The Last Smoke

#1 The End

*knock knock...*
A lady knocks the door to an old apartment, but she does not get a response. She tries again and yells 🤔'Jake... you in there?'

😒'No... go away' a hoarse voice comes from inside and is followed by a chain of cough.

😑'Jake, this door better be unlocked, cause I'm coming in' the lady yells, as she barges into the room, filled with smoke. It seems as though the apartment caught on fire, the visibility was almost zero, and the smell was almost unbearable.

😵'Oh my God, what the heck Jake. I cant even find you' she shouts in an angry tone.

😒'Well, good then. Leave me alone' the man replies, feeling irritated.

After some searching, she was able to find her way to him, and the first thing she does is sent a slap almost through his bearded, hairy, face. This knocks a half done, cigarette, to the ground.

😱'Awwoo... that hurt...' he screams as he holds his cheek in pain.

😖'What is this Jake? After all we have told you, you still cant even reduce it for us?' She asks him with utter concern and seriousness in her voice.

😏'And who is this "us" you speak of?' He asks her sarcastically.

😦'You know very well, who "us" are' she replies feeling a weight in her chest.

He slowly gets up from his chair and walks to his table to find his cigarette packet, and the lighter.
As his hands meet the packet, the lady snatches it off, and throws it away.

😑'What do you want Anne?' He questions, again feeling irritated by her presence.

😤'Come here...' she catches hold of his collar and pulls him outside his apartment. There, a guy, in his mid twenties, was waiting in a wheel chair.

😱'Jenson??' Jake asks, as he looks at the man on the wheel chair, in wonder and awe.

😇'Hey buddy, long time...' the man replies as he gives an innocent smile.

😨'What happened?' Jake questions, turning his face to Anne.

😠'You have any idea, how many texts and calls you got in the past week?' Anne asks him as she leaves his collar.

😥'I... I didn't know' he replies as he slowly tears up, seeing his buddy in this situation.

😡'How would you know? You need to have the slightest bit of care, for those who care about you' Anne rages at him, making his head go down in shame.
😤'We are getting continuous calls and texts from everyone asking where you are, almost every day, and you are here just smoking your way to death' she stopped, as she saw his face frowning more and more.

😔'He met up with an accident last Tuesday, two fractures on his left leg and three on his right, it'll take about two and a half months to recover' she told him, knowing that, that was what he was waiting to know.

☺️'So, how have you been Jake?' Jenson questions.

😐'Doing good!' He replies with a tone of complete contradiction.

😒'Oh yea, you look like your having an amazing life' she replied with sarcasm.

They spent some time at his home, talking about all the things that happened, about all the friends and other close people, and then they left waving buy and hoping he would get better, by leaving cigarettes and facing the world.

Weeks passed and still he wouldn't get out, while Jenson slowly recovered and was able to get off his wheel chair. Then one day Anne picks up the newspaper and reads that a man was found dead in an apartment at downtown, cause of death, was over consumption of nicotine. She looked at the picture and broke down into tears, she showed it to Jenson and he was astonished. It was Jake.

They both hurried off to the hospital to see the doctors, since his parents passed away in a car accident a few years back. They met the doctors, got done with the documents, paper works etc., and alas the funeral day comes. Many of his college friends where present which included Karen, Ron, John etc. They where all filled with frown and there was also one person who filled the ground with her tears, it was Maryll. She ran outside to her car as she couldnt handle it. The funeral got over and his friends remained there. Sitting in a circle they started remembering all the things that happened in the past, starting from they day each of them met.

It was quite a big group and the time was almost dusk. The stories started from Ron.