Troubled

THREE

KYLE GARCIA

Grandma used to tell me that smokers signed their death wish from the moment they exchange their nine dollars for a bit of their lungs, since I was an ignorant, peer pressured adolescent, I didn't listen. After all she too smoked when she was younger.

"You must feel on top of the world puffing your lungs out." She said when I started. I raised an eyebrow then, suppressing the cough that was itching to come out. I didn't like the way my chest felt each time I took it, but what could I say, I wanted to be like the cool kids. And I did, but at the cost of my lungs, that showed it's displeasure by throwing up black stuff each time I coughed.

Sometimes I wished I listened to her, if I did, I wouldn't be making mom cry herself to sleep and Dad worry so much. I heaved a sigh as I went down the stairs, I had already taken my bath earlier as I didn't want Mom to worry about me.

"Morning Mom" I said kissing her cheek before taking a strawberry from the fruit basket.

She looked at me and smiled her warm smile, "morning baby, sleep well?"

I nodded, she passed a sandwich she was making,

"Where is Dad?"

"He is probably still sleeping..he wants to accompany me to the hospital today."

My parents had been trying for a kid after me, but they couldn't, mom still has hope, I was sure Dad was following her for the sake of it. I gave up too.

"Ready for the first day of school for the week?" She asked smiling, but I could see her eyes scanning for a cigarette around me, she wasn't wrong to do that, I was usually never far from one.

"Relax mom, I'm not with anything." I said smiling, she visibly relaxed. Her tense shoulders falling, I went and hugged her, I really loved my mom, like really loved her, although we looked nothing alike, with her sharp nose, tiny eyes, curly hair, flat lips, baby blue eyes, everything about her contrasted with mine. I was tall, like really tall, lean, black eyes that I got from Dad, plump lips, straight hair, if mom and I stood side by side someone would think I was her nephew or something, the only thing I took from her was her perfect dentition.

"You would be late for school baby." She said smiling. I realized I just stood there staring at her, like a creep. I face palmed before I started to walk back to my room to get my car keys and my Jacket.

"So when you wear black all the time.. what will you wear to my funeral?" The question my grandma asked me last summer when she came around, rang in my head as I picked the jacket, then I had told her to stop saying weird things, now I chuckled, my grandma made the most mornings jokes.

As I went down the stairs, I heard my dad come out of his room, my eyes trailed to his bed hair, he yawned, he looked so comical in his pyjamas, I bet the workers at Garcia pharmaceutical industry would be shocked to see their boss like that.

"You know how much money I could get from selling this particular picture?" I joked, pointing my phone camera in his direction. The shock on his face and the alarm in his eyes made me to burst out laughing. When he realized it was a joke he only grunted and went downstairs. I smiled, he had many scandals in the past, it was expected, as his pharmaceutical industry was the best in the country, that made him very conscious of everything.

"See you when I get back parents!" I hollered before I left.

I didn't wait to hear their response as my fingers itched for a smoke, I refrained from keeping anyone in my room as mom had a tendency to search it, all the packs I had were stashed in my car. I got into my car, smiling as I rubbed the dashboard, I had a thing for cars, ever since I was a child, Dad threw a tantrum when I got this one, he said a Jeep Wrangler was not a student's car, but I disagreed, I loved this baby like it was a real human. At the gentle purr of the engine, my happiness increased. I reversed out of the huge driveway, I waved to my Dad's driver, so he could see my hands were cigarette free and report back to mom. Immediately I was two blocks away from the house, I lit stick, feeling the calmness wash over me. I sunk into the soft leather seats, driving slowly to get to school.

I parked at the main entrance of the school, but I knew my friends would come through the back, they would not want to be caught by the principal this early in the morning smoking. I made my way to the back of the school, making sure to stuff my pocket with another packet.

"Hey Ray!, Dawson!" I greeted as I got there. They greeted back, Raymond White was my friend since elementary school, his father was the surgeon that helped my grandma with her knee, ever since then, our families were tight. Dawson Smith, the son of the police officer, I don't really recall how our families met, but he was the new recruit to our team. They all smoked and drank, though I didn't drink, I didn't want another addiction on my hands.

"Heeyyy! The big K is here!!" They cheered, I chuckled. As I went closer I discovered they were smoking weed, I rolled my eyes, of course.

"Still resisting the big one?" Dawson asked, they had been trying to coerce me into smoking it with them, I always refused. They didn't know I wanted to quit.

"The son of an officer using the big one? Imagine the news headlines." I teased.

Before he could answer, some girl, walked quietly passed us, I was sure she didn't see us, I didn't see her face, next thing she stood like she was in shock, she didn't move a muscle. She just stood, I shrugged, taking a stick from my cigarettes, wanting to do one last stick before I go in.

The girl fell, down, she looked like she was crying, normally I would mind my business, but she looked so small, and fragile, reminding me of my mom whenever she cried and asked me to please quit smoking. Before I could reach out to her, she got up and started walking to her classroom.

"We are done here man, let's go." Ray said clapping my shoulder, I threw the cigarette on the floor and crushed it with the sole of my shoe, and walked in.

Few minutes inside the school I was already itching to leave, something that came with smoking, I noticed I got hyper all the time, and couldn't stay at a place. I went back out walking around, avoiding the hall monitors. From a distance I spotted the girl from earlier, I didn't see her face, but I knew the cloth she was wearing, I watched her, trying to figure out why she broke down there, was it usual?, Or today was an exception? As I stared she turned to face me, I quickly turned around and walked away. As I left I wondered why the heck I was running away.