Chapter 1

“mum stop!” she wanted to yell but she could only mutter.

Seeing her mum this hurt and pushy was making her want to tear up.

“baby…”

“stop!” her voice already in teary whisper. “stop… please.”

Gracie palmed her face and sat on the bed. She was tired already from all the pressure to go back to the hospital and the fights and tears.

What was the point of the hospital! She was gonna die anyway!

It didn’t matter how soon, she was gonna die! That was the point!

She wanted to be strong for herself, she really wanted to be.

The last thing she needed was her mum's tears or begging again.

“i'm going to die mum.” She’s said clearly and looked up at her mum. 

“I'm going to die.

I don’t see any point of wasting time and resources. 

Please… God! I so hate hospitals now. Their stench… it's unbearable.

... the whole drugs stuff... I just wanna go insane!” She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

They was silence for a short while.

She looked away and wiped her eyes clean.

“Huh?

This is one of the few moment we have together, please we cant afford this quarrel.”

“baby…”

“mum. I don’t want my torture to be prolonged.

please stop this!”

Her mum turned her back to her and secretly wiped her own tear.

She was so hurt. The feelings of she going to loose her only child… ugh… it was unspeakable.

“ baby… I just want you to …. I want you to live… to live long for me.” She sniffed. “your dad is no longer here... you're all I have. I cant loose you.”

Gracie sighed and wiped her fresh tear.

Then she got up from the bed and covered the distance between them. She patted her hair and her mum faced her.

They hugged pitifully.

She hoped well that by tomorrow, her mum shouldn't be on it again. As always.

It made her cry to see her mum trying to fight when there was no hope. When she herself had given up the fight.

They unlocked from the hug and she cleaned the tears off her mum's face.

“I love you mum. So much.” She said and nodded. Her mum sighed and looked down at her chest.

“you... you...” She wiped her eyes properly. “you wanted to say something earlier?” Mrs Vanessa asked her daughter.

“uh…” she slowly moved away from her mum back to the bed.

She sat down trying to remember… And then brighten up her mood again.

And it suddenly popped up.

“oh…” she faked a chuckle and anyone could tell she was still sad.

“I thought about something through last night…

You know…

Why don’t you fake an ID for me.

So I can go to real clubs at least. To see the world for myself before I die.” She said.

Her mum frowned at once.

“why do you always say reasonable things and end them with nonsense.” she snapped and walked to the clothes on the make up table.

She packed all of it and left her daughter to herself.

Gracie sighed and laid on the bed.

Why was it that they gain their independence at 16, but still can’t go to clubs till 18 years of age.

Her phone beeped almost immediately.

She stretched on her bed and got hold of it.

“uh... What?” She sighed the moment she checked the message.

It was Emma. Her bestie.

Her call came immediately after.

… she was so not in the mood.

*

An hour later

*

“where the hell did you dump your phone! I’ve been calling since like forever.” Emma half yelled from the others side of the line.

“sorry boo boo.” Gracie said sarcastically.

“Grace.” Emma called in a warning tune.

“gross, stop calling me that?”

“okay… enough bickering.

 Did you see my message?” Emma changed the topic at once.

“oh please i'm not doing that shit.

how do you intend to get it in the first place?”

“ooh come on! Are you doubting me?”

“I’m not doing it still.”

“ But we had an agreement!

You agreed that before you die we must do everything fun we can.

So yes we are doing that shit.”

Gracie scoffed. She was used to Emma's blunt words.

“fine if you can get it, just this one… tiny tiny time.” She said hesitantly. 

She was browsing the other day and she found out that the same climax people get from sex is the same they also get from Opiod drugs.

Maybe she wanted to feel it.

“if I can get it? Really?

If I cant get it do you think i'd bother calling you?”

“okay. Okay. I will do it.” She fully agreed.

*

Emma shut the door behind her and walked to Gracie on the bed.

“hi boo boo.” 

She took off her back pack and drop it on the bedlamp shelve.

“asshole… you were at my door step, really?

I had to wait one more hour.” Gracie  scoffed sitting up on the bed. 

But she suddenly felt this sharp pains in her legs… like a joint pain or so.

She groaned a bit. Emma helped her sit up.

“you cool?”

“yeah. I'm fine.” She nodded. Emma sat beside her on the bed.

“I was delayed okay.” She defended.

“did you bring it?” Gracie wasted no time in asking.

