The Cigarette Duet [Ready Player One Fanfiction]

Not Much of a Chance

"It's just a cigarette and it cannot be that bad~"

She stood there over her mother, eyes blank as she hummed the song and smiled emptily. The needle lay by her mother's hand while her mother's arm still had the rubber band tied around it. The ear buds were still in Loretta Watts' ears, blasting the song that was on repeat on the MP3 player she'd repaired and given to her mom last Christmas.

Wade had wanted her mother to smile.

"Honey, don't you love me and you know it makes me sad?"

The authorities came. Her mother was taken away. The MP3 player was shoved into her hands, still playing that song. Then there was Aunt Alice. She was going to be staying with her now. People kept saying things to her, but she couldn't hear a thing.

Why was everything such a blur to Wade?

"It's just a cigarette, it'll soon be only ten~"
"Honey, can't you trust me? When I want to stop, I can~"

"You'll be moving into the Stacks with me, Wade," Aunt Alice told her with a frown. "You need to listen and don't act up, you understand me?"

"Yes, Aunt Alice."

Her fingers were pale from clutching onto the MP3 player so tightly. It was still playing the same song and hadn't turned off yet. She put down the volume though, since Aunt Alice had yelled at her for it several days ago.

"Don't be useless like your mother," Aunt Alice snapped at her. "God forbid you turn out to be a drug-obsessed slut like her. Go to your room!"

" It's just a cigarette and I only did it once
(It's just a cigarette; it'll soon be only ten)
It's only twice a week so there's not much of a chance
(It'll make you sick, girl; there's not much of a chance)
It's just a cigarette and I'm sorry that I did it
(It's just a cigarette; you'll be sorry that you did it)
Honey, can't you trust me? When I want to stop, I can~"

Wade told her mother not to use drugs anymore. Loretta had promised her it was fine and she'd stop.

Everyone was liars though.

Wade woke up from the dream of a memory, grumbling under her breath as she slowly rose up in her bed. The abused mattress creaked under her weight, but held steady while she got off of it. Yawning to herself, she sleepily made her way to the bathroom and took care of herself. Afterwards, she ate a cereal as she watched the sun creep into view outside. Before the other occupants of the trailer woke up, Wade made her way out of there and quietly slipped down the stairs leading down the Stacks and reached the ground in record time. She could make it to her secret spot before the sun fully rose.

In fact, by the time it was fully in the sky and morning was a thing for people, Wade had already set up in her secret spot and had accessed the OASIS. It was early enough she could run around and do whatever she wanted for the morning before school started, and she thought of maybe giving a visit to her best friend. Hopefully Aech was already up.

Making her way to Aech's workshop, she grinned and called out to the tall male avatar that was currently walking around the Iron Giant that was being tinkered with.

"Morning, Aech!"

The handsome man turned around and gave his signature grin when he saw Wade coming closer.

"Yo, Z! What's up, gurl?"

Wade laughed and jogged the rest of the way, giving the other a tight hug. "Bored. Trying to waste time before I have to get to work."