Noxious

15 | a little unsteady

Kyle 

Tommy's apartment was nice. 

It was the perfect size for one person to live comfortably in the heart of the city. He had decorated in tones of grey and silver. I liked his taste. I had almost forgotten how nice his apartment was because his landlord was a jerk. 

That wasn't totally true, I was the irresponsible teenager bringing in drugs. The good news was, I was out of supply. After Tommy had shown up at the bridge, I hadn't gone back to my drug dealer. I still had my stash but I didn't feel like doing street business. 

I spent two days pretending I was normal. 

Tommy was in and out for work and school. He had given me his key so I could come and go as I wanted but I hadn't left. I didn't really have a reason to. 

You never know how much a blessing it is to have a roof over your head and a couch to sleep on until you don't have it. 

I didn't appreciate Tommy enough. 

That's why I had asked him this morning if there was anything I could do. I actually wanted to earn my keep. So, he had written a quick grocery list before he left for work. I stuffed the little list in my pocket, grabbed the apartment key, and headed out. 

It was almost noon and the sun was out. 

I made my way to the supermarket. 

If there was one thing I had learned, life was really good at surprising me lately. I had been holding the grocery list, reading the labels on the shelf, when I saw a familiar head of dirty blonde hair breeze by the end of the aisle. 

I remembered what she had done. 

Ever since we were kids, she had always been a tattletale. She got me in trouble so many times, and most of it was over stupid shit. Now, ratting me out to a violent gang was crossing the line. I was fucking pissed about it. 

Charly had almost gotten me killed. 

My feet moved on their own accord and I followed her. She must not have been aware I was near because she slipped something beneath her hoodie and carried on. 

I was so angry just seeing her, going about her day like she wasn't a fucking snitch. 

When she rounded the end of the aisle, I rushed forward and grabbed her. 

"What the fuck?" She hissed, "Can you leave me the fuck alone?"

I stopped her from walking away, glaring, "You ratted me out that night."

"What? I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Those men from the rival gang, you ratted me out to them," I snapped. I couldn't believe she was acting so fucking innocent and oblivious. If I thought I hated her before, I definitely hated her now. 

"No, I didn't," She lied, "I told you, they fucking know everything. If you were stupid enough--"

I grabbed her arms, "Don't fucking play with me. You said someone would take care of your problem. They're your dirty-working friends, aren't they?" 

What kind of shit was she wrapped up in? Was she in a gang? 

"Get your hands off me," She jerked against me.

"They were going to kill me," I said, lowly, ignoring her pathetic attempts to free herself. "The least you could have done was keep your fucking mouth shut."

She bared her teeth, "All I have to do is scream rape and the fucking cops arrive. Is that what you want? Get your disgusting hands off of me, now."