a long way from home ; g.d.

n i n e t e e n

(Above is a pic of Gus)

"Elle, it's been a while! How's New York treatin' you?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Don't lie to me, girl. I can tell by your voice you're lying."

"It's been okay, just not right now."

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"No, not really. Are you anywhere near the Freemont?"

"Yeah, I'm a few blocks away. I can come pick you up if you need me to. The Freemont, right?"

"Yeah, level D, room 154."

"Okey-dokey, be right there."

I flipped the phone shut and checked the time on the front. 11:30 am. I threw it beside me. I ran my hands through my hair, then got changed. I put on a hoodie and nike shorts. I put on some socks and slides and threw my hair up in a bun. I went into the bathroom to wash my face off and brush my teeth.

About five minutes later, I heard a knock. The first thought that popped into my head was Grayson, but then I remembered Gus. I walked out of the bathroom and opened the front door, and there he was. He looked the same as when I first met him in the cab, and he had a sympathetic smile on his face when I saw him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I said.

"Let's go, there's someone I want you to meet."

I shrugged. "I don't know if I'm in the mood, can't we just go get pizza?"

He nodded. "Of course, after this. Trust me, she'll put you in a good mood."

I grabbed the room key off of my bed and walked out, locking it behind me. I slid it into my pocket, and we headed down the hall.

We got there at about twelve. He didn't even bother knocking, he just walked in. The apartment was small, but cute. It was nicely decorated with antique paintings and fake plants. It smelled like a combination of cocoa butter and weed.

"Sis, we're here!" Gus yelled, closing the door behind us. A tall blonde girl stumbled out of one of the back rooms, a joint in between two of her fingers. I'd recognize one of those anywhere.

"Hey, Gus! Hey Elle!" She said in a raspy voice. She walked up to me and hugged me for a brief second before leaning her back against her refrigerator. "Gus has told me a lot about you!"

"You too. He wouldn't shut up about you during our cab ride." This was, of course, a lie, but it didn't really matter because you could tell she was too high to really care.

"Let's go in the living room, I don't feel like standing." She yawned and headed for her living room.

I shot him a glance, trying not to laugh. He laughed quietly. "Guess I forgot to mention she's a huge stoner. Well, we both are. You ever smoked weed?"

I scoffed and elbowed him. "Duh."

We all sat down in the living room, and Gus pulled a small blue bong out of the drawer of one of the tables on the side of the couch.

"Gus, don't be an ass, give our guest some."

Gus looked at me, somehow being able to ask the question with his eyes. I nodded and held out my hand.

"Thanks," I said to both her and him. She laughed. "I offer weed to every person that walks in. I've got enough to last me decades."

He handed me the bong and took another one out for himself. It already had weed in it, and I grabbed the lighter from the table in front of us and lit it. I inhaled the smoke and blew out a cloud, leaning my head back on the back of the couch. The feeling gave me a sudden rush of nostalgia. For the good parts of my life back in South Carolina.