Drowning the Past

18

It wasn't like she thought behind the shed was a secret, but she was totally pissed when she heard someone headed her way.

Since it was in the middle of class, she could assume it was someone looking for her.

Brave person. And it definitely was not Noah, since he was staying away from her like she had cooties. Which had been her goal.

She took another puff from her joint. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Jake and she took a long drink. Her alcohol of choice today was crown. It was good for her to expand her horizons. "Keep walking, Scott. We've ignored each other for four years. No need to change that now."

He sat instead. Crossed his ankles and leaned back like he was on a picnic.

"I swear I didn't sign up for this shit."

Instead of saying anything, he grabbed her bottle while she wasn't paying attention.

"You dump that and___."

He took a swig, winced, then took another. When he reached for her joint, she slapped his hand away. "Should you be drinking?"

"Should you?"

He took another drink as he eyed her.

"You're ruining my magic moment."

"I figured if my best friend could get wasted in the middle of the day and throw her life away, why can't I?"

"We haven't been friends in years."

"I've been taking a hard look at my life, and I've decided to take a page from my brother's book. I shouldn't have given up on you so easily."

She choked on her inhale.

After another swig, he reached for the joint and, in her dismay, she wasn't quick enough to stop him.

"Damn it, give that back. I know Noah mentioned you're on medication and I just got rid of his ass, so no way I need your ass."

Jake gave the bottle back but kept the other. "Catch me up to speed on your life."

All he got was a bird.

"That's alright. I think I have the gust of it. You have no life, no friends, and no expectations. No self-preservation and no self-respect."

"That about sums it up." She admitted dryly.

"I have no life, no friends, and I'm working on the expectations and self-preservation. And the self-respect. That's why I'm here. My doctor says I need to address my problems instead of burying them down and letting them eat at me."

She didn't even know what to say to that, so she took a drink.

"He says I don't relax enough, so who better to teach me how to do that than you?"

"Look, Scott, I don't do__."

"I've got to straighten my life out."

She chuckled. "He says as he smokes my pot."

"What to know what is going to be the key to my success?"

"No."

"It was seeing Noah's face. I thought no one would even notice I was gone. I was wrong. When he saw what I was thinking about doing, it devastated him. He still checks on me every night. My parents may suck, but I still have family."