𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴

𝕰-𝖈𝖎𝖌

" ... Yes, I love Tom, but I was in love with you." The last sentence was barely a whisper. I rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a lighter from the cupboard, and left the house, running past Gustav on my way out.

***

I walked through the neighborhood towards the address Gabrielle had sent me. I felt dizzy from the high the cigs had caused me, my face still wet with tears. The pack I had bought just yesterday was already empty. They usually last a few days.

The air was much colder now, a sharp breeze hitting my face, making me shiver. I felt numb, although tears kept streaming down my face. This had to stop; Gabrielle said she could help me.

A few turns later, I arrived at an apartment building district. Following a narrow path through several poorly lit yards, I finally reached a five-story building matching the address Gabrielle had given me. Pressing '0', '6', and '9' to unlock the door, I stepped inside.

First thing I noticed upon entering were the graffiti-covered walls, which reminded me of my childhood home. Taking a deep breath, I instantly regretted it as the air reeked of piss and stale alcohol.

Stairs upon stairs until I reached the fourth floor and rang the doorbell marked 27. After a few moments, the door swung open, and I was met face to face with a kid. Well, the only thing kid-like about him was his small height, even though he looked around fourteen. With multiple face tattoos and a tracksuit, not to mention the cigarette dangling from his lips, he did not seem childish at all.

"Who the hell are you, pretty lady?" he grunted in a forced deep voice.

"Is Gabrielle here?" I managed, my voice strained from crying.

"Gaby!" he shouted over the blasting music. "Pretty lady's looking for you!"

His words were drowned out by the noise, so he cursed something in another language and disappeared into the apartment, gesturing for me to follow.

He led me into the living room where a bunch of people were partying, some chilling on the couch and chatting, a couple going at it in the corner, and a few smoking away on the balcony.

"Yo, where's Gaby at, man?" The boy asked, tapping a guy busting moves on the shoulder.

"How the fuck should I know, Miguel? Beat it," the guy snapped, then went back to cozying up to his girl, giving her a smooch on the cheek.

"Alright, come on, babe, I'll lead you to her room," the boy said, pulling me into a hallway and guiding me toward a shut door at the end. "Here you go. I can't go in, so you're on your own. Nice meeting you, gorgeous," he added, planting a kiss on my hand before vanishing into another room.

I gently pushed the door open, catching a sweet scent in the air. Peeking inside, I saw the room was hazy with smoke, but it didn't smell like cigarettes.

"Could you shut the door, please?" a girl lying on the bed requested, her head resting on Gabrielle's lap. She exhaled a puff of smoke, but there was no cigarette in sight.

"Hey, Lolita, come join us," Gabrielle beckoned, patting the space on the bed beside her. "How you holding up?"

"I don't know. I feel alright now that I've calmed down, but everything just feels like a bit much, you know?" I explained, easing myself onto the bed.

"Alright, check this out," Gabrielle said, rummaging around. "Melanie, where'd you put it?"

Melanie patted around on the bed, her eyes shut, before retrieving a device from under her back. She handed it over to me. I eyed it cautiously, unsure of what it was.

"It's a vape. Like an e-cig. Give it a go," Melanie chimed in, noticing my hesitation. I placed it between my lips and took a drag, the sweet flavor coating my tongue. I exhaled, feeling satisfied. "This is good. How come I've never seen one of these before?" I asked, taking another drag.

"'Cause they ain't exactly mainstream yet. I'm Melanie, by the way," the girl introduced herself. "I'm Lolita. Nice to meet you," I replied with a smile, even though she couldn't see it.

"You can hang onto my vape if you want. Watermelon's not my thing, too sweet for me," Melanie offered, handing me the device again, then exhaling the last puff. I thanked her and took another drag, really noticing the watermelon flavor this time.

"Okay, spill it. What happened?" Gabrielle suddenly asked. I recounted the events leading to my breakdown and explained why I couldn't go home at the moment.

"That's cool, take all the time you need, Lolita," Melanie grinned. "Yeah, don't rush. Only go back when you know you're ready to go back," Gabrielle added, getting to her feet. "Let's go meet the crew."

We exited the room, strolling into the living area where everyone was still hanging around. "Lolita, meet Mihael and his girl Elizabeth. Mihael, say hello to my girl Lolita," Gabrielle introduced us. Mihael had fluffy brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had long blonde locks, hazel eyes, and, well, huge tits.

"Hey, Lolita, pleasure to meet you," he greeted, planting a kiss on my hand. I returned the smile. "Oh, come on, Mihael, why not hop in bed with her too?" Elizabeth shot us a glare. "Maybe I should. At least she's not a whiny little bitch like you," Mihael spat back before striding off to the kitchen, his girlfriend immediatly following.

"Annoying as hell, but Mihael swears she's a freak in the bed," Melanie whispered to me, making me chuckle.

"Over there, you've got Suzanne and Alex. They held out till marriage, so now they can't keep their hands off each other," Gabrielle gestured towards the couple making out in the corner.

"They're married?" I gasped, taken aback. They looked younger than me. Both Melanie and Gabrielle nodded. "How old are they?"

"Both just turned eighteen. They're all about that 'love is love' vibe," Melanie replied, a hint of worry in her tone. "The only way I'd tie the knot at my age is if it was with Gustav Schäfer," she added with a smirk.

"Damn, you crushing on Gustav?" I chuckled. "Who isn't?" she shot back. "Fair point," I giggled. "When I head back home, I could try to set you up on a date with him, if you're down," I offered.

"Holy crap, that'd be fucking awesome, Lolita, thank you," she squeezed me in a tight hug.

"Anyway, those three dudes smoking on the balcony, Mark, Ralph, and Marcus, are total misogynists, so you might wanna steer clear of them. They're only still around because my idiot brother can't shake 'em off," Gabrielle sighed. I peered out towards the balcony, trying to catch a glimpse of their faces. One of the guys turned to the side , and I instantly recognized that ugly nose—it was Markus, no doubt about it.

"Fuck, Gabrielle, Markus is my ex. He's been stalking me since I got here. I should leave before he spots me, 'cause that'd be a disaster," I blurted out, edging toward the hallway.

"No chance you're splitting. Both of you, back to my room. I'll handle Markus and get him booted, no worries," Gabrielle reassured, giving me a comforting pat on the shoulder before hustling us back to the room. We shut the door behind us, listening as the distant murmur of arguments filled the air, followed by the heavy thud of the front door being shut.

A few moments later, there came a knock at the door. Melanie cracked it open to reveal Miguel and a mafia-boss looking dude with a buzz cut and a neck tat, holding a box in his hands. "How do you feel about a tattoo, gorgeous?" Miguel grinned.