Insomniacs (#1)

4. sweet

Luca.

I hadn't exactly expected my first day out to end up being stuck at a fucking party.

I hate parties. I'd literally rather have been anywhere else but Everest would've tracked me down if I hadn't shown up so I did, much to my despair.

It reeked of sweat and weed while I sat surrounded by people I didn't care to pay attention to. Ironic that it was my party when I'd spoken little to no words to everyone here barring Everest. The annoying little fuck.

I kept running my fingers along the soft material of my clothes, feeling the contrast to the hoarseness of the beige jumpsuit I'd worn for what felt like an eternity.

Two and a half months went by agonisingly slowly but being around Everest and regular people living regular lives at a high school party, juvie being the farthest thing from their mind makes a part of it all just feel like everything's been normal. Like I left, came back and that's that.

I've had stunts in Essex County on and off since I was twelve. Most of them deemed simple assaults by the courts, but the most recent one was deemed aggravated.

I don't mind it much at Essex County. It's better than the one in Fieldsboro— and when they assessed me upon entry this time, they hadn't classed me as high-risk for violence like they had at Fieldsboro. It meant I was with the general population. Not sectioned in a separate wing.

But the inmates this time around were fucked and it was an unsteady couple months. Rarely a week without getting into a fight or something going wrong and I was counting down the fucking days by the end.

And how after living their lives for two and a half months while mine came to an utter halt, they throw me a party and deem it fitting.

Fucked, that's what it is. Annoying.

A part of me felt envious. At the dancing girls, the drugged up boys, their naivity and youth, the most of their problems right now being spilling vodka on their clothes.

Guess its the way the world works; you're either plunged into the shitty side or you're in oblivion.

The other part of me knew there was no room to pity myself. I was in juvie for a reason.

"What was it like in there?" A sandy blonde haired boy piped up with a bright smile. Drunk. Everest's friend.

Besides me, Everest stopped and stared at the guy with wide eyes. He winced.

I glanced at him, "Who are you?"

"Taylor."

"Juvie was sunshine and rainbows." I nodded, irritated. Looked at how young he looked and how feeble, "You'd thrive, I'm sure."

Taylor cleared his throat, glanced at Everest, who just smiled because he has a way of putting people at ease. He slung his arm around Taylor's shoulder, "He has long since been antisocial, Tay. Don't take it seriously. He's like— stunted, in the emotional sense—"

He led Taylor away eventually and returned back to me.

"Was that necessary?" Everest raised an eyebrow.