Tangled in Love

Chapter 7

"I- I can't." Nolan quivered, biting his bottom lip nervously.

"Oh, c'mon, boy. It won't do ya any bad."

Nolan snapped out of the pitying mind state he had dug so deeply into. He began to worry for his safety, knowing the marijuana Jerry had offered him could be deadly. He could have snuck anything into the drug and even the drug itself could become addictive. The possibilities all became pelting down onto his conscious and without any room for change, he knew he wasn't going to consume even a whiff of it.

"No, really, I just don't like weed, or cigarettes. I'm just gonna get going, maybe I'll see you around." Nolan smiled nervously and began to escape out of the alley. Having taken only three steps, Jerry quickly stepped in his pathway, blocking any chance of continuing.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't go so soon," he whispered softly, yet holding a look of force in his eyes. In defense, Nolan shot his hands out trying to keep him from coming so close. Without a second thought, Jerry had wrapped his long, graceful fingers around Nolan's neck stiffly. His eyes narrowed with a biting glare as he drew his hardened fist directly into Nolan's nose. Fresh blood oozing from his face, Nolan dropped to his knees, scraping against the hard ground, as Jerry let go of his grip.

Nolan sighed and asked sincerely,"Will this erase all of my pain?" He wasn't simply referring to the bleeding nose. He merely asked that because he knew punches to his exterior didn't hurt. It was simply another fist making contact with his skin, or a foot making a dent, or any other form of physical assault on top of the many he had recently received. His body would eventually get rid of all the bruises and open cuts on his skin, but it wouldn't get rid of the pain and injury and tears in his heart.

Jerry grabbed Nolan's collar, and with that, lifted him to reach his eye line. He breathe his cigarette breath into Nolan's mouth and nose, knowing fully well that he despised it, as he hissed, "Hell yeah." Jerry seemed to know what Nolan was referring to and he was clever in that way.

Nolan dropped back to the dirty ground that smelled like pee from the men who couldn't hold in their water anymore and shakily rolled marijuana into a tube of paper, crawling over to the lighter Jerry had dropped. As his hands moving back and forth uncontrollably, he opened the lighter. When the fire flickered in a burst and he lighted the grassy chemical substance, foggy smoke began to rise. "Now sniff it." Jerry's voice was threatening and dangerously close to Nolan's ear. He felt his breath shaking as the smoke entered his nostrils and into his body. Strangely, it made him feel safe and happy and lightheaded, as if he had no problems.

Suddenly, Nolan's surroundings cleared from any meaning they had before held. The brick walls surrounding him merged all together into a brown mess, beginning to swivel has he tried to look directly at it. Jerry's figure in front of him became blank, changing into a three dimensional shadow looking down on him. The shadow slowly grew closer to him, and closer, one step at a time filing another square inch of light with darkness, until his sight was erased, and he welcomed the black that swept over him.

Nolan forced his eyes awake, avoiding the blinding light the sun offered. He kneeled first, then balanced himself onto his feet as he began running home, his head pounding in rhythm with his feet. He didn't feel like himself and just wanted to fall down and sleep, but he had just accidentally spent the night in the streets without his parents having knowledge of where he had been.

"Where... The fuck have you been all night?! We called the police, you know!" Nolan's dad growled when he saw his son creak open the front door.

"I was-" Nolan tried to begin, but quickly was interrupted.

"Were you drinking? You're grounded! Do you not understand what that means?! Come here right this instant!"