Hey guys!! Sorry it took so long for me to update!! (even though this isn't technically an update -.-;) I wrote this a fewe months ago, before I started this group of one shots and figured it kind of went along the same lines so I added it. For those of you who have read this, I'm sorry it's not new material O.o For those who haven't, hope you enjoy!! Once I get a chance to actually write something new I'll be sure to post it I'm just a little...buried in work and school right now and haven't had a minute to write a new chapter :( I'm so sorry!! I promise I'll give you all something new as soon as I can!! Until then I hope this will suffice for a while :D Love ya!!
The problem with energy drinks isn't the fact that they make their victims more hyper than a crack-addicted squirrel. It's the crash; the sudden and debilitating crash that follows the excessive amount of caffeine and fake sugar that is quickly and heavily dumped into the blood stream. Over the past several years, Riley had tried just about every known energy drink created in a desperate attempt to stay up even an hour longer than usual.
Good old fashioned coffee works wonders for about two weeks before the body begins to form immunity to it and the stimulating energy begins to have less of an effect on the person drinking it. Even copious amounts of espresso and chocolate covered coffee beans, while enough to almost instantly produce heart palpitations, can lose their desired effect after a while.
It was only the recent discovery of a combination of Red Bull and Rock Star mixed together in a water jug that weighed as much as a small child that could do anything for Riley's predicament. It wasn't that he needed to stay up until 3-4 am every night but it was the fact that this was the time when he could get the most work done and not have to worry about disturbing his roomate. At times like this, it was quiet and still. Early into the morning, when there was nothing on but he and the computers he toyed with, that was his golden hour. So at roughly 10:30 every night, Riley would mix up his sugar drenched energy drink into a dark blue water jug and set out to finish it within the hour.
The kick was great even if the drink combination kind of tasted like death. The buzz would hit him almost immediately, occurring within a few minutes of the initial digestion. At that time, his fingers would begin to twitch ever so slightly and he suddenly found himself unable to sit still in the tall computer chair he'd parked in front of the computer screen. He could type hysterically for about two hours, his blood-shot blue eyes darting across the flickering screen and reading the words much faster than he needed to. This intense amount of energy would last about two and a half hours before he ever felt like he needed to make another drink. The yawning would start and then it was an abrupt and sudden topple from then on.
On nights like this, Ben could usually find Riley passed out, face first against the computer screen. He'd wake up every morning at almost exactly the same time, 5:13 am, he didn't know why, and find the young man literally buried in his work. It wasn't so much that Riley just fell asleep, it was more along the line of falling into a caffeine induced coma, the affects of which were so strong it would take a nuclear blast to startle him awake.
Ben would sigh and walk over to his best friend, moving the water jug well out of arms reach and placing it in the sink. He would lean over, scooping Riley into his arms and walk to his bedroom, frowning the entire way there as he felt the younger man's heart racing against his chest even though he was completely asleep. He would gently deposit Riley into the bed, the blankets already tossed back to avoid a massive amount of fuss and risk of dropping his unconscious charge.
Riley would usually mumble something incoherently and twitch for a few more seconds before the complete relaxation of sleep hit him full force. Ben would pull the blankets up to his shoulders and watch him for a few minutes, making sure he was still asleep. Then, satisfied with the silent vigil, he's walk into the kitchen and wash out the water jug, making a face as the nauseating smell assaulted his sleep deadened senses.
Okay, so the problem with energy drinks wasn't just the crash; it was the fact that they were legal and available in every convenience store and grocery isle in the nation. Cocaine in a can as his father so delicately put it. Ben sighed and realized that even if he removed Riley's stash of energy drinks, he could easily replace it. Another problem was the fact the he'd have to find them first; Riley was like a squirrel hiding an acorn when it came to his "fix".
So until the time when energy drinks were only available on the black market through a shady-looking guy in a trench coat who was probably wearing nothing underneath, Ben would simply make sure Riley didn't overdose on the stuff and get him into bed every night. Okay, one more problem with energy drinks: Riley had discovered them and wasn't planning to drop the habit any time soon.
Once again, I'm so sorry this is an older story O.o I'll update soon, I promise!! Hope you enjoyed it!!
