AARON & JACKSON

-How To Save A Life-

"Red"

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I disturb my town
I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

Song Belongs To P!nk

As soon as Aaron walked into the pub the chatter stopped and everyone's attention diverted to him, just like he expected. Aaron frowned as he walked to the bar. Chas forced a smile as she approached the bar. "Pint…love?" she asked as she took a proper look at him, he was pale, the bags under his eyes were terrible and he was beginning to look like he hadn't eaten in months, of course she and everyone else knew why, the drug addiction he had gotten himself caught in, his clothes didn't smell too good either but she tried not to show her disgust and when Aaron nodded she started pouring his pint.

Chas had tried on so many occasions over the last year to get him to stop, otherwise it would get worse, naturally someone like Aaron, so headstrong hadn't listened and told her to stop mithering him, it was up to him; now as she looked at her son, the worst was beginning she could see it.

Aaron frowned and took a deep breath. "Keep that for me" he said as he started to walk away.

"Aaron…" Chas pleaded. "Don't…" Aaron simply sighed and walked back out of the pub, and quickly walked around the side of it, someone passing would see but he didn't care. Aaron lit the joint that was in his hand and started smoking it as he rested against the building, looking up at the sky as he did so.

Adam was walking up to the pub when he saw him; he sighed and ran up to him. Aaron instantly saw him and grumbled. When Adam stopped in front he took the joint from his hand and flung it. "OI!" Aaron yelled and reached down and picked it up.

"You said you'd stopped, and don't give me that crap, if that's a roly then it's a bit bloody thick" Adam spat angrily. "I can smell it Aaron it stinks!"

"Get out my face Adam!"

"If this is an indication of what our holiday is going to be like then I'm not going, I've been through it with Holly and I can't do it again! I don't care if you're my best mate"

Aaron rolled his eyes "Fine I'll go myself"

"Fine do what you want! I've been there for you, I've tried to help you but you won't listen, what you're doing to yourself is slowly going to kill you!"

In a fit of rage Aaron went mad "AND YOU KNOW WHY I DO IT!" he screamed, a scream that was tinged with sadness and clear anger at Adam until he was red in the face and the veins in his neck were bulging, when he stopped he was panting hard, clearly still angry.

Adam shook his head "Well…" he stepped back. "None of us approve and neither will he"

"I know everyone knows now Adam and I don't care, this is my life, the way I want it to be, the path it's taken"

"Okay Aaron, enjoy your holiday. You know what, you're pathetic! You're slowly losing everyone …the path hasn't chosen you" Adam spat angrily. "You chose it, if that's the way you want it to be, keep doing what you're doing, but only you can change things"

"Well I don't want too"

"Dig your own grave then mate, I'll ask Ashley to find you a plot shall I?" Adam snapped as he walked away then disappeared around the corner into the pub.

"Get stuffed!" Aaron shouted after him and continued to smoke.

…

Minutes later Aaron walked back into the pub, Carl frowned at him instantly. "Nice aftershave"

"Ha funny" Aaron pulled a sarcastic grin. "Do one!"

"Aaron!" Chas yelled. "Your pint"

Aaron smiled and walked over to the bar and sat down in the corner. "Cheers mum"

Chas smiled nervously. "Anymore of your antics and I'll bar you myself, understood?"

Aaron smiled genuinely now and nodded. "Yeah, course, there won't be"

Chas nodded, accepting that then moved away to serve other customers, leaving him propped up on a stool in the corner of the bar.

However Aaron's mood worsened dramatically after a while of putting up with stares and people whispering about him, he knew they were and the paranoia from coming down wasn't helping whatsoever, with doing drugs for so long he knew the signs but it didn't stop him from going mad, in an instant he slammed his fourth half full pint glass down onto the bar and got down off the stool, and as expected attention was on him. "Surprising, I thought you were all talking about me anyway"

"Aaron, don't" Chas growled from the till.

Aaron shot a look in her direction, a scowl clear on his face. "What? It's true isn't it? Oh but they shut up now don't they?" he asked as he started laughing. "You all think it's okay to judge…right then well let's see shall we?"

Carl stepped forward. "Maybe you should just sit down mate"

"Eh? As if, nah it's about time I had my fill of judging people…I'll start with you shall I?" he asked and Carl simply shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Chas. "Self-centred cheating moron" then he looked over at Cain and started laughing. "Call yourself my uncle? Ha…you're nowhere near mate, you are pathetic"

Cain rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I don't want to be called that when you're concerned" he told him but otherwise he didn't rise to it.

Aaron then shrugged himself and looked at Betty. "Ahh" he grinned. "The village gossip…and the rest of you on that table" he added as he looked at Pearl and Alan who obviously were shocked and feigned complete innocence at Aaron's declaration.

Aaron then started moving around, the pub was in complete silence, he stopped and looked down at Val, Eric, David and Amy. "Hmm…you Val…hmmm…motor mouth sums you up pretty much"

Eric sighed. "If someone doesn't remove him, I will" he growled.

