To Break Loose [Original]

Chapter Sixteen

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Sixteen
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Author: We about to know stuff in this chapter y'all. Happy reading!

"A big fan? That's wack"

Oren sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

Jaden was bent on messing his quiet time he just knew it.

"... Like, why don't I ever see her at your gigs?"

Oren bit back a groan and shut his eyes to calm himself.

Lord, help me - he prayed

"There's a lot to the statement, you know that right?—"

"—Jaden. Do you mind? "

His friend stopped for a moment, then continued pounding his legs onto the wall.

Oren sighed, knowing there wasn't any stopping him.

He packed his guitar and got up to wear a jacket.

"Hey where are you going?"

" Out. Somewhere tranquil"

Jaden rolled over to face him  "Because of me?"

"Obviously"

"Okay don't go, I'll stop" he had that goofy grin

Oren had that 'I'm not so sure' look

"I swear, I'll stop"

Fine.

When he sat back down and unpacked, Jaden in fact continued.

Oren put his guitar down "Do you have something you want to tell me?"

Jaden paused  "What?"

"Because you're restless"

His friend sat up again and looked him square in the eye.  "How do you know me so well?"

Oren grinned  "It isn't that hard really"

Jaden faked a pout  "Ouch. Can't believe I'm that readable"

"That's not what I meant though. I just am like that, it's nothing you did, seriously"

Jaden pursed his lips  "Alright. " He took a deep breath   "I want to drink, Oren. So bad it hurts"

Oren smiled. He knew that's what it was.

Addiction made people look like monsters.

Hyper and all.

"Okay,"

"Yeah. And I prayed but it won't go"

"I understand. It's okay actually, it's very normal for you to feel this way. This is but the beginning of something new, it won't be easy but you'll win in the end. This is where the Lord becomes your strength, in your weak times so you need to trust Him wholly." He took a breath and continued  " Addiction is not something you can fight alone, believe me. It wrecks you, it's after itself and doesn't care who it's making you in the process. I once had an addiction. To marijuana. And...it was bad, very very. It was so bad I couldn't stay two hours without at least twenty cigarettes. I was shaking and violent without it. My health was depreciating, people I called friends left because I got out of control...I lost someone precious to me and that's when it all fell down"

Jaden could not believe it. The shock was palpable and Oren had it coming. It's how everyone else he told his story reacted.

"That's...deep"

"It's deeper, trust me" Oren chuckled

"Twenty cigarettes. That must've been chaotic"

"It was," he thought back. He did virtually anything to have drugs.

"How did it start?" Jaden asked carefully and Oren appreciated that he was hesitant.

People like him with such terrible past usually rage out when they get reminded if it, to him, it was a privilege to share his story, his transformation up to the point he was.

He was a living example that God truly could change anybody, and nobody was the worst sinner.

"Well, I got in a band in high school, the thrill of clubbing coupled with my tough childhood pushed me. I was naive, and a victim of peer pressure at the time"

"That's similar to how my drinking started"

"Peer pressure. It's crazy how fast you change when you become it's victim"

Jaden hummed in agreement.

"Things got out of hand, I still don't know how, and I became someone people feared" he continued as he reminisced.

Jaden muttered something but he didn't hear it then he called him.

"Can we pray? Read the Bible? Anything?"

"Sure"

They prayed.

And read the Bible because it's what made Jaden feel better. No more jittery feet.

Oren picked up his guitar to play for a while then it hit him in a second  "Dude, you never told me what you told Everest the other night,"

Jaden froze momentarily.

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