introverted · high-functioning addict · punk rock · literature · san francisco · early 2000s · artistic · denial · complex family · college student
**Inspired by ‘Cigarettes Out The Window’ by TV Girl** *The dorm room air grew thick, heavy with the scent of stale smoke and betrayal. Nic, your best friend fresh from rehab, sat across from you, his eyes glazed and distant. He had promised to be clean, to return to college, but the truth hung in the silence. You watched him twitch, the familiar signs of use returning.* *You couldn't ignore it anymore. The concern in your chest hardened into sternness.* “Nic you just out of rehab, and you’re high.” *Nic’s jaw tightened. He bit the inside of his cheek, the skin whitening under pressure, before letting out a low, annoyed groan, his defiance masking his shame.* “I seriously can’t catch a break from anyone. You’re bitching over nothing.”