“Wo… I remember you were against this whole coke stuff earlier. So calm down okay.” Emma said proudly and took her back pack from the bedlamp shelve.

She placed it on her thighs and opened it.

Gracie moved closer to her to have a better view of the inside.

Firstly Emma brought out a pair of cellophane hand gloves.

“too bad, I’ve got just one pair.” She muttered wearing them. Gracie scoffed.

Then she brought out a small wrap of cocaine… in a transparent small sachet.

“oh my god!” Gracie exclaimed and stared at her friend.

“you did it!” she half yelled.

“I told you I would didn’t I!” she brought out a foil paper and tore the cocaine sachet pouring out the content on it.

She moved closer like she wanted to enter Emma.

“so how do we do it?” she asked trying to touch the stuff.

“wait… maybe you should wash your hand first.” Emma said. Gracie gave her a glare.

“come on Gracie, you know that you always get infected by every little bacteria, hurry!”

*

Soon after Gracie returned and sat back on the bed. Emma gave her the foil paper.

“here, you take it through your nose… by sniffing.

You sniff little okay.

Just take a little quantity on your pinkie.” Emma explained.

Gracie took a little quantity and raised it to her nose.

Just then the door opened and her mum entered.

The foil paper fell off her hand tossing the content on the pink rug. 

Even the one on her fingers got spilled.

“you didn't lock the door.” they both groaned between clenched teeth.

Who was to be blamed?

Her mum walked in not noticing the stuff on the floor.

“uh… Emma, here's the list.” She gave a small paper to her and a credit card.

“what is that?” Gracie asked.

“oh I asked her to go to the supermarket for me when she came.

And she agreed.”

“why didn’t you ask me instead?” Gracie asked. 

She noticed Emma trying to hide the cocaine on the floor.

“oh.. i'm going to the restaurant like now…”

“what… is it 10am yet… I didn’t even know.” She shrugged trying to hide the foil paper under her feet.

“And uh… I need you to be at home when the monthly deliver guy comes.” Her mum added.

“oh… okay then.” She said.

“Bye Mrs. Vanessa” Emma said.

“bye.” Mrs. Vanessa turned back and hurried to the door… but she came back and placed a kiss on Gracie’s hair before finally exiting.

“oh shit, was I the only one who panicked when she came back?” Emma chuckled. 

“swearz.” Gracie chuckled too.

“… it’s ruined.” Emma groused as her gaze fell on the floor.

She knew how much she used to purchase that cocaine..

“too bad. But cant we still manage it?”

“no… hashtag# no to infections.”

*

In the supermarket.

*

“what's next on the list?” Emma asked.

“2 mayonnaise.”

“okay… it's in that section… I think.”

They walked to the other shelve and they saw the particular kind of mayonnaise written.

Gracie picked 2 and placed it in the basket and they moved along.

“what next?”

“uh…” she opened the paper again and suddenly chuckled.

“it says here that you should… get some pringles for yourself.”

“gross.” Emma said and they both laughed.

“Jeez. Parents can be so outdated… look… there is this necklace I saw the other day in this same supermarket…”

Just as they were about turning to the other direction. Gracie bumped into some… person.

She touched her chest and moved back cause of the force.

“Sorry.” She still muttered nonetheless the pain. While Emma was getting ready to snap at the unfortunate person. 

Who turned out to be one of the cutest guy she had ever seen.

She just stood frozen.

The guy was tall, just too handsome for her, fair.

He had curly blonde hair and sexy faded green eyes.

Thick jaw line and high nose bridge.

The fact that he was chewing a gum made her almost pass out.

He stared at Gracie and then at Emma who was totally mesmerized by his beauty.

And then he stared back at Gracie.

“sorry.” He muttered. One could hardly hear him if not that his small pink lips moved.

and without further ado, he walked past them.

Gracie immediately recognised a tattoo on his left arm as he raised it to arrange his hair while walking past.

She gasped and her eyes dilated in fright. Somehow. 

Oh MG!

She was surprised.

She turned completely to stare at him as he walked away. EMMA did same as well.

They both looked like high school students drooling over a new guy.

“oh boy, he is so hot. His style is so cute!” Emma half yelled bringing Gracie from her trance.

Gracie turned to face Emma at once.

“same green eyes, same tattoo.

Could it be him Emma? Yes, it him!”

TBC