The labyrinth of suffering

chapter one

I was driving in my shitty-ass car, windows open (cause otherwise it would have been way too hot in there, I didn't have any airconditioning in my car.), smoking a cigarette, glad I could finally leave my house,

thinking about the Colonel and Takumi and how I couldn't wait to tell them about how my boob got honked by Justin at the beginning of this summer.

I took a quick stop at the liquors shop to get some stuff and I then arrived at Culver Creek (my school) way quicker than expected, I took everything  I brought with me out of Blue Citrus (my 'shitty car', which I still really loved) and put everything inside my dorm room, the dorm room that I once shared (with Marya, the girl who used to be my best friend), but now became a single, because I ratted. I ratted her and her boyfriend out last year, cause I was just too selfish and scared to go home. I regret it. I really do regret it, but I can't change it anymore, can I?. No one knew about that, and I think that It'll be best if it would stay that way, I wouldn't even want to know what would happen if people found out I ratted.

I finally lay down on my bunk, exhausted, so happy I could finally rest when I heard a loud knock on my door. I immediately knew who it was.

"Oh my God come in you short little man because I have the best story.",  I said loudly.

Chip Martin, the short guy that we always call the 'Colonel' (because Chip sounds stupid, in my opinion.) came in, with some other pretty tall, extremely skinny guy I didn't know the name of following behind him, he was wearing baggy clothes and I'd have to admit he was pretty cute, I'm not going to lie, but that only mattered for less than a second I had to tell the Colonel about what happened this summer first.

I jumped into his arms to hug him tightly, but after just a matter of seconds I escaped from his arms and quickly started to explain;

"So first day of summer, I'm in grand old Vine Station with this boy named Justin and we're at his house watching TV on the couch---and mind you, I'm already dating Jake---actually I'm still dating him, miraculously enough", I was saying, the tall guy behind him starring into my soul, which was quite creepy, but I didn't really notice it until after I finished talking, I continued: "but Justin is a friend of mine from when I was a kid (I explained, cause I had never told him about Justin before.) and so we were just watching and talking about the SATs or something, I couldn't really remember what exactly we were talking about) but suddenly Justin puts his arm around me and I was thinking something like; oh that's nice---it's okay---we have been friends for so long, nothing weird about it. and we were just chatting but then when I'm in the middle of a sentence---his hand goes down like a hawk and reached down and he honks my boob!---it only took two- to three seconds but the first and only thing I could think about was: 'I have to tell Takumi and the Colonel'. The colonel laughed.

It's then when I actually noticed the guy who was starring at me before but now was now looking around my room, looking lost. "Who's the guy that's not laughing at my very funny story?" I asked curiously.

"Oh right. Alaska this is Pudge. Pudge is my new roommate and he memorizes people's last words. Pudge, this is Alaska. She got her boob honked over the summer." The Colonel smiled.

I walked over to the tall and skinny guy, pretending I was going to shake his hand, but then quickly pulled his pants down.

"Those are the biggest shorts in the state of Alabama!" I smiled.

The colonel laughed.

"I like them baggy," he said. It took some seconds but then he finally pulled up his pants looking rather embarrassed.

"So, Alaska. Sell us some cigarettes." The Colonel said to break the silence. He talked 'Pudge' into giving me five dollars, I handed them over a pack of Marlboro Lights. The Colonel asked me if I'd want to join them smoking, but I declined. "I have to find Takumi to tell him about the honk," I said. I asked Pudge if he had seen him, but I never really got an actual response.

"All right. meet ya at the lake in a few then.", the Colonel nodded as they were leaving.

I later found Takumi in his dorm, sitting at his desk doing I—don't—even—know—what. I explained the 'boob-honk-story' to him.

We laughed and caught up for a bit before I decided to go to the lake. I hadn't left him behind, he did not want to go because he wanted to finish unpacking his stuff before he'd get his mind on to anything else or something like that, he said. So, I left because I didn't want to be a bother while Takumi was packing out his wardrobe that could get the whole school dressed.

