New Drug

Chapter 13

    In Physics class, I looked at Hayley. I stared at her, waiting for her to look back. And when she did, I smiled. She simply raised her eyebrows, but she continued to stare. We had been doing this for the past few days.

    Hayley and I hadn't really talked after we did two weeks ago, but something had changed. It wasn't much of a change, but it was one that left me happy. That change was Hayley looking back.

    As usual I would stare at her in class, but now she would stare back. It was random and it caught me off guard, but then she would smile, leaving me delighted as I realized she was growing on me. That was a dream come true.

Hayley smiled now and looked back at the teacher. My smile grew and I looked down, hoping no one thought I was insane. Although, maybe I was. I was definitely crazy for Hayley.

After a bit I looked back up and my eyes widened when I saw that Hayley was already looking at me. She smiled when our eyes met and my heart began to pound against my chest. Something had definitely change and it was amazing.

*****

I was walking through the hallways, about to leave school for home. The hallways were quite empty because I had taken my time, but I didn't mind that. Sometimes, I enjoyed being alone.

As I walked, I thought of how I hadn't done drugs for a month. A whole month, which was incredible. I would be lying if I said I didn't have the urge to smoke weed here and there, but things were slowly getting better. For one thing, I was getting more sleep.

Exiting the school and going down the stairs now, I then thought of how Hayley had started this. One small adorable yet frustrating girl had made me give up my life support, which was an crazy thought. Because truth be told, I still wondered why Hayley.

She wasn't as bad as I thought she was. She was still stubborn, strongly opinionated and such, but she was also kind. Sweet and fun to talk to, too. Hayley had two sides that were quite different and I wondered which side was the true her.

At the bottom of the steps, I froze as I saw the platinum hair I often craved to touch. Hayley was standing at the sidewalk with a little boy who was laughing as Hayley made silly faces. She was puffing her cheeks out, sticking her tongue out, and making all sorts of faces, causing the boy to laugh. And whenever he would laugh loudly, Hayley would grin.

My heart felt warm at the sight and I realized that this side of her was probably her real side. This side of Hayley was a side she showed to no one. She kept it a secret for unknown reasons, but I could tell this sweet caring side was genuine. It was obvious from the way she would genuinely smile during those moments.

Shaking my head, I decided to head home. Another day needed to pass so the day I would ask her out again would come faster. Seeing her like this made me know I would get her to be mine.

*****

I opened the door to my apartment and I became surprised to see the lights were out. Mom wasn't home it seemed, which left me frowning. She hadn't told me that she had plans, so I wondered where she was.

    I went over to turn on the lights of the living room and as soon as the room lit up, I heard Mom scream surprise. I jumped, surprised, and my head whipped to where she was. She stood at the centre of the room, behind a table that had a cake on it.

    "What was that for?" I asked, heart racing as I walked over to Mom.

    "Congratulations!" Mom exclaimed, grinning.

    I blinked, confused as I stopped in front of the table. I didn't remember doing anything special.

    "For what?" I asked.

    "Look at the cake," Mom said. "The answer lies there."

    I looked down at the cake and immediately, my eyes widened. Written on the chocolate cake was congratulations, you've been clean for a month. Looking back at Mom, I saw her smiling, looking joyful.

    "I'm proud of you Logan," she said, eyes softening. "You've been clean for a month. That's an incredible feat."

    My eyes went back to the cake and my heart warmed up. Her surprise made me happy. Seeing Mom so happy was amazing. I began to smile then, touched. It meant a lot.

"You didn't have to," I said, going to her side.

"Logan, you have no idea how happy you've made me. You're fighting. You're winning," Mom said, growing emotional. "I'm so proud of you for not letting your dad ruin the wonderful boy you are."

I stared at her and my eyes softened. Although the past month had not been an easy one, this moment made it worth it. Seeing Mom look so proud of me made every struggle worth it.

"Take the knife and cut the cake," Mom said, handing me the knife. "Let's eat to a bright future."

I cut the cake, smiling. I couldn't help but smile, seeing how optimistic Mom was. It had been so long since I had seen her like this and I was delighted to know that I had caused her happiness. All I had ever wanted was her to be happy.

After creating two slices, I placed them on plates. Mom and I went to the couch and we began to watch a show. Silence began to surround us, but I enjoyed it. I was happier than I had ever been in so long.

After a few minutes, Mom said, "I am so proud of you. I'm going to keep saying it until you get annoyed of me."

I didn't think twice. I threw my arms around Mom and hugged her tightly as I grew emotional. She was so happy and proud and it made me so happy. I was lucky to have a mom like her. No one would've supported me like she did after everything we'd been through.

"Thank you," I said, hugging her tightly. "Thank you for everything."

"Thank you too," Mom said softly, causing me to close my eyes and thank the lord that she was still at my side.