Inhale

Chapter 3

A bubble formed in Ashtons chest.

His head rushed and his body relaxed. It lasted for just a few seconds, but everything was at ease. No homework, no stress, no complicated math problems, nothing. The smell of apple lingered in Ashtons bedroom, hovering over him while he slept, like a stormy cloud waiting to pour.

I won't let this become me, I'm just like everyone else.

Ashton told himself and he told himself, this is what every teen is doing, he could keep it under control. When Ashton took his last hit of the night and placed the Haler back in his hiding spot, a sense of danger and rebellion swallowed him whole. He was going behind his parents back by doing this, but for some odd reason, that excited him.

"Ashton! What the fuck!" Rachel screamed, right in the middle of the cafeteria.

"Would ya calm down, geez. Trying to get us all suspended?" Larry rolled his eyes toward Rachel.

"No, I'm trying to save your lives, asshole." Rachel eyed Larry. "Why would you get Ashton one?"

"Rachel, it was my choice, I asked him to get me it." Ashton said.

"Ash, listen to me, this shit will just ruin you. There's no point in starting something that's just going to harm to you." Rachel pleaded.

"Calm down, mom!" Larry laughed. "Ashton doesn't need you to baby him. He knows what he wants, it's his life."

"Fine, you two be dumb and kill yourselves, I'm done here." Rachel packed her lunch bag and left the cafeteria.

                                                                                                    ~

"Yo whatever with Rachel man, let her be a bitch." Larry said, puffing clouds of smoke into the boys bathroom. 

"Yeah." Ashton agreed, discreetly blowing smoke away from visibility of the door.

Don't let this become you, I'm just like everyone else, I am fine.

Three other kids, seniors, exhaled their puffs of smoke in the boys bathroom. It was becoming a foggy haze and hard to see. Vibrant fruits and candy smells took over the rotting smell of the boys bathroom.

"Fuck man!" One of the older boys screamed from inside the stall.

"What is it bro?"

"It's my fucking head! It's been itching crazy all week."

"I don't know man. Poison ivy?"

"Its not fucking poison ivy!" 

The older boys talked among themselves and Larry and Ashton listened in. The stall bathroom door was open and Ashton could see the boy inside. His hand ripped at his head, tearing out his hair as he itched his scalp. Blood began to form on his hand.

"What the fuck, Mark stop." Another boy stops him from ripping his entire head off. "Let's bring him to the nurse guys."

The boy with the itching head is lugged out of the bathroom and downstairs. Ashton and Larry hit their Halers, trying to spend as much time out of class as possible. Except Ashton walked towards the stall where the boy was.

The blood.

The boys blood from his scalp that he itched out lay on the floor, dark and wet. Ashton got closer as his curious mind got hungry for answers.

Did something move?

For a moment, it was like the drops of blood were a wave, moving up and slowly coming down. It was moving until Ashton got closer. It was still, but Ashton was not.

"Have fun with whatever the hell your doing, I gotta bounce." Larry said.

Ashton looked closer at the blood on the ground and the blood moved again. The dark red blood had texture and outlined small.....

"What are you doing?" A loud voice barged into the boys bathroom.

My Haler is hidden in my pocket.

"Get to class!"

Before Ashton got up he saw, there were bugs.

Long worm like bugs swimming in the boys small puddle of blood.