Eden

Chapter 5

Trigger Warning: drug use

"Okay honey, will this be all?" The cashier asked from across the little tabletop thing that was between us. I simply nodded, not having the strength to reply. I had been shopping for hours. My mom gave me a list before school, telling me to buy a list of things from different stores.

The list was endless, but thankfully, this was the last batch of things that I had to shop for. I carried the bag of items and headed to my car which was parked a little towards the starting of the parking lot. It was hell.

I opened the door and shoved the bag far into the backseat, the items protesting with a thud. I entered the driver's seat and shoved the key into the ignition, the little beast coming alive underneath me. I put the car into reverse and pulled out of the parking lot.

=0=0=0=

I was taking out the things from the bag and stuffing them begrudgingly into their appropriate shelves when my phone began to ring. I took one look at my screen and I couldn't seem to stop the smile from growing on my face. It was Cade. I picked the phone off the counter and put it to my ear after tapping the 'Answer' button.

"Hey man," I said, not really knowing why he had called me instead of sending a text.

"Hey. How you doing?" I frowned. He sounded down on the phone. His voice sounded strained, like he was trying to keep the sadness out of his voice.

"Umm, are you good? You sound kinda down." I said with caution. Cade had a habit of hiding how he truly felt at the moment. He was those type of 'smile-now-cry-later' people and it was honestly my least favorite trait of his.

His voice came out tiredly from his throat, almost like he didn't want to say them or he was just tired of talking. "Can you come over?" He asked. I looked at the clock over my shoulder, 3:37.

"Now?" I still had some things to do, so I wasn't really sure if I would be able to go there.

"I kinda need you man ...please."  The urgency in his tone was so loud yet so quiet. The last part was so quiet that I almost didn't hear it. It was safe to say that I was practically flying out of the kitchen and out my door. I opened the car door and turned the car on, not failing to lock the house up in my wake. I stepped on the pedal. Cade lived on the other side of town; where the rich folk lived. My body worked on its own, steering the car from muscle memory alone.

I drove into his massive driveway, my car coming to a slow stop. It still managed to amaze me every time I came to his mansion of a house. Remember when I said that Colt was the richest in our friend group? Well, that wasn't a lie, but Cade was just as loaded. Although Cade hated to admit it, his dad was well off. He just never accepted the money as his own -always going off on some rant about how the money was his dad's money and not his. Something about it being money from a dirty man.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts. Now was not the time after all. I climbed up the staircase and opened the door, not bothering to knock since I had been over so many times that I might as well have been Cade's sibling. I peered into the living room, the place being a mess. Beer cans and pizza boxes lay on almost every surface, the house oozing of sweat and alcohol. A faint sound could be heard from the bar, the song coming from a boombox that had its volume reduced to near mute. I ignored all of this, already used to the sight. I checked the kitchen next, scrunching my face in disgust at the pool of something that sat in the center of the large room with little chunks of food in it. I left as quickly as I came. I checked the backyard also, the pool area and pool house not yielding any favorable results.

I decided to check upstairs, my feet carrying me to the door as soon as my mind was made up. I took them two at a time, the stairs. I opened the music room and looked around. It was small enough to see everything without having to step in and do a thorough check. I closed the door and continued down the hallway. I stopped at his door; the massive piece of wood kept slightly ajar. I could make out some quiet sobbing and it broke my heart. I had an idea as to what may have happened, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. I knocked three times before I opened the door, my aim being to not frighten him with my sudden appearance. After all, I would freak out if I thought I was alone in my house and then someone just burst into my bedroom.