Worse Than Nicotine

Chapter 2

It had been raining for hours.

Drizzles by dawn turned into morning showers, and by noon it was pouring.

LynZ made herself hot cocao and took out her paints. She dipped her brush tip in a glass of water, watching a smoke-like trace of green dive deep. It reminded her of something awfully familiar, but watching the dull view from her bedroom window, she couldn't make out what exactly it was. Letting out a small sigh, she decided it was time for a drive.

LynZ's car smelled of coffee and acrylic. She never bothered to use a freshmen or even perfume in the car, so it became a raw representation of her two addictions. The radio host belabored on about new coffee shops downtown as LynZ drove past suburban neighborhoods and down the empty road. This was doing nothing to cure her boredom. She decided to let her mind wander and take her wherever, and before she realized it, she was pulling up in front of the police station again. What the fuck, she muttered to herself, changing the radio station until she found a song she could sing along to. Before she could start the car again, she heard a tap on the window.

It was the deputy. He was holding a cup of warm, black coffee and wore a crooked smile on his face.

Two minutes later LynZ found herself in the police station sipping on the same pot of warm, black coffee and feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, it was your choice to come inside," Gerard smirked, pulling out a chair for LynZ.

"Yeah but," LynZ hesitated about sitting down, "I thought you were just offering coffee. Why would I wanna stay in this boring ass office? I feel like I've done something wrong."

"Eh... You got a point there," Gerard agreed, scratching his head.

LynZ looked around to observe the office better than she had last night. Dark blue curtains draped loosely over a window no bigger than the one in her bedroom. Pale tiles covered the floor, except for the grayish stone floor in the tiny cell behind the desk. Colorful sharpies filled the pen holder.

"You draw?" LynZ asked, regarding to the sharpies.

"Yeah, yeah I draw," Gerard replied while fumbling in a drawer, "comics n stuff... I actually have my own comic strip in the local newspaper."

"Impressive!" LynZ exclaimed softly.

"Alright, there they are," Gerard had dug out car keys from the drawer, "let's get out of here."

"Don't you have to work?" LynZ asked, although aching to leave the room.

"I'm getting off in 20 minutes. What could happen if I leave just a little bit early for a pretty lady like you?"

LynZ shrugged, trying to hide a small blush as they walked out the police station, very much relieved to be feeling the rain on their skin, because what could possibly go wrong in a mere 20 minutes?