Noxious

18 | havana

Kyle 

Tommy was going to kill me. 

After he had left to talk with Dr. Thandler, I stewed on my shitty situation. I hadn't meant to poison myself with alcohol, I just wanted my thoughts to stop. I wanted to pause my entire life and just sit in the corner for a while. 

I could have died and my Dad refused to see me. 

I guess I couldn't expect anything less of him. Ever since mom died from an overdose, he was never the same. He blamed me. I was the target for his anger. He lost his wife, I lost my mother, and we both lost our fucking sanity. 

Then, I realized, I was an independent. My Dad was no longer responsible for me and therefore, I was responsible for my medical bill. The gravity of my situation started eating me from the inside out because I knew it was bad. 

I didn't have any money. 

My pockets were empty. I only had what I made from selling drugs and that was already money owed to my drug dealer. I had dug myself into such a deep hole, I didn't know how to get out. I didn't know what to do. 

Without thinking, I grabbed the IV and yanked it from my arm. I slipped the oxygen mask off my face and I flicked off the equipment reading my pulse so that it didn't go haywire and alert the nurses.

 I swung my legs off the bed and sat there for a second. 

My head was fuzzy and weird but I only gave it a moment to clear up before I stood. I stumbled to the chair that Tommy had occupied, it had my clothes draped over the back of it. I grabbed them and pulled them on. I discarded the paper gown, ran a hand through my hair, and headed for the door. 

I had to get the hell out of here. 

I poked my head out and searched for Tommy and Dr. Thandler. They were nowhere to be seen. I slipped out and set off at a brisk pace down the hallway. 

None of the nurses I passed stopped me. I supposed it was because I wasn't running in a paper gown, I looked normal in my clothes. I wasn't an obvious runaway. Though, I didn't consider the consequences of leaving a hospital without being discharged. 

After a few minutes, I figured out how to get out of the hospital without being caught. I wasn't overly familiar with it and some hospitals could be like mazes for no reason at all. I stepped out onto the street and it was only then I realized it was dark. 

I needed a good smoke to calm my nerves and I knew where I was going to get it. 

There was a group of kids that usually hung out after dark on a specific street. They were runners for different gangs, and they still met up. I guess it was the concept of keeping your enemies closer, they would have information on each other's supply. 

There were eight boys who looked a little older than me. 

They were leaned up against the building on the corner, laughing and exhaling smoke. I approached slowly, the last thing I needed was to provoke them. One took notice of me as I crossed the street, and then all conversation ceased. 

I continued to approach until I stood close enough to talk. 

They didn't say anything, just watched. 

"Got some extra?" I asked, nodding towards the blunt one of them held. 

He grunted. They shared glances, and then someone held a new one out to me. I took it and someone else handed me a lighter. I leaned back against the wall, keeping my distance just a little, and they seemed to relax when I didn't do anything but smoke.