I grip the needle in my hand nervously, a leather strap tightly wound around my arm and held by my mouth. I pull my chin up hard, then stick the needle into a big vein. I shoot up, and am sent into a bliss. I stare at the ceiling, the trippy music coming from my iPod sends me into a dreamy state, and I close my eyes.
I immediately see a multitude of different images, and I suppose this is a semi-conscious dream. One image that particularly stands out to me is a beautiful mermaid. She has long, blonde hair and forest green eyes, and her tail is ocean blue. I see her smile at me, but then her smile turns to a look of disgust when she sees the needle, still in my vein. Suddenly, she starts to cry my name.
"Trent!" She calls, "Trent! Man, this is bad. We gotta get this out of your vein, dude! You're gonna die!"
I open my eyes and see Geoff shaking me, trying to get me out of this amazing high. I smile at him, then talk.
"Man," I say, surprised how much my words are slurring, "go'way. Is'fine."
Geoff just gets up and walks off, leaving me on the ground. I close my eyes again, and let the beautiful mermaid take me into a dreamy world.
I wake up, gasping. I look around, and notice I'm on my bathroom floor. There are bloodstained needles and red splatters on the walls. Suddenly, a wave of sickness sweeps me under its crashing power. I hold my stomach, then vomit hard into the tub, banging my head on the wall by accident.
Holding my head, I gasp for air. My entire body is killing me. I look in the mirror, and a strange face stares back. Is this what I look like? I think, Why does this stranger sit on the other side of a mirror?
It's been days since I've seen myself, and I look horrible. My usually good-looking black hair is now a matted mess, sticky with vomit and alcohol. I look like a skeleton, and wonder why I'm so skinny. My bright green eyes are puffy, and they have dark bags underneath them. When was the last time I slept? Did I even sleep last night, or did I just dream?
Suddenly, Geoff stumbles into the bathroom. He seems to be on the verge of tears, and I give him a concerned look. I wonder if he did any heroin last night with me.
"Trent, dude!" He yells, "I thought you died! I tried to shake you awake, but you just mumbled something then passed out!"
"Huh?" I ask, confused, "B-but, it wasn't you. It was this mermaid, smoking hot, she was yelling at me, then you showed up, but you ran off."
"I ran off to call the cops, dude," Geoff snaps, "and there was no mermaid. You were dreaming. I gotta get you some food, brah. You look like a skeleton. It's been, like, days since you've eaten!"
I poke at my skin, then gasp. There's nothing but bone underneath it. I don't have much time to think about what's happened, though, because Geoff returns quickly with a sandwich. I raise my eyebrow, questioning my meal.
"Sorry, dude," Geoff says, "But we didn't have anything else. You spent, like, a month's worth of food budget when you bought that big dose of H from that shady guy outside the apartments."
I gulp down the sandwich, then feel my stomach growl. I go make myself another, then chug a can of Coke. Suddenly, I get an urge, and run to find my stash.
Digging through my draws, I helplessly claw at the contents, trying to find the rest of my heroin. I finally find it, then I run to the bathroom to shoot up. Suddenly, a pair of tan arms grab me. I struggle, dropping my heroin and the needle. Geoff throws me against the ground, then gets on top of me.
"Brah!" he yells, "You're destroying yourself. Let it go! I've talked to your family about this, and we're sending you to rehab. You're gonna kill yourself, dude!"
I stare back, shocked. How could Geoff, my best friend, do this to me? I want to cry. I want to hit Geoff until he bleeds, but instead, I stay calm.
"You're going too." I say, and my tone shocks me, "I know about your addiction. You think I don't see all the pot? You think I actually believe you when you say it's a cigarette? You're only fooling yourself. If you don't come with me, then-then..."
But I can't find words right now. Geoff gets off of me, and sits against the wall. His eyes well with tears, but he swallows hard and looks at me. I feel like a child again, feeling sorry for snapping at him. Geoff swallows again, then speaks in a quiet voice.
"You're right," he whimpers, "I'll go. You can't do this alone, man. I wasn't even thinking of myself. I'm so sorry, dude."
I nod, fighting back tears. Then, I realize I still have some stash left. I shouldn't let it go to waste. Asking Geoff if I can get a bathroom break, I get off of the floor. He leaves me alone, and I grab my drugs.
Quickly, I grab my lighter, then melt down the heroin, pouring into the needle. I shoot up, not even bothering to use the belt on my arm. Bliss overcomes me, and I put the needle down. I stare at my bathroom's ceiling, until Geoff knocks at the door.
"Dude, are you alright?" His voice is muffled and panicked, "Brah, I'm coming in!"
Suddenly, the door breaks down, and Geoff stands over me, panting. He sees the needle, then turns and leaves me.
"Sick, brah," I hear him mumble, "Just snap out of it before your flight tomorrow."
I sit on the ground, pondering what has happened over the past few days. Over the course of my life. Why am I so sick? Will this camp help me, or will it just be another wasted summer. I let sleep tug and pull at me. I don't care what happens anymore.
In my dreams, I see the mermaid again. This time, she looks peaceful.
"Tomorrow is a new horizon," She says, "You will get better, Trent."
I smile, thinking of the nice mermaid. When I wake the next morning, I pack for rehab camp. When I finish, I go to Geoff's room and see that he, too, is packing. He notices me standing at the door, then smiles.
"I'm coming with you, brah," He says, "We can do this together."
I feel warm inside, an emotion that I haven't felt in years. I fix myself some breakfast, then Geoff and I get in his van and drive to the airport.
Boarding the plane, I see a muscular girl with black hair in a ponytail, and a Goth girl sitting by herself, looking out the widow with her iPod on.
Geoff and I find our seats, and wait for the plane to take off. I think of how nice this should be for me, but I still have cravings gnawing away at the very back of my heart.
Today is a new horizon. Things will get better.
AN: Did you like it? I thought the last chapter was better, honestly. I guess it was just kind of hard to write about something I know little to nothing about. Sorry for the wait, but this took me awhile, and a lot of thought! I promise a new one will be out sooner than this.
By the way, just in case you were wondering, I will be doing a story for Geoff too, just not immediately after this one. Please R&R!
