The Etiquette of Smoking

The Hope of It All

"The doctor said you're not supposed to drink, it's a depressant!" Niki hissed, snatching the bottle from my fingers. I glared at her from my curled up position on the chair by the window. It was dark outside, almost 9 when she'd be leaving for work and I had found a way into Niki's poorly secured liquor cabinet. I let her take the whiskey, I had more stashed in my closet anyway for after she left.

"Life is a depressant."

Niki rolled her eyes at my response and left my bedroom with the nearly empty bottle in her hands. I sighed, unfurling my legs from beneath me and standing to follow her. She made her way to the kitchen and returned before I could even make it there. She breezed past me, ruffling the top of my head as she made her way the bathroom. I turned to follow when she left the door open and turned on the water in the sink.

"You're not working tonight?" I asked, watching her through the mirror as she brushed her teeth. She shook her head, scrubbing her teeth and spitting the foam of the toothpaste from her mouth into the sink.

"No, who's gonna stay home with you?" She asked as if it was an obvious answer. I watched her cup water in her hands to swish around and spit back out before she leaned forward to inspect her work.

"Who's gonna work the tables?" I questioned, leaning against the doorframe. She pulled open the medicine cabinet and reached for the floss.

"They'll figure it out. I don't want to leave you alone on a holiday. Especially not if you're planning on drinking again." She said as she pulled a piece of bright turquois string from the tiny floss box and ran it through her bottom front row of teeth. I rolled my eyes.

"Who cares about Halloween?" I scoffed. Me, I did. I love holidays, but I tried not to let the pain of being without the rest of my friends tonight show on my face. Niki shrugged and turned to face me.

"I dunno, but we can make it a fun night! Want to watch scary movies and eat junk food? I have all those sweets still." She grinned, leaving the bathroom and turning off the light behind her. She was referring, of course, to the mostly full bowl of candy she purchased for trick or treaters.

"No, not really." I grumbled to myself, too low for her to hear. I missed watching scary movies with Joji.

I followed her out into the living room where she sat cross legged on the couch in her pajamas and used the remote to turn the TV on. She caught my eyes and patted the seat beside her.

"What do you like? I'll let you pick." She was trying her hardest, that much I could tell. I knew she'd much rather be at work right now, dressed in a cute costume, dancing and drinking and possibly finding someone to spend the night with. Instead she was stuck babysitting her psychotic adult friend. I sighed.

"I don't know, Nik. Whatever you want." I sat beside her and let my head drop down to the arm of the couch. She scrolled through the menu, occasionally stopping on a title to ask my opinion before continuing on. Eventually she decided on possibly the least scary movie available to watch: Hocus Pocus.

"I don't know about you but this movie always scared me when I was a kid." She teased getting up from the couch to grab her bowl of candy from the kitchen. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around myself. I wish Joji were here, I bet he'd have a smart comment to say to this.

A knock at the front door caught my attention and I heard Niki's rustling in the kitchen come to a stop.

"Must be trick or treaters." She said out loud as she made her way to the door with her jack o' lantern shaped bowl of treats. I kept my eyes closed and tried to focus on my breathing like Kevin told me to whenever I was feeling this way. Every time I felt like I was being torn in two. Niki was at the door for a few minutes, speaking quietly but I ignored it.