A/N A kinda disturbing chapter, so if you are sensitive in any way to disturbing scenes, please do not read. I hope everything in this chaptermakes sense, and even if you dont like it, please review, so I can take advice. I swear it will get better for Suze (eventually!) and some greater 'men' will walk into her life soon. Even if you do not read this chapter (due to above), keep reading after this one. Its quite minor compared to some FFs, as its T+ rated, but even so, I have to be careful! Keep reading, and thanks for the awesome reviews!

Chapter 8

Nope, it definitely wasnt Jake. I dont know why I was kidding myself that it was Jake anyway. I mean, he'd thrown me out of his car nearly two hours ago. He was probably high-tailing it out of Ohio by now.

Anyway, the dude that approached me? I'd never seen him before in my entire life. He was no taller than 6ft, had dirty-blonde hair (is that even a colour?), and green eyes. I mean, really green. Like grass green. But they were all red and squinty, and his cheeks were gaunt and white. He came to me in silence, and sat beside me cross legged. Still saying nothing, he pulled a blanket out of a carpet bag and draped it around the two of us. I was more than a little freaked out. I mean, the guy was a complete stranger.

"How long you been here? Police caught you yet"
His voice was gruff and deep. When he spoke, his dark stubble on his chin moved up and down, and his nose flared.

"Excuse me?" I asked. "I just got abandoned by my boyfriend, in a strange, unfamiliar state. I am not on the run from the cops!"

Ok, so maybe I am. But he didnt need to know that. He might get me to join some murderer cult if he knew. No, I'll keep that piece of information to myself.

"Thought it'd be something like that. Boyfriend abandoned you, mom chucked ya out, whatever. So what'd you do, get pregnant"

"No!" I shrieked. "Are you crazy? I was...taking a road trip with my boyfriend, and we got in a fight. My mom did not chuck me out. I left on my own accord."

That was kinda the truth. I did leave by choice. Admittedly, the other choice left me with the responsibility of murder, but whatever.

"OK. So you're new to the road then?" I did not know what was up with the whole question thing. The guy was a creep. A homeless creep, with a blanket shared with me. I really have come so far since I turned seventeen.

"Why do you care?" I asked rudely. Then I softened. We all know where being short got me last time.

"No reason," said the guy, just as snappy. Then he held out his hand. "I'm Ralph"

"Hey, Ralph," I replied slowly. "I'm...Suze. So are you some kind of hobo? Or a runaway?"

"Well," started Ralph, taking something out of the pocket of his brown, weathered jacket. At a second glance, I realised it was a white, rolled up tube. He lit it up and took a breath from it. Some smoke flew over to me and I coughed loudly, hoping he'd get the message. But he carried on.

"My mom was like an alcoholic, split from my dad before I was born. Then, as soon as I got my indepence at eighteen, I ran away from my crappy home life. I kinda prefer it out here. You get time to think."

"And do drugs?" I asked, nodding at the tube.

"Want one?" he asked. Obviously he had so not got the message. That thing was smelly.

"Its drugs!" I pointed out. "They're illegal!"

"Yeah, and?" said Ralph. "So's sex under sixteen, but that doesnt stop people."

He had a point. But no way was I prepared to take a puff.

"It relieves stress. And dont take this the wrong way, but you looked stressed."

"Yeah, well you would look stressed too if you murdered your own dad then got abandoned by your boyfriend."

I gasped at the memories from three days ago, my dad's awful angle, his lids half-shut, his chest not rising steadily, no pulse visible in his neck. My breaths grew shorter and faster, my heart beat faster and more and all of a sudden a hysterical feeling was rising in my throat again. Ralph was looking at me, but not in a confused or concerned way. He just reached inside his pocket for another tube and a lighter.

"Here," he said, pressing them into my shaking hand. "One wont kill you. You need it, I can tell."

I'd paid attention in Sophomore health class. I knew drugs were wrong. But memories and pain swirling in my head wouldnt go away. They were filling up an unknown space inside my soul. I guess its called guilt. But this guilt was more over powering than I'd ever experienced. I took the cigarette from Ralph and lit it. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then I drew one from it.

It tasted of all the things I hated. Blu-tack, brick dust, sour milk, garbage, animal waste, the foul things went on and on. My head went foggy and my throat burned. I felt like I was tumbling, head first into the pavement, even though I was sure I was sitting down. I dropped the tube like it was made from fire and curled up on the stone, panting and rocking, shaking my head to release my confusion and agony.

"Sue! Run, its the cops!"

I didnt feel capable of crawling, let alone running, but then red and blue lights came into focus. Two guys in blue reached out to grab Ralph, who'd headed the opposite way. I scrambled up, light-headed and disorientated and half-ran , half-stumbled away, as fast as I can. As the sirens and Ralph's protests became more and more quiet, I heard Ralph yell, "Suze! Keep running! I'll fight 'em off!"