night and day [h.s]

seventeen

Harry spooned frosted flakes into his mouth, walking about his apartment. No work today, which usually was a victory day for him but he actually didn't mind work. The shop was chill to sit at for a couple hours and Lola was starting to become his friend whether he liked it or not.

The local news hummed in the background, while he ate. Not really paying attention to anything, just walking and humming tunes. For the first time in awhile, he felt good about himself. Not just false confidence that Nyala or Lola tried drilling into his head. This time, it came from him. And although the ghost from his past came out to play, the shadows and demons that came with her disappeared for the day. He felt good eating his bowl of frosted flakes. A smile slid on his face from the realization.

"Congressman Nathan King recently worked to pass the bill..." the TV buzzed. He was half listening half not. But the name King rang a bell in his empty brain. The gossip that use to flutter around in the school at the beginning of that year whispered of Nathan King being Jasmine's father. He never saw what the senator looked like, everyone just knew he was an important man. Harry dropped the now empty bowl in the sink and peered over to the tiny screen. They showed a B-roll of Nathan King smiling for photo ops, he was like every other politican with a perfect charismatic smile and pin straight suit. He contrasted very much so from Jasmine, to his dark skin and even facial features.

"He's screwing me over with this new bill! If he thinks he's going to have my vote for re-election time he better think again!" an angry citizen ranted to the reporter.

Harry's interest finally sizzled out and he mumbled, "Who cares," switching the channel to something much funnier. He wanted to smoke and chill the rest of the day away but looking into his grinder, he found nothing but a stem in there. James had been missing ever since he asked for money, which was fucking great because it means he's just been ripped off for some acid he was scared to use.

But he knew one person that probably had some bud to share. He pressed the call button on the third person in his phone and placed the phone to his ear.

"It's my day off yet I'm back," Harry joked. He settled into the backroom with Lola, shutting the door behind him. Not much was here for a small New York City store. Plain white walls that saw better days and a lone desk with too many chairs around it. The clutter came from the manager and Harry managed to sweep some of it aside to make place with his chair.

"Hope you don't mind but Jasmine's joining us. Her boyfriend's like a drug dealer or whatever so I get this shit for free," Lola spoke.

"You sure he doesn't mind us smoking in here?" Harry asked, he in reference to the manager. He hadn't gotten this worried about smoking since middle school, the days where the boys would sneak out behind the playground to light a joint and cough up the smoke that'd fill their lungs. Sneak back into class high and brag about it to the young girls that wore their skirts short and left their cardigans open in hopes Harry or another boy would see their newly developed breasts.

The only reason he had lines on his forehead now was because he had a job that he finally liked. Something to pay the fucking expensive rent and keep him in that dingy place he called an apartment in the city.

But Lola waved it off like any other day; her short nails used to be painted black but were now chipped.

When the conversation started dwindling down between the two, the door opened. Jasmine bustled in, head down. People in New York moved as if they've always had some place to be, arms out to shove whoever was in their way. Jasmine moved as if she were in a dreamlike state. People could pass right through her and she didn't mind.!She looked up at the two, her eyes glazed over as if she weren't really seeing them. Harry couldn't decide whether he was grateful for that or scared for what would come if he awakened her.

"Hello," she said. Her voice scratched worse than a records. "I got it."

"Great," Lola responded. She pulled a bubbler out of her purse, already filled with water, just needed weed now. Jasmine brought the dime bag out of her jean jacket, the smell of it hitting his nose like fresh flowers. He wasn't quite washed away of worry yet. The worry slid from his manager to her. As if this were a trap she were setting. But he didn't get any bad vibes yet.

Lola packed the bubbler and brought a lighter from her pocket. She lit up first, taking the first hit, inhaling deeply. Coughing, she passed the bubbler and lighter off to Jasmine. Jasmine took a hit and extended it last to Harry. He reached for the lighter as well, but she spoke sending shivers down his spine, "Let me light it for you."

He wasn't in a position to really say no here, she brought the weed and he didn't have to pay a thing for it. He complied bringing the bubbler to his lips. She got closer, enough where he could study the frown lines around her mouth and see the bags under her eyes. She smelled like cheap perfume underneath the weed smell. Her long nails flicked the lighter and he inhaled deeply feeling the smoke curl in his lungs and try to take affect to his already fucked up mind. He exhaled through his nose and passed it off. The three weren't talking much, just taking hits and passing off. Soon the small white room was hot boxed and Harry was feeling it. The altered state of mind he loved so much took over, killing off his worries and anything else his sober fuck of a self brought into the room. He extended his legs while swaying back and forth in the rolly chair. Jasmine and Lola were caught up in a conversation while he tried to figure out his phone.

Someone with long nails swiped his phone and he blinked trying to figure out for a second was it real. It was. His phone now rested in the hands of Jasmine as her eyes fixed on the screen. He couldn't find the words to say to her but didn't need to as she handed it back just a second later.

"I saved my number."

He blinked as they made eye contact.

"Just incase you want some weed or whatever, I can get you some."

His mouth was dry and he was in desperate need of some water but he managed to spit out a, "Thank you."

Lola sucked her teeth and scoffed, "I need to get higher, this ain't that good."

"Sorry I'll tell James to get me something different next time."

This was weird. So fucking weird. In college he would have never imagined this happening. It would be the last thing to happen pre-disaster and post-disaster. He only stared at Jasmine's mouth as she spoke. He wanted to touch her, she seemed made of glass, but he was afraid if she really were he'd shatter her into tiny pieces on the ground. And lord knows he's already run from one mess he's made, he can't run from another.

someone help me with united kingdom schooling, is middle school called secondary school? and is highschool called college? i searched it up but i feel like it's wrong

and check out my story jerk wanna do big things with that one