I walked towards the lake with my backpack on my back to find Pudge sitting on the swing. The Colonel had left him, probably to see Sara (his girlfriend or whatever I could call her. They had always fought, I have literately never seen them happy together. I had always thought they'd be better off without each other.) but I didn't really mind spending some time alone with Pudge, I'd actually like to get to know him a bit and I wanted to know if he may have some answers.

I could see him from a distance, trying to smoke I assumed. Once I finally got close enough for him to hear me I saw him trying to get up. I quickly asked: "do you really memorize last words?", curiously. his head turned my way, I could see him looking very confused and shocked. I ran over beside him and pushed him by his shoulder, right back onto the porch swing, and sat beside him. "yeah" he replied. "want to quiz me?" he asked. I took a few seconds to think of someone but then I thought of someone; "hmm.. JKF" I replied happily. I really was curious if he would know this one. "That's obvious," He replied quickly. "Oh, is it now?" I asked. "No. those were his last words," he explained. "Someone said, 'Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you,' and then he said 'that's obvious,' and then he got shot. I laughed: "God, that's awful! I shouldn't laugh But I will" I started laughing again.

"Okay, Mr. Famous Last Words Boy. I have one for you." I reached into my bag to take my favourite book, 'The General in his Labyrinth' out of it. "it's a historical novel, so I don't know if this is true.", I explained. I lit a cigarette, and started reading: "he---that's Simon Bolivar---was shaken by the overwhelming revelation that the headlong race between his misfortunes and his dreams was at that moment reaching the finish line. The rest was darkness 'damn it,' he sighed. 'how will I ever get out of this labyrinth!'". I looked up to see him starring at me. "So what's the labyrinth", he asked.

"That's the mystery, isn't it? Is the labyrinth living or dying? which is he trying to escape---the world or the end of it?"

I was quiet for a few seconds. "Uh, I don't know," he said. it became quiet for a few seconds again. " have you really read all those books in your room?", he asked with a curious tone in his voice. I exhaled the smoke. "Oh God no", I laughed. "I've maybe read a third of them. buy I will read them all, someday. I call it my Life's Library. Every single summer since I was little, I've gone to garage sales and bought all the books that seemed interesting to me. So now I always have something to read. Even though I don't have time, not now at least. There's so much to do; so many swings to swing, cigarettes to smoke, sex te have. I'll have more time, time to read them all when I'm old and boring.", I smiled. He laughed. We continued on talking, explained to him how much he reminded me of the Colonel at the beginning of our friendship. (that was when he had just come to Culver Creek) I told Pudge about how our friendship began, and how I had gotten him his first girlfriend, Janice. And about our hilarious pranks.

"You're smart like him", I said. (referring to the Colonel) "You're quieter, tough. And cuter, but I didn't even just say that because I love my boyfriend." "Yeah, you're not bad either", he said awkwardly. "But I didn't just say that because I love my girlfriend. oh, uhm, right, which I do not have." I laughed. "yeah, no worries Pudge. If there's one thing I can get you, It's a girlfriend.---Let's make a deal; you figure out what the labyrinth is, and how you're supposed to get out of it, and I'll get you a girlfriend." He looked surprised. "Deal", he said. We shook hands.

We talked for a bit and then, later we walked back towards the dorm circle.

"When you're walking at night, do you ever get creeped out and even though it's stupid and embarrassing you just want to run home?" I asked him. He stood still and looked rather confused by what I had just asked him. "uh.. yeah, totally" he replied, shaking his head in an attempt to get the hair that was in his face out of the way. I was quiet again. I looked over to him still looking concerned,. As I grabbed his hand and whispered "Run run run run run run!" I ran all the way to the other side of the grass field. I held his hand tightly so he wouldn't be able to stop running. This is fun, I thought.