This was seriously not my night. I arrived to work early so I could just get it over with. I was tired from the vacation and probably should have taken this day off but I didn't. The graveyard wasn't bad and I didn't have as much to clean as I normally would.
When I got my schedule I got to work. I dug two graves, cleaned three tombstones, and picked up the trash scumbags left behind. I took extra time with Bianca's grave taking away the old flowers and cleaning the green vase.
Shit hit the fan when I was walking up to a local store to buy new flowers for my sister's grave. "Nico?" the voice made me cringe.
I turn to see the all too familiar face, "Ethan, how's it going?" I asked not really caring for an answer. The guy always gave me a bad feeling, like I was walking on eggshells everytime I talked to him.
"Oh you know, pretty good. What about you? Haven't seen you in a while." I had been avoiding him for a while for a good reason. Ethan used to be a 'friend' or a better use of words would be drug dealer. He lived way across town and I got clean so the thought of seeing him here was just my shit luck.
"I'm fine," I said in a monotone voice and tried to walk past him but he stopped me. "What's the rush, I was going to ask if you wanted to have a good time with me and some buds I have in town. Come on, I have a feeling it's going to snow tonight."
He made emphasis on the word snow, which made me want to punch the smug look off his face. "I'm good." I push past him hoping he didn't hear the hesitation in my voice. "If you change your mind you know how to find me!" he yelled out before I entered the store.
I forgot why I was even here but knew it was something important to me. I wandered around until I saw some flowers. Instead of looking through them I just grabbed one bouquet and quickly paid, making my way back to Bianca's grave.
I took my time and just sit with my back resting on the side of the grave. There was something comforting about just being there. When it was fully dark out I decided to go home.
I was still on edge with seeing Ethan again and even tempted to call him, I still remembered his number even though I deleted it a long time ago. I didn't want to think about it so I headed to my room.
Kayla and Will were nowhere to be found so I shrugged till I got to my room. My door was open and a shirtless Will was standing beside my bed with a book. My book. A wave of emotion rushed over me that I quickly ignored.
It was my nightmare journal, years ago when I was in therapy my psychologist recommended I take notes of all the dreams. I didn't like the idea, for this reason, someone could just read it.
"Nico, you're home early."
I could see the horror in Will's eyes when he noticed I was looking at the book, he read it.
"Why are you in here?" I asked sounding colder than I meant to. "I was sweeping a-and this fell on the floor and I might have seen the drawings and read a page. I'm sorry," he said looking like a kid who just got caught with something he wasn't meant to have.
Blame it on being tired or my asshole personality but I just flipped him off and walked to the back porch.
I wasn't mad at him. If anyone found that book and read it, I'd be furious. Even if Hazel had found it I would have been mad, so why wasn't I now?
I didn't bother turning on the light so I just sat in the dark looking out at the average-sized yard. I sighed and patted my pockets for my cigarettes.
I was glad to see I had a lighter in the almost empty pack. A few minutes and half a cigarette later, Will was walking out the door. He now had on a plain white t-shirt, I was kinda disappointed by that.
"Nico, can I talk to you?" he asked sitting next to me. "Looks like you are now, so I'd say you can. Congrats."
I bring the cigarette to my lips before he speaks again. "Are you oka- are you shaking?" he asks, taking my hand in his.
It felt warm and a sense of calmness washed over me. "I'm just cold," I lied. I was still freaked out about earlier and seeing Ethan again. What if I said yes, I hesitated. I actually had to think about it, what was wrong with me? Was being high that important to me anymore?
I couldn't think about it or I'd go even crazier. Will shook his head, "You're lying." How the hell did he know that I was a good liar when I needed to be. "Will, just let it g-" he shook his head. "You don't have to explain but don't lie."
Without saying anything he took the cigaret out of my fingers and put it out it before pulling me into a hug. My instincts of pulling away didn't kick in like they normally did. Instantly I hugged back. I blame the tiredness.
We stayed like that for several minutes and some part of me didn't want him to pull away. "If you want to talk about it I'm here, a no judgment zone."
The way he said it like it was scout's honor or something made me smile at him. He pulled me off the bench and inside. "I say we watch a marathon of some comedy on Netflix," he stopped in the living room letting go of my hand I hadn't even realized he had.
"Don't you work tomorrow and isn't Kayla going to want her bed when she gets back?"
"I don't have to leave till lunch and Kayla is staying with one of her friends, apparently she had too much fun and was just staying with one of the people she was meeting up with."
"Sure, what the hell? But the show has to be a dark comedy instead," I said taking a seat on the couch.
"That's the spirit!" he yelled at flopped down beside me. "What about 'Insatiable'?"
"Works for me," I muttered. The show started and we watched one episode after another.
"Okay but I kinda love Bob and Bob," Will said.
"Same here, dude."
It had to be at least four in the morning by now but we just were hooked. It was nice not having to think about anything just focus on the show and watch Patty fuck everything up, pretty much.
Somehow we ended up making tacos with hot dogs in them at five in the morning and after we ate them we passed out on each other. It was a shitty night then with Will's help he turned it to one of the best nights I'd had for a long time.