Ignoring Eric he pressed on and he looked at David. "Well you're hot, I'll give you that but that's all you have going for ya…oh yeah except your shop…might get more customers if you lowered your prices…"

"Aaron just go and sit down mate yeah?" David told him.

"I'm not your mate" he spat angrily. "I'm nobody's mate here" then he swung around and looked at Adam who was sat with Holly, John and Moira. "Isn't that right Adam? Hmm…"

"Hey! That's enough right" John rose his voice. "I know it's been hard for you Aaron, but this is ridiculous now…the drugs, the alcohol the endless string of men, you're hurting still and that's fine but doing what you're doing is far from fine…"

"Oh!" Aaron crossed his arms and nodded. "You know me now do ya? You actually give a damn…well I don't want it and when I told your son that…seems we're not mates anymore and I don't care, all I need is myself"

"Yeah well toodle off and take yourself out of here then" Adam told him angrily.

"And if I don't? What? You gunna hit me Farmboy?" Aaron asked as he laughed. "Come on then"

Adam angrily got to his feet but John wasn't far behind him to hold him back. "That isn't Aaron speaking, I know it's horrible to see and he is your mate, we all know that but j-just don't give him the satisfaction" John spoke quietly in his son's ear.

Adam then furiously grabbed his jacket and moved round from the table shoving into Aaron on his way out.

Aaron looked around and his eyes stopped at Alicia.

"Oh come on then, what you got to say about me big man?"

Aaron simply smirked. "Slag"

"Excuse me? I'm not"

"Well…" he shrugged. "You certainly look like one"

At that comment Alicia turned away from him and pulled up her top a little more.

Chas wiped the tears from her eyes. "Right Aaron get out"

"Oh you want me to get out do ya?"

"I do" she replied and at the same time Carl walked over to him causing Aaron to laugh. "Just try it"

"I'm not scared of you Aaron, you've shown yourself up and your mum, you think that's fair do ya?"

Aaron shrugged which angered Carl and he grabbed Aaron by the collar. "You're a disgusting excuse for a son!"

"Yeah course I am, just like you are a dad!"

Carl angrily pushed him away, he wasn't worth it. "Get out of this pub now" Chas warned him slowly but made herself very clear.

"Yeah and consider yourself disowned aswell!" Cain yelled and looked across the pub to his dad who simply gave a nod.

Aaron scrunched his face and shrugged. "I'm not a Dingle anyway…"

"And that's the thanks we get?" Chas asked. "You make me physically sick Aaron and a mother should never say that about her son!"

"Well you've said worse" he shrugged it off and started walking off but ended up stumbling out and falling on Pearl who was sat on the bench seat by the door. "Ugh get off me!" she grimaced as she pushed him away.

"You need to sort him out Chas this isn't good enough, he's terrorizing everyone!" Declan told her from across the bar.

"I know" Chas said as he sobbed. "I know…I know"

Alicia then looked up at her. "Two days ago he kicked our Jakey's ball through David's window! After snatching it from him! But no, Aaron can't do any wrong though can he? And he's just knocked into Pearl for god sake. None of us can take this anymore alright, everyone except a few daren't say anything well I am now okay! I'm sorry for making you upset even more I am but you need to sort him out before someone else tries to and not in a good way, and it's not a threat either"

Chas nodded, she understood she really did but she couldn't face everyone's eyes on her anymore so she turned and ran out the back crying.

Alicia sighed and shook her head.

"Alright everyone" Marlon began as he rubbed his forehead, just like everyone he couldn't believe what had just happened. "Next drinks free" he declared. "Apologies to everyone"

"Don't apologise for him" Cain grumbled.

"Somebody has too!" Marlon replied angrily as he leaned over the bar getting in his face, a brave move any time but he still did it nevertheless. "He's just a kid for god sake! Regardless of what he's doing or what he's on! He's just a kid!"

Cain scoffed. "Trust you to feel sorry for him"

"Yeah well unlike some I'd love to mention I haven't forgotten why he's in this mess!" he told him angrily and pushed himself away and moved to serve customers.

…

Stepping over all the rubbish upon returning to Smithy Aaron grabbed the white dusted mirror from the kitchen table and walked through to the living room and sat down. He placed the mirror on the coffee table and pulled out the bag of cocaine and poured some onto the mirror then he rummaged for his wallet and pulled out a card, it didn't matter which one and started making a line…

It didn't take long until he was high as a kite and deafening music blasted through the cottage as he zipped around the place tidying up. A little while later he started to come down but he was impressed, the place was tidy again, he grabbed a can of lager from the fridge and walked into the living room and slumped down onto the sofa, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and sent an invitation for one of his 'mates' to come over.

When the knock on the front door came a while later Aaron jumped up to go and answer it, he was sweating and shaky but he didn't want to use anymore until his friend arrived, and now it looked he had. Smiling, he answered the door but that smile fell instantly at the sight of three built up skin heads on the doorstep…

TBC…

I'm not going to give anything away about anything at the moment. I'll see what the reviews say haha but what I will say is that answers will be given soon!