The 3AM Soda Cans

blurb

It was just one of those nights when I couldn't help but continue living on borrowed time. For a fact, I was just 23-year-old but I had no such motivation to live anyway. It was a pretty night with the sky painted as a pretty picture, luckily endowed with stars which shone, brighter today than usual. The wind was cool enough to shrink my nose pink but it felt like November in the month of June- which is a nice thing because I hated summers. They're just so happy and lively and bright and that's just not me.

I'm April, by the way. I am an orphan as I lost my parents two years back in a plane crash and I live in New Jersey. My life encircles around the only job I have at the café and my little brother Arkin, who will turn 10 this year.

My life after my parents were gone had been worse than simple. I began to care about nothing and nothing ever ignited any sense of belonging in me with anyone or anything, except my brother, of course. Its funny because I couldn't care less about this either. My aunt insisted on the idea for us to move in with her but I insisted back to live alone in the same house my parents breathed in. At least, it made me feel I hadn't lost everything. Moreover, it never seemed like my uncle wanted us there anyway.

I've been walking for like twenty minutes already but I can't seem to find the correct path. That is because I've been constantly taking detours so that I do not reach home. Sometimes, I just didn't want to go there. It exuded a life which was just paper-thin, just on a screen. It was a life I thought I had because of my brother. He was too young to get caught in this mess and did not deserve it at all. Although, I often wondered- 'Did I deserve it too?'

I decided to stay the night away today and headed towards the only store I knew around the locality which would hand me a pint without my ID. I did not carry it with me and I don't know why. I marched towards the store and stumbled upon something- it was a diary, perhaps. It had a polaroid picture of five people smiling through their hair with pages and pictures peeking out of the cover. It seemed like a travel journal or something. But, who leaves their diary on the middle of the road?

Idiots.

I had this little urge to pick it up and check it out but I walked past it anyway. I entered the store and grabbed two malt sodas and went to the billing counter.

"Long time, no see, April! How you do?" the guy with the ginger-head asked. He was Matt. He knew my mother dearly and was very fond of her, hence, the relevance.

"I'm alright, Matt, how are you?"

"I'm good too, so what's in the basket?" he asked. It was his kind of pick up- 'what's in basket' even if there was no basket, just as now.

I handed him the bottles and he cheekily grimaced at me, "No ID again?" and I gave him a sheepish smile. He wrote off the bill and handed me the bottle with a wide smile, "Here"

I thanked him and started to leave the store but I turned around and asked him, "Hey, Matt, do you know about that diary? That one on the road?" I asked him, pointing towards the direction of the road.

"Um, no idea," he denied with making the pout thing with his lips. He said after a pause, "Why, does it look like something important?"

"I don't know, it seems like someone's travel journal or something, it has pictures and writings. It just made me wonder." I stated.

"Oh, my bad, no clue," he said. I nodded offering a short smile and took off.

I was on that path again and the diary was impelling me to pick it up. Those faces with such wide smiles, for some reason, felt like I knew them. Just the force they held made me want to keep it and read it. But, then, god knows what it was.

I left it behind and picked up my pace. My phone started ringing. It was Arkin- must be calling to check up on me. Yeah, he is just 9 but he's a dad.

"Hello?" I spoke up.

"Hello, April? Where are you? I just wanted to tell that I'm staying at Aunt's place today. Cassie is having a sleepover with her friends and she wants me to play Batman which is a matter of great pride," he babbled with a zing.

It caused me to chuckle a bit, "Alright, Batman, go for it,"
"I won't be able to be around tonight, anyway. I've got work to do."

"Yay, okay, I'll call you before bed, bye." He said with the same elation as before.

"Okay, enjoy. I love you,"

"I love you too, sissy, bye bye!" and he hung up.

Yes, so the work I had to do was 30 metres back the road. I turned around and started walking towards the diary. I picked it up and headed towards the park. It was quiet and empty, just as I wanted. I took the bench, set my backpack beside me and scooched in a bit as it was quite cold now.

I uncapped the malt and took a long tip. I held the diary and placed it in a comfortable position on my lap. It was going to be a long night.

I opened the first page and it read- Cheers to the 3AM soda cans.

a/n.

greetings.
this is a collaboration work. we're new but excited.

we just write to let the words flow. we would like you all to feel the same-

let the emotions flow.

this is like a travel journal and a story of five friends and how their lives are/were in a nutshell.

hope you all like it and support it.

we will need your love and thoughts.
so, please vote and comment! :)

-t&p