The Bad Boys and the Fighter

3

Cole entered my room and I dimmed the music coming from my speaker. His expression was stoic as he eyed the pink pipe on my bed.

"Do you want to smoke?"

He quickly looked up, his face displaying shock for a brief moment before it was replaced by a neutral expression.

"You smoke?"

"It helps me fall asleep."

"I have Tylenol PM in my bag."

"I was just about to pack a bowl. Do you want in?"

He was silent for a moment before replying, "Yeah."

I felt his gaze glued on me as I stood and opened the balcony doors in my bedroom. I packed enough for both of us and handed him the glass piece and a red lighter.

"You first."

He arched a brow and brought it to his lips, igniting fire from the lighter and burning the green plant. He inhaled slowly and handed me the pipe, his eyes glue to mine. I watched with curiosity as he blew the smoke out in the air infront of us, watching as it disappeared into the New York City night sky.

I repeated the same motions and set the device on a small table I had placed for that exact purpose on my balcony. I leaned over the iron railings and admired my view.

"Why don't you take sleeping pills?"

I licked my lips. "They don't work anymore."

"So you just don't sleep unless you smoke?"

"When I sleep sober I sleep very lightly. It's like I'm on alert for anything and everything."

I watched out of the corner of my eye as he leaned forward on my railing to my left. Cole hung his head for several moments.

"Do me a favor."

"What do you need?" I wondered, looking over at him once I felt his gaze on my side profile.

His eyes never left mine, a habit of his I was already becoming accustomed to. "Ask me something personal about myself."

I resisted the urge to laugh. "Alright," I sighed, "what's your mom like?"

Cole turned back towards the New York City sky line. Car horns filled the silence that had fallen over us. "Too busy for anyone but herself."

"And your dad?"

"Too busy for anyone but himself."

I woke up, my cheek glued to a piece of thin fabric. A heavy arm had wrapped itself lazily around the lower half of my body. Dazed and disoriented, I lifted myself up and looked around. Cole laid on top of my bed sleeping peacefully. We were in the same clothes as last night, and a slight breeze entered my room through the open balcony door. Startled by the scene, I lurched out of bed, accidentally waking up the boy.

"What's going on?" Cole asked groggily as he sat up. His brown hair was tousled with sleep.

I shook my head violently, crossing my arms over my chest to protect myself from the cold air. "Nothing. We fell asleep last night."

This seemed to wake him up more as he felt around the bed for his phone, a scowl forming on his face. "Don't tell anyone about this."

My lips curled into a snarl, "You don't have to tell me twice."

He stalked out of my bedroom, his hands instinctively finding themselves tangled in his hair. I glared daggers at my white door he had slammed behind himself, and flopped back on my bed. The early morning school dread started to paralyze my body. What if the boys couldn't protect me there?