In this chapter Ian starts to feel the side effects of the morphine. Again, Drugs=dangerous. Enjoy!
As Ian played David in Mortal Kombat he could immediately tell they'd become good friends. Not because Ian was the first person David met in California, but because they were so similar. The quiet boy from dinner was gone and was replaced by a kind, interesting, and funny one whose sense of humor matched Ian's.
That was the best part, while Ian, Joshua, and Mari were close friends; he was only funny when he needed to be. After Anthony and Matt died so did Ian's free, fun and comedic nature; that is until now. It was as if David was raising the old Ian from the grave. As strange as it seemed to Ian, he had to admit that the two hours he spent with David were the most naturally happy hours he had spent off of Morphine.
To Ian, it felt like David had brought a warmth and happiness that he'd lost with his friend's passing. Just like the handshake earlier David brought a soothing nature to Ian, which he needed desperately. All too soon though, it had to end. His father called him from Ian's living room, saying it was getting late and that he'd need sleep for his first day of school tomorrow.
As it turned out, David would be going to the same school as Ian, Joshua, and Mari. "So," Ian said as he scratched the back of his neck, "I could show you around the school and make sure you don't get lost or anything. If you want, I mean?"
David smiled, "yeah, being the lost n00b isn't exactly what I was looking forward to..." he replied as Ian walked him back downstairs, "Oh! If you want I could give you a ride o school, I mean if you don't drive."
Ian agreed with a smile as he watched David's fleeting form hurry down the driveway before he announced that he was going to bed and returned to his room. As quickly as David came and brought warmth to Ian the minute he left he could feel it disappearing as he changed out of his clothes. He reached under his pillow and pulled out his Oxycodone. He swallowed four of the tablets dry and tried to find a comfortable position in his bed as he waited for the effects to kick in. Within minutes Ian sat up to see Anthony and Matt messing around on his laptop. "Look who decided to grace us with his presence" Matt announced as he turned and saw Ian sitting there.
After going through the basic formalities such as how school was, how Kalel was, how Joshua's physical therapy was going, or even questioning how Mari was; which after Ian gave her description Matt constantly asked about. "And then," Ian mentioned, "my mom invited some new neighbors over for dinner."
They both replied with a groan, "That must've sucked," Anthony added.
Ian shook his head and continued, "No, it was actually pretty cool; they have a son, David; you guys would like him. He's pretty awesome and good at videogames. Plus he plays Magic the Gathering!" Ian added to Matt. While they were impressed with how great this new kid sounded they were hesitant to actually accept him. They saw him as a possible threat to their friendship with Ian. How long until he stopped using the pills to visit with them? How long until they became a distant memory? However they didn't voice their opinion in fear that they'd push Ian farther away from them.
A couple of hours went by before Ian feel into a peaceful sleep where he had a dream that he, David, Anthony, Matt, and Joshua were all playing a connected game of MarioKart via the DS. He wasn't himself in the dream though; it was like he was looking down at it from overhead; as if he were on omniscient force. Then the whole scene changed; it had started out normal until Ian laughed and laid down, resting his head in David's lap with a smile. David played with Ian's hair momentarily before reaching down to give him a kiss on the forehead. As surprised as Ian was with the image, it didn't bother him. He then began to rethink his sexuality; that's what shocked him enough to wake him.
It was about a half hour from when he would have normally gotten up, but before he had a chance to think through what the dream was trying to tell him, if it was saying anything, he suddenly felt like he was on a tilt-a-whirl at a carnival. With much effort he got to his feet and stumbled his way to the bathroom, bouncing off the walls on his way.
Once he was finally in the bathroom I flipped the lights on to be greeted by his reflection. He saw how bad he looked. The dark circles that had been under his eyes had grown darker. His lips looked to be slightly off color and his was a pale shade of green. The moment the image was analyzed Ian doubled over in pain and felt his stomach acid slowly rising in his throat.
After thoroughly emptying his entire body into the toilet, Ian sluggishly walked back to his bed room. As much as he wanted to just go back to bed or take some Oxycodone to see Matt and Anthony, Ian knew David was counting on him to help him around the school. Not wanting to disappoint him Ian forced himself to get up and get dressed before going down stairs to eat a light breakfast. As he grabbed his backpack Ian saw David park his car and walk up the driveway to knock on the door.
