You're My Nicotine

October hated mornings.

As she slowly made her way out of bed, her whole body felt weak and tense. She felt like she needed a good massage before doing anything, but that was pushed back far into fantasy world. She got up off the bed and headed to look in the mirror.

"Eurgh," she mumbled and opened it to retrieve a yellow pill.

Yellow pills for waking up.

October went into the bathroom to make herself look presentable for school. She did her normal routine of getting changed, putting on makeup, and making sure she smelled good before heading to the kitchen to gulp down some sort of juice.

Frank's hug still lingered around her. She felt his arms around her in bed, his touch haunting her at times. He cared.

"Morning, sweetheart."

October turned from the counter, swallowing a mouthful of juice, "Hey, dad, what are you doing up? Thought you'd still be complaining of a hangover..."

Billie Joe poured himself some juice and said, "Yesterday was hangover day, today is get up and take kids to school. I promised you, remember?"

"Oh I'm so glad you're able to drive again with no alcohol in your system, you're less pretty otherwise," she smirked.

"Hey!" Billie nudged his daughter as she started her drink again, causing half of it to end up down her.

"Dad!" she cried, looking down at her damp tee. "I have to go to school in this!"

"Oh come on, it's black, you can't see it," Billie laughed.

"Really? So let's see if your black shirt likes it," she replied and threw the other half of the liquid from her cup on him.

He gasped way too over dramtically and his jaw dropped as he stared down wide-eyed at his now wet shirt. "You did not just do that..."

October was too busy laughing to answer.

"I'm glad you find it funny," Billie mused, wiping the wet droplets off with a towel, and added, "Maybe you won't find it so hilarious when I soak you."

"Oh I don't think so," she replied, her laughter subsiding.

"Oh I do," Billie shot back as he started filling up her empty cup with water and instantly grabbed her around the waist to stop her from running.

"NO!" October screamed, struggling in his grip.

"Yes!" Billie grinned evilly and raised the now full glass above her head, ready to pour.

"DAD, NOOO!"

"YEEES!"

"CHILDREN, PLEASE!" yelled Adrienne.

The father and daughter stopped and looked to the angered woman stood in the kitchen doorway. She looked from one to the other. They were stood dead still, Billie Joe with one arm around his daughter and the other holding the cup above her head, October gripping onto the edge of the counter, and they stared back at her like two deers caught in the headlights.

Adrienne broke face, she couldn't help herself. "What the hell are you doing?" she laughed.

"She started it," Billie said quietly as he lowered the cup, nudging the younger girl again as they broke apart.

"Did not!" October argued, "He made me drop my juice all over myself."

"She said mean things."

"They were true."

"Look," Adrienne cut in, "I don't care who started what, just make sure it stops. You don't want to be late for school, October, so I suggest you change your top."

"Grr to you," she said, narrowing her eyes at her father playfully and headed out of the kitchen after receiving a stuck out tongue from him.

"And you," Adrienne added, glaring at her husband.

Billie placed his hands on her hips and bent down so he had to look up at her while he pouted. If his bottom lip had gone out any further, he would have tripped over it.

"Don't puppy dog face me," she warned.

"Why, it doesn't work?" he asked.

"No, I just don't want to fall victim to its evil."

Billie laughed and kissed his wife's lips softly.

"Dad, get your butt over here so you can take me to school!" Joey shouted from the front door, dressed and ready with his bag and coat.

Billie Joe looked from his son back to his wife as she raised an eyebrow at him. "You heard the boy."

He gave out a groan and sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder if Joey is more mature than his father," Adrienne mumbled.

Billie rolled his eyes and kissed his wife again. "I'll be back soon," he told her and headed towards the front door as he called up the stairs, "October, let's go!"

"Coming!" the teenager called back and swallowed a white pill.

White pills for confidence.

Once October was ready to go, she zipped up her black Adeline hoodie and pulled on her Doctor Martens, her army pants clung to her legs and her hair was back in a ponytail.

