Bane: (n) a cause of great distress or annoyance.
Chris
"Ugh," Alex spat in disgust. "Coconut!"
We were sitting on my floor, eating a jar of jellybeans Alex's friend had sent her from Canada. We were trying to see who could get the flavor right without looking at the guide on the back of the jar. So far, Alex was severely losing and I was winning with a score of one to nine.
"What'd you get?" she asked as I popped a green jellybean in my mouth.
"Pear?" I questioned as I wrinkled my nose.
"Yeah, the pear one is kind of gross." She studied the back of the jar. "But I think you're right. One to ten, I guess you win."
Most of my nights for the past week consist of this. Maybe not eating disgusting jellybeans, but I usually just sit over at Alex's house and have a chat. Even though my internet has been on for two weeks, it's much for fun when she's around. Sometimes we have dinner together, but most of the time, we just play video games and browse the internet together while enjoying the company. A whole month (give or take a couple days…not that I've been counting) together really brings people together.
Even though I could play games at my flat, sitting on the floor in front of Alex's TV and listening to her talk back to the game makes me want to get up in the morning to go see her. Seeing her smile as she wins is like watching a sunset over and over again.
Every now and then, I can hear her leave her flat (she tends to slam doors) late at night and not come back until the early hours of the morning. A couple times, while I'm checking the mail or whatnot, I've caught her tip-toeing up the stairs in yesterday's clothes, smeared make-up, and bloodshot eyes. She tries to hide it, but everyone knows she was out all night. I've asked about it before, but I never get more than just a "oh, I had things to do" or another generic excuse. But, I don't think it's my place to pry so I leave it at that.
Tonight, I leave her flat to go to bed around midnight. A couple minutes before falling asleep, I hear the slam of Alex's door, as if on cue.
Alex
"…And that's what I do on YouTube," Chris had just finished explaining. Four weeks had gone by since he moved in. Just about everyday when I come home from work, he comes over just to chill. I don't mind; I enjoy the company.
To be quiet honest, I hadn't been listening to him talking about YouTube. The aching in my muscles penetrated through to my bones. The pain had taken over. I did my best to hide the feeling of all my bones breaking at once to save face. Yeah, I like him and I like having him around, but getting my hands on some stuff is the only thing on my mind.
"I think I'm going to bed for the night," I told Chris. "I feel kind of sick." At least it wasn't a lie.
"Oh, well I hope you feel better," he said as he packed up his stuff.
After hours and hours of fighting the itching beneath my skin, I finally left my apartment around midnight. Adrian is the only one who can make me stop but he doesn't want to talk to me. It didn't take me long to find the nearest party. Around the universities, there's at least one party on the weekends. Even on the weekdays, I wouldn't be hard pressed to find at least a couple get-togethers to crash.
It was a typical university party. There's a bunch of freshman from out of town who nervously linger around best they just want to fit in, some older kids who know what the party scene is like, and the people who came for the free alcohol. The music boomed throughout the house and reminded me of my old days playing shows with my friends at a local bar.
There's always at least one plug at a party. Of course, I made a beeline straight for him. I know where to go. I didn't have much cash on me, but I quickly forgot about my payment as the chemicals started rushing through my veins. The rest of the night was a blur. More drugs, more partying. Most nights are like this. I don't think I could survive any other way.
Sometime later, the sunlight peeking through the curtains and onto my face woke me up. After the initial panic of not waking up in my own home, I gathered my things and left. After tearing through another letter from my ex (not even the one I want to hear from) an putting it in the pile with the others, I tried to text Adrian before falling asleep like the previous night never happened.