in·san·i·ty | B.E (HIATUS)

6 - Riley

The end of Riley's cigarette glowed and faded consistently as she smoked. Soft then bright, over and over. The smoke did nothing for her but stain her lungs and dirty her clothes, but she was addicted to it nevertheless.

It had been days. Months. Years. An eternity and a half, several lifetimes.

What had she done to drive her best friend away? She kept that thought to herself, flicking her wrist slightly for the dark ash to fall to the floor. A pair of green sneakers came into view as she was looking down, and she shut her eyes as tight as she could manage.

"I didn't take you as a smoker." He laughed darkly, white soles stepping onto the ash and dragging it, leaving a black streak on the concrete.

"Leave it, Gage." She sighed.

"It's been years."

"Since what?" Riley looked up, her brown eyes narrowing in disgust "If you're gonna talk shit at least be specific" she took a deeper hit of her cigarette, allowing the hot smoke to fill her lungs and burn her throat as it went down. God, it burned.

"You're killing yourself." He shook his head, stepping back "I hate seeing you like this. I'm sorry about her, I really am, but you-"

"I don't need this shit from you, I don't." She dropped her cigarette and crushed it with her shoe. She wondered what his reaction would be, but she held her pride and kept her eyes downcast.

"It's been a domino effect, hasn't it." He said softly "I really am sorry. We can go to my place like we used to. Ride our bikes there. Do you still have yours?"

"Lost to the fire, just like every other thing in my fucking life." She scoffs angrily "Should've never got myself situated with that girl. Lunatic."

"Don't say that. You love her."

"Do I? Because the more time she spends hiding from me the less I want to find her at all. Matter of fact, if she were to stroll down the street right now I'd have a right mind to-"

"Riley!" He threw his hands in the air, pronouncing her name as if it were sigh "Enough is enough! It was years ago. Give it up!"

"I would've if she hadn't ruined my life." She turned her back on Gage for a moment, looking up the the building the stairs she sat on belonged to.

"I'm gonna do this one last time." She spoke again after a heartbeat of silence. "I'll find her. I will, even if it's what kills me."

"It will." Gage pointed to the cigarette on the floor. Crushed and pathetic, and Riley's mind associated the ugly thing with her.

"Good." She stood up, dusting ash off her jeans "I'll take your word for it."

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