Addictive Adolescence

Friends in High Places

"Mr. McCallen, did you know that Stephanie was shooting up?" Toby interrupted.

"No, I wasn't aware at the time. Later on...if you let me continue, you'll hear more of what happened."

"Sorry Mr. McCallen, it was starting to get boring. It needs more violence and sex" Toby said.

A few students laughed.

"If anyone else feels my story is too boring you may leave the class and take an 'F' for the day."

The class grew silent.

"Now, where was I?"

Stephanie turned and swam away from me. I swam after her.

"Stephanie, you gotta talk to me baby!" I called to her. She stopped and looked up at the sun. The light was like a halo around her head.

"I don't know why I did it. I don't know how I did it. Hell, I don't even know where I got it! I've been in a bad place lately" she said staring off in space.

"Did it hurt? I mean...are you alright?" I was at a loss for words now, the love of my life told me she was in a bad place and I had no way to help her. I was pathetic.

"Sebastian, do you remember when you got into that car crash last year? You woke up in the hospital with amnesia, you had no idea how you got there."

I nodded. I remembered that day very well. I had been driving my dad's truck and got hit from the side by a drunk driver. I woke up in the ER with a concussion, broken arm, broken rib, and sprained ankle. Got out of school for a week! It was great at the time.

Stephanie continued,"That morning after I overdosed and you woke me up. I forgot where I was, just like you did. Then slept over with Gracie and remembered."

I was confused. "So, you got your memory back at your friends house?" I asked dumbly.

I can tell that my answer was incorrect. She shook her head, frustrated. "That night at Gracie's I remembered who and what I was. I was an addict. I am an addict, Sebastian. Do you see?"

Realization hit me in the face the same way that drunkard hit my dad's truck.

I threw my hands in the air and began splashing her and myself.

"I just told you I'm an addict, and now you're splashing around in the water like a child? What's wrong with you?" She yelled at me, confused.

I splashed some more and picked her up. She kept wiggling, "Sebastian? What on Earth has gotten into you!"

I looked her in the eyes and said, "Stephanie, if you're an addict...then I'm one too!" I grinned. I must have looked and sounded crazy, but I didn't care. Why didn't I care? Because I loved her.

She just smiled and shook her head, "You really are different. I love you for that."

We kissed and swam some more.

"So...are you telling us this story so that we become raging Heroin and Meth addicts like you? Or so we don't do drugs?" A blonde haired bimbo asked from behind the desk.

Toby and a few classmates snickered.

"I'm telling this story because I'd rather tell a bunch of lame ass punks a cool story then give them real assignments. Work that will never benefit them in the future. However you want to interpret the story is up to you"

The class grew silent again.

"I'd like it if there were no more interruptions now. OK. Thank you. Carrying on."

It was a few days after our hiking trip. I was in my room with Chris. He was on my bed flipping through some old Playboy's and sipping on a Coca-Cola. I was on the floor cutting lines of Cocaine. In a sense, we both had Coke. Chris wasn't into doing drugs, the most he's ever done was take his dad's pain pills and get wasted off Vodka. Chris would fiend for that shit. I wasn't big on drinking Vodka the way that guy was. Friends have to draw a line somewhere, for us it was drugs and alcohol.

"Hey Bastian, can I ask you a question?" Chris asked from behind me.

"Sure man. What's happenin'?" I looked up from my mess on the floor.

He was still turning the pages of the magazine as he asked, "So don't you ever worry about getting...like...diseases?"

I laughed. "Oh boy! Is little Chrissy worried about picking up an STD? Ya know man, I'm telling you now. Get those girls tested!"

"Nah it's not that bro." He chuckled, "I'm faithful to Casey and she's clean but that's not what I meant. I mean when you and Stephanie are doing all those street drugs."

I turned around and stared at him for a while. "I've never thought about that Chris. Good point. Usually Stephanie just gets all her stuff from her friend Grace."

"Maybe you should talk to her about that, buddy. You don't know where Grace gets it, do you? You gotta be careful Sebastian." He was looking at me now and I could tell he was being serious. I considered this for a moment, "You're right, hmm I'll ask her. Thanks." I smiled and returned to my work.

Chris sighed, "I just wanna help you out and make sure you don't get yourself into some serious shit, man."

"One way you can help is let me use your bendy straw." I said almost bluntly.

Chris scoffed, "Oh shit, you're in deep."