Hard Life

Fourth

Leos POV~

"Tell me." I repeat looking the older boy in the eyes. "Will this make me happy?"

The boy shrugged and held out the bag of small drugs to me. "It'll make you feel happy, yeah."

"Well then take your money and go." I grab the bag and give the boy his money.

He smiles and salutes me. "Have fun!"

I sit down on the curb of the street and the rain falling on me seems to fit my mood, on this dark night.

I sniffle and rub my nose, getting sick from being soaking wet.

Protecting the small pills from the rain, I admire it. How can something so small give someone so much happiness?

I take a deep breath and move to put the small pill in my mouth, but stop.

Should I really do this? Should I really? There are so Manu stories on the streets of people going into drugs and never coming out. They get stuck in that world.

Addicted.

So, should I?

For some reason I think of my mom. How she would tap my head and told me to make right choices. Good and bad, she always said do good.

She said I'll make a difference in this world.

She never said good or bad. And now she's dead. She was murdered. I murdered her.

I grow frustrated.

Happiness is not a choice, Leo. Happiness is something you have to do. You must do.

I shove the pill in my mouth and swallow.

I wait a second. I don't feel much different.

I glance at the bag. Just a few more won't hurt, right?

~*~

I throw the empty bag on the street. How'd I run put so quickly?

I stand up and almost fall over, oh gods. I do feel different. Better.

I'm smiling for no reason. Then I start laughing. I feel great, actually. Why do people say drugs are bad? This is great!

I laugh and stumble in the middle of the street. "I need more!" I shout laughing at the rain.

"Boy?"

I turn around in a circle, looking for the sound. I keep spinning, laughing.

"Boy, you alright?" The figure comes closer to me and I laugh and almost run to him.

"Hiya mister!" I say cheerfully, not focusing on his face. "Hi!"

The elderly man smiles sinisterly. "Boy you on drugs or something?"

"Yep!" I shout. "Drugs! Are good!"

The mans smile gets wider and I smile with him.

"You want to have some fun?" He asks me.

I nod repeatedly. "Yes sir, I would like to have lots of fun. You got candy? I like candy-"

The man puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into a building.

The smell of alcohol hits me almost instantly.

I see men with beer bottles in their hands and other bottles and drinks and some looking suspicious in the corner. Drugs?

The old man leads me to a bar counter and talk to the man cleaning out cups.

The man cleaning shrugs and fills a cup and slides it over to me.