Shots Fired

Chapter 11

Strobe lights flickered to the beat of the music. The room was crowded with drunk people grinding on each other. "Have you ever been to a party?" Sam yelled over the music. "I've been to a party but nothing like this." I yelled back. "What?" Sam said. "I said-" Sam cut me off before I could finish and pulled me into a room. "Who's party is this anyways?" I asked. "One of my friends." Sam replied. "Wait from school?" "Where else?" Sam said sarcastically. "Come on you look like you could use a smoke." Sam said as he held up a small bag of pot. "Ever smoked pot before?" Sam asked. "No my dads parents were big drug addicts so I never got into it because of the risk that I might get addicted." I never did anything like this, I never even been to a party besides birthday or holiday parties and the only people there was family. "Oh shit, sorry." Sam said as he started to put the pot away. "Fuck it." "You sure, if you don't want to we don't have too I'm not going to pressure you into anything." Sam said. "No I want to, it's not like anyone is here to stop me anyways." "What do you mean?" Sam said confusingly. "Never mind it's not important, lets just smoke." "Okay." Sam proceeded to rip the weed apart and put it in his bowl. "Ladies first." Sam said as he held the bowl up to my lips and lite the weed with his lighter. I sucked in and almost instantly I could feel my body start to relax for the first time in months. "How'd you feel?" Sam asked as he took a hit. "Relaxed." We passed the bowl back and forth until we were out. "How come you never talk about your family?" Sam asked as we laid down on the bed. "Because it's nothing I want to tell." I stuttered. "Everyone has a story on their parents even if they left when they were young, there's always a story." "what's your story?" I asked as I sat up. Sam put his hands behind his head and then started talking. "Well, when I was fifteen my mom was diagnosed with alzheimer's. It wasn't bad she only forgot small things that weren't even that important but after a year it got worse and she first forgot who I was. She some how remembered my dad even when she couldn't remember who she was but she never forgot him. She's been in the hospital for months, when we moved she had to be moved in an ambulance just in case if she had another episode. I hardly see her or my dad anymore because their always at the hospital, but when my dad does come home he gets wasted, and takes out all his anger on me even if that means that he hits me. I don't care really because he's under enough stress with having to take care of my mom and still manage a job to pay for all the bills and food." Same voice cracked as he spoke, I never knew that it was this bad. "I told you my story now you tell me yours." Sam said pulling me out of my thoughts. "Uh, well..." I tried to find my words so I don't sound so scrambled. "My parents... they were killed a couple days before Christmas. They were murdered, some guy shot them several times. The worst part was that I was there when it happened my dad told me to hide so I ran to the kitchen pantry and of course as the curious fuck I am I opened the door a little bit so I could see what was happening. I didn't do anything to help them, I could've done something ya know?" I said as I looked at Sam even though I already knew he wasn't going to respond. "Anyways, my brother came home right after the shooter left and after the funeral I went to go live with him. The day we first got together to work on the project, you dropped me of at my friends house I had to take a bus to my brothers apartment where of course he was passed out on the couch from drinking to much. He kicked me out the other day and I'm staying with my friend until I can afford my own place." I slurred my words as I spoke. "Oh my god." Sam said. "I'm so-" I cut him off before he could say anymore, I was so sick of hearing people say they were sorry for what happened. "It's fine, just fine." I felt tears start to stream down my face. "God we live in a fucked up world." I said as I managed to give a small laugh. "Tell me about it." Sam said.