Once outside the high school, October told her father goodbye and hurried off inside, now a little late.

"This is unacceptable behaviour, you know rudeness is not allowed at this school," said the principal of St. Michael High. He was sat behind his desk in a smart suit. "Mocking teachers, skipping class, not bringing your books for classes? This must stop now, Miss Armstrong.”

October moved her darkly lined emerald eyes to her feet. She hadn't even been at this school a month and already she was getting into trouble. Billie Joe and Adrienne had wanted her to go to a private school, but she refused, just like she had back in Berkley.

"I try not to answer teachers back, but I can't help it if they won't listen to me, and- .

"This has got to stop," the principal repeated, ignoring her excuses, "You've got to improve your attitude, we can't have this. Do you understand?"

"Whatever," mumbled October.

"What was that?"

"Yes, Sir," she said as she looked at him.

"Good. Now let's hope I get good reports from your teachers instead of them coming to me with bad ones and detention slips titled with your name."

"Can I go now, I'm late for my English class?" she asked.

"Yes, you may go."

October sighed with relief and walked out of the office with her bag on her shoulder. She walked down the empty corridor; everyone was in first period, until she came to her locker. She put in the code and opened it, pulling out a couple of books from the shelf and shoving them in her bag.

“In trouble again?”

October looked at Hazel, who was leaning against the locker next to hers. Hazel had gorgeous jet black hair that went a little past her shoulders and eyes to match her name. She was wearing skinny black pants, a green shirt with scattered white lightening bolts, and black flats.

“Hmm,” October replied and shut her locker.

“What did he want, same shit?” asked Joshi, stood next to Hazel. Joshi had straightened platinum blonde hair and sparkling sky blue eyes. He wore tight clothes with a pair of blue Doctor Martens boots, a silver ring in one ear. He was adorable and had the girls all over him, which was amusing since he was gay.

“Yep, same lecture," said October as the three of them began walking down the corridor. "It’s all ‘this is unacceptable behaviour, you need to improve your attitude’. When’s he gonna change the record?”

“Beats me,” Hazel said.

"Hey, wait," stopped October, "What are you guys doing here? What about math?"

"Miss Jones is absent so we thought we'd fuck around," replied Joshi with a smirk.

"Oh," October nodded and continued walking along side them. "Damn, I wish I could skip."

"Too bad you can't, gotta listen to the principal," Joshi teased.

October met Hazel and Joshi out the front of school on her first day. She was stuck in the middle of a popular group as they tried to chat her into becoming their friend, obviously because of who she was. Of course the new girl saw this straight away and tried her best at walking away from them, but somehow they kept her locked in, like she was trapped. Along came Hazel and Joshi to the rescue as the pair finally dragged her away from the stuck up crowd, bringing her into their own fucked up world. Just the way she liked it.

"Look, it's Walker," Hazel hissed.

October looked ahead to see the eighteen year old boy walking towards them, his dark hair parted down the middle, shorter strands at the front. The baggy jeans looked great on him, like always, and he wore that brown jacket he liked to wear, open with a white shirt underneath.

He wasn't one of the most popular guys in school, but he wasn't an outcast either, and both Hazel and Joshi had fallen for him. Since being at St. Michael, October realised the two talked about him a lot, but she didn't see what the big deal was.

"You have to bump into him," Hazel told October.

October looked at her friend in confusion, "What?"

"She's right," Joshi grinned, "It's a way to get him to talk to you."

"Yeah, do it!" beamed Hazel.

"No, I am not going to walk into him, he'll think I'm stupid," October said.

"It will be 'accidental'," replied Hazel, using her fingers for quotation marks, "Just do it, just nudge him."

"I'm not the one obsessed with him," October laughed lightly, "You bump into him."

"You're the hottest out of the three of us so we need you to reel him in," Joshi pushed.

