Dreaming [completed]

Chapter Three

The sky melted to a wave of spotted colors. The wind blew the leaves up and carried them over across the streets that I thought of fondly. Cars would drive by, disturbing the tranquility that nature had created, but the subtle smell of gasoline and smoke felt comforting at a time such as this. Not even the new moon or evening frost could ruin the placid, warming comfort I felt in my stomach.

The houses down my street included families and broken marriages that could not afford decent housing. Broken mailboxes and creaky gutters were the aesthetic I had grown up knowing. Every house on the block was brown or beige. My house especially brought out the ordinary vibe to the life I lived. Every family had it's own story. Whether it was a mental patient or an abusive family, every person had a story to tell whenever they were asked.

Kimber lived a dozen houses down the street or so. The walk to her house was always slow and steady. The black road would highlight the green grass or even the dead grass. I would pass a large pothole, manhole, and usually a dead animal. Even though the walk wasn't very pleasant, it was still somehow calming.

It was the best at night, however. I could practically smell the marijuana from Kimber's home. Even from a mile away, I could taste the liquor and smell the cigarettes. Even still, she was never caught with her drugs or alcohol. Her parents were alcoholics themselves and couldn't care less about their daughter. The police were even more oblivious.

I walked around to the back of the small, brown house. The flowers, planted against the edge of the house, were wilting and drooped down over the dirt. I picked a purple flower on my way to see my friend and tossed it at her face the moment I saw her.

The blonde girl whimpered when a dead flower stuck limply to her face and hair. She had to set aside her blunt to take off the flower. "Thanks, I guess..." She whispered, eventually speaking too softly to hear.

I chuckled loudly at her discomfort and nudged her shoulder a bit. She picked her roll of weed back up and continued smoking. The smoke smelt a bit different than cigarette smoke, but I wasn't too good with smells. I knew the difference between the two more by their appearances.

My hands, covered in their usual gloves, dug into my jacket pockets. My hiking boots (the brown ones that everyone at my school wore) slushed in the soft ground. Kimber's house was at a certain angle where all water and melted snow flowed into her yard so there were always small puddles of water accumulating near the base of the building.

Kimber finished smoking and coughed softly to herself. Her eyes weren't dramatically red or anything, but I could tell she was a bit high. She was slightly addicted to some drugs, so one blunt wouldn't do much to her. She turned to face me, her brown eyes focusing on me slowly.

"It's late. Not going to bed today?"

I shook my head in response and crossed my arms as I turned to face her. I hadn't slept for a couple of days, and I was beginning to get pretty tired. However, I hadn't gotten to the point where I was unbearably fatigued.

Kimber casually pulled out a cigarette from a pack in her pocket and lit it, and she handed it to me. I gratefully accepted the smoke and started. I was getting fairly good at smoking, if it was a talent worth being proud of. After getting a few drags in, she lit a cigarette for herself and started walking up the slippery slope that connected her backyard to her front yard. I closely tailed behind and attempted to keep my ground. Unfortunately, I slipped once and grabbed her hand to keep my balance. She helped me without question.

I thanked her for helping me up and we continued walking until she stopped at the edge of her front yard to the road. She turned to face me and bit her lip.

The perfect curls in her hair framed her face to the point where her face was a little painting of joy. She was shorter than me by half a foot or so, which caused her to look up at me with her dark eyes. "My mom is going to rehab again. Starting in two days, it's just me and my dad."