.

October's brow creased in confusion, "Okay, so he won't join our 'trio' or whatever, but I'm still going back to his tonight."

"Why?" Hazel demanded.

"Because... I want to."

"To get doped up on Cocaine again?"

"It helps me..."

"With what?" Hazel continued to demand.

"Just... stuff," October replied, wondering why Hazel was making such a big deal out of it. She had found something that would get her off pills and she wasn't going to quit it.

"Stuff?" she repeated.

"Yes, Hazel, stuff," said October, getting a little irritated.

"I thought Frank was there for that?"

"Hey, who are you to tell me what to do anyway?" October questionned.

"Look," Joshi cut in, not wanting an argument to break out, "Just promise us you'll be careful, October."

"I promise," she nodded, "Don't worry, guys, I know what I'm doing."

"Miss Armstrong..."

October's face dropped at the sound of the principal's voice. She turned her head and looked up at him, sighing, wondering what the hell she had done this time.

"Yes, Sir?"

"I need to have a word with you," he said, towering over the three of them, "Will you come with me for a moment."

"What is it about?" she asked.

"The 'F' you achieved in English," he told her, folding his arms across his chest.

"Good luck," Joshi whispered with a smirk as October got up from the table.

As soon as she was out of sight, Hazel immediately grabbed October's cell from the other side of the table and flicked through her contacts until she found the name she wanted.

"Haze, come on," Joshi said, "We can't stop her from doing what she wants to do."

"We have to try, Josh, look at the fucking state she was in Friday night," Hazel replied, punching in the numbers on her own phone. Putting it to her ear, she checked to make sure there was no sign of October, before a male's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Hello, Frank?" she said into the cell, "It's Hazel..."