HTBMHIT || {A creek fanfiction}

✞︎༒︎☠︎︎Chapter 10: Cigarette Duet☠︎︎༒︎✞︎

"Smoking cigarettes on the roof; You look so pretty and I love this view. We fell in love in October, that's why, I love fall. Looking at the stars , admiring from afar"

- We fell in love in October, Girl in Red.

-

He passed me the lighter and blew his smoke facing towards the other direction.- Making our stare broke into utter nonsense. I then turn away to lit my cigar and maneuvered that smoke that drives it. There was silence for a long while, not until the guy pursued to exchange such random conversation; out of the blue.

"Wild party." He commented as he let out a small chuckle beneath it.

"I know, wild isn't even the right level of word to describe it."

"Oh? What then?"

"Horrible."

He laughed and grew closer to me; I was leaning on the balcony rails, by then, he drew himself closer as he stood next to me facing backwards at the railing. His vivid smell of Vanilla felt like the country side where farmers sell their goods in glass cans with a checkered conformist lid. Conformist, but I somehow find it comforting because of him. Wait, what? Him? Maybe the fruit punch I was jabbing had some drugs on it, why did my thoughts suddenly became wonky?

"Tell me more about it" he said as he puffs his cigar. Leaving with no choice due to boredom and curiosity of the situation, I told him everything before and during the party. We had a few good laughs; he said I was so "hilarious" while describing the situation. Am I? His laugh just lits up the whole room; I can't help but laugh along aswell. We then proceeded to introduce each other's selves. I found out that the boy's name was Craig Tucker. I'm a bit older than him by a year but we seem to be on the same grade level, but I'm not sure if I've seen him before, maybe he's just hiding on some sort of plain sight, but really I can't be so cocksure, so I asked:

"Have we seen each other before? I don't feel like I've seen you around the campus."

"It's because we don't have the same school." He remarked, making me nod as to why he feels new to me, yet, strangely familiar. - must've been some sort of deja vu. "Connections. That's how I got in here. I'm good friends with Kenny, so, I ended up here. I hope you know who I'm talking about."

"Oh yeah, of course, McCormick. He seems big around the campus."

"Really? That's interesting." He responded as he puffs his cigarette out. I'm not sure if he's sarcastic or just high. He seems to have this monotone voice that prevails a neutral vibe.

"I know." I responded as I continued maneuvering the smoke I have tackled inside of me.

"What about you? You seem cool enough to be as famous as him." He said as he stares at me with those deep dark Aegean eyes.

hah. Am I?

"Well, sad to disappoint you but I'm not that kind of a big person in the campus; but I do enjoy it being that way." I responded.

"I see." He responded as he turns the other way to blow the smoke his holding in. We both seem to have nothing to say nor ask anymore so we decided to fall silent.

The party downstairs is still ongoing and I suppose there are still more guests coming in. - The loudness progressively gets louder and louder; that was once a muffled sound of music, now chimed in with screams and even more loud chattering. The latest alternative/indie-rock songs we're played through the speakers and I can hear people singing along to some songs - and I bet you a hundred dollars that they're dancing wildly too.

(The speakers downstairs: ♫There was something 'bout you that now I can't remember...It's the same damn thing that made my heart surrender and I miss you on a train, I miss you in the morning I never know what to think about.....♫)

I gazed upon Craig and caught him faintly singing along to some songs playing. He seems to love such songs of this genre too. His deep husky voice wording and humming every piece of lyric gave the air such comfort as it embraces the silence of both our solitude. I can't help but fall short to resist such comfort. The air is already growing colder as it was already October, turning November. October flew by way too quickly, I didn't even get to appreciate such dead season of how pass it has gone by. - All the leaves have already turned maple red and maroon brown; I looked around. The block where Stan is living had placed such effortful decorations for Halloween and fall. Bright colored lights are everywhere, pumpkin patches and those crappy scarecrows and plastic skulls are placed all over the place which, I suppose, won't be hanging themselves up for long - for it is to be taken down by the first week of November. Some houses are pitch black in such an active night - I'm guessing they're either people savoring their holidays by a trip so they have something to brag about after their holiday breaks or just old conservatives that are probably loosing their minds to the noise Stan's party is making. But who really cares? It's a Halloween night.

I gazed back again and found him looking at the stars and admiring them from afar. He looks so intrigued that me facing back to him surely did not faze nor bother him. I ended up gazing the same sky as well. It was dauntless; A void filled with wonders.

I took the last cigarette I have and lit it up with the lighter he gave me and at that point, I felt serene.

🥚

‧₊˚✩彡End of chapter 10‧₊˚✩彡