As October continued her protest, the eighteen year old getting closer and closer, they had passed but it was too late; Hazel had already shoved October into him and walked on with Joshi, the two of them sniggering quietly.

October looked down at the contents of her bag now laying on the floor in a pile next to the bag itself. Sighing, she bent down and started gathering her things, feeling completely embarassed, but stopped at his voice, the voice of Scott Walker.

"Sorry about that."

The younger girl looked up and watched as he crouched down in front of her, picking up her two notebooks.

"It, um, was my fault," she said. She looked at the thick piece of black string around his neck and then her eyes moved up to his face, taking in his perfect jaw line, and then his stunning blue eyes caught hers. Caught off guard, October stood back up, just as Scott did, but then he picked something else up.

"Oh, you forgot this," he said, holding out her illuminous yellow plectrum with a black star on the front.

"Thanks," she replied and took it from him.

"That's pretty cool," he smiled, "Where'd you get it?"

His knockout smile gave most girls a sudden rush of butterflies, but October wasn't like most girls. Yes, he was gorgeous, but she didn't just fall for anyone, she had made that mistake a few times. "I got it down at that music store, 'The Goldens'... It's a couple blocks away, have you heard of it?"

"Yeah, I was in there earlier, actually," he replied, "They do great stuff."

"Yeah," October nodded, finding herself smile at the surprise easiness she felt as she spoke to him.

"It's October, right?" he asked, pointing at her slightly.

"Yes," she said.

That grin still on his face he asked, "Shouldn't you be in class, October?"

"Shouldn't you?" she replied.

He shrugged and said, "Maybe."

October tried her best to hide the growth of her smile at his cuteness, but failed, making Scott's own smile widen.

"You better get to class," he said, "You don't want to get into more trouble with the principal."

October's brow creased lightly, "I, um... how do you know?"

He shrugged again before replying, "I've seen you come out of his office a few times."

"Oh, right," said October, "Half the time it's not even my fault, I mean, I swear he just likes to get on my back, he's so annoying, it gets on my nerves. You know, this one time he sent me home because I wore incorrect Gym kit, but it was just a blue shirt instead of a white one, he doesn't listen to me when I try to explain anything and then expects me to listen when he's rambling on and on and on, and..." She trailed off, realising she had been rambling herself.

Scott looked lost.

“I tend to start talking about nothing and then don’t know when to shut up,” October attempted to explain herself. “You probably think I’m a total freak out, but that’s what most people think and I’m sorry, but I can’t help it, I’m a very weird person and I’m doing it again and I’m very sorry.”

Scott just smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth.

“I know, I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“No, you’re just like me, sometimes I start talking and don’t stop. I can go on for years without realising that I should keep my mouth closed.”

"Great, it’s good to know I’m not the only idiot in this world.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean you’re an idiot, I meant... Oh God, shut up.”

“No," Scott said and laughed lightly, "I am... an idiot.”

October smirked, “Okay."

"Anyway," said Scott and began walking away, "Have a good class."

October watched as he strolled smoothly down the silent corridor, the soles of his shoes echoeing back at her. Exhaling heavily, she shook her head at herself and quickly walked to her English classroom. She opened the door and the whole class, including the teacher, turned their heads towards her.

"Principal's office," said Miss Bolton.

"What did I do?" October asked.

"You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago," she replied.

"Why, did something good happen?"

A few students snickered and October was handed yet another detention slip.

At lunch, October stood in the empty female bathroom, looking down at the white pill in her hand. Normally she would have swallowed it by now to get her through the rest of the day, but this time her mind was drifting to familiar words spoken to her just a couple days ago, words of encouragement and support. Taking the pill anyway, October's mind was set on that one person for the rest of the day, where she took another pill before getting into bed.

Blue pills for sleeping.

Before feeling herself drift off, her mind was still on that one person, the same person she needed help from, the same person who told her he would give her that help.

Frank.