[CLOSED] last resort?

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

Aubri paced back and forth behind the hotel, her breathing labored. She had gone entirely too long without anything, but she hadn't gotten paid until yesterday. Not that she had any bills to pay; or anything at all, for that matter. Not having a home had both its advantages and disadvantages.

She leaned against the wall, licking her bottom lip. She looked around, knowing if he didn't come soon, the manager would come out and tell her to leave. Hopefully he hadn't seen her pacing a rut in the grass. She finally sat down, running her hand up and down her arm. She put her head on her knees, not caring if her miniskirt was showing a little too much. The guy was gay, right?

[connor crayze sykes]

Connor coughed huskily into his arm, grimaced as he cleared his throat, took another drag on the cigarette. Deacon would be pissed if he found out. Connor hadn't necessarily stopped the drugs, he had been trying to cut back though. Withdrawal during surgery was a bitch and he was still supposed to be on house watch until it was sure his most recent organ implant would not be rejected.

Glancing up, he spotted the somewhat familiar face, adjusted his backpack. "S-sorry...had surgery a-and haven't been able to g-get outta the h-house.." He knew how sick he looked, knew blames were part to blame. And even so here he was. Leaning up against the wall he grimaced, unzipping his backpack.

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

She looked up at him, a smile playing on her lips. "Are you sure you should be doing drugs after surgery, though? Isn't the Oxy they give you enough? I heard that boyfriend of yours can hook you up." She bit her lip, watching him carefully.

"I actually got a raise. My manager thinks I have a house or something." She pulled her money out of her back pocket, handing it to him. "I told the bank to give it in twenties, cause hundreds are hard to break. Made my ass look pretty for awhile, though." She laughed, straightening her legs out in front of her.

[connor crayze sykes]

Connor slid down beside her, winced. He shrugged some. "I-I'm too adapted to Oxy," He mumbled. "They're giving me s-some other stuff. O-of course I'm n-not allowed to know what i-it is.." He scowled. But he knew the risks, the addictions. Worry that he would find the name and use it as just another drug to get high on.

Deacon finding him previous to surgery, the harsh words he had spoken, the way he had slammed him into the bridge and broken three ribs. He let out a shaky breath at the memory.

Taking a faintly shaking hand, he realized they shook far too much anymore, with cutting back on his using. He'd been eating some as well, following his plan, spent most his nights in the bathroom over the toilet still.

Tugging out what she had asked for, he gave her the item and her change. Unlike unfamiliar deals, he wasn't so edgy with her, wasn't so worried.

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

"No, I was short last time. So that's the fourty I owed you." She handed the money back to him, smiling. She took his hand gently into hers, trying to get him to stop shaking.

"You can't try something else? Finding a new addiction? I'm sure he'd much rather you have a few cuts than be fucked all the time, right? He can't be all bad. He's got a really awesome boyfriend. No body's perfect. I'm sure he's got more than a few skeletons in his closet, too. Why don't you talk to him?" She held his hand in hers, rocking her knees back and forth. She had gotten used to Connor. And she liked hearing about his boyfriend and the little girls he sometimes had pictures of. She could tell he loved his little family, and it made her happy to know someone still had a family they loved. She would give anything to have hers back. Or the memories of them gone.

"How's your little sister? And that little princess of yours? Any more rotten than the last time I saw you?" She asked with a laugh, looking over at him.

[connor crayze sykes]

Connor nodded, placing the cash in his wallet. He felt her take his hand and let out a slow breath, the action holding the shaking at bay. "I-I already deal with that addiction too..you know that.." He murmured. "I-It's hard, s-stopping one of the most addictive dr-rugs, as well as everything else I-I use..." The monster, after all, had picked up such a nickname for such reasons. Relapse..it drew you in, kept you hooked. He had tried to get away...
Now he had given up.

"They're good.." He smiled faintly. "I-I guess Dallas h-has a kid a-and boyfriend, Chris' l-loves the little guy...a-and Bandit is Bandit.." He cleared his throat, sighing. "I...h-had pancreatitis n-not long bef-fore they decided o-on replacing organs...sh-she had it in her head f-for the longest time I-I was pregnant.." He smiled faintly, then bit his lip at the memory of the grief he had given them following that incident. "I-it all spiraled s-so damn fast..I-I just hope things c-can get a little better for a bit..."

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

"Aw! Babies are so darn cute. I just love watching them. I bet she spoils the thing. I know I never wanted to put my little sister down. She wasn't but a teeny tiny baby when she died." She couldn't help but laugh when he said the little girl had thought he was pregnant.

"So there's not going to be any little Connor babies running around?" She asked teasingly. "Shoot. I was looking forward to it. You and your boyfriend would have made a darn cute baby." She had seen him around; but the last time she had seen him was out by the lake, when she had cut all the way up her arms.

"Seeing him come for you is kinda scary.." She mumbled, looking down at their hands in her lap. But it meant nothing to her. She just wanted him to be comforted. "Like.. You know when you see him, and he's looking at you with those impossibly black eyes that you're really going to die. He's scary. He doesn't try to help you, especially when you're trying to kill yourself. He just screams and screams, tells you how much of a fool you are for doing it. But somehow, help has always shown up.. Like he doesn't want you to go, but he does. I guess he can feel us suffering, you know? Maybe when we're dying he feels that pain, hears all those thoughts rushing through your head.."

[connor crayze sykes]

"Yeah..." Connor rasped. "I know..." He hewed on his lips. "I-I panicked when they said I n-needed immediate surgery...got s-stoned outta my mind. D f-found me a-and I tried jumping off the bridge..." He swallowed. "H-he urged me to do i-it too...I'd never been s-so afraid..told h-him he was acting like m-my dad when he pushed me ag-gainst the bridge. So s-sick my bones a-are weak, he broke my ribs..." He swallowed. "We s-sat on the rudge c-crying I dunno h-how long.."

[aubri 'bee' ella-paige reed]

She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him gently. "It's okay.. I don't think he knows what he's doing when he's like that.. He would never want you or Bandit hurt. He's just.. I don't know. But I know he wouldn't want you hurt, or to see you hurt. He seems like the kind of person to let everything he loves just go like that." She laid her head on his shoulder, patting his stomach gently. She didn't know what to say to make him feel better, didn't know if there was any way to say 'well, your boyfriend tried to get you to jump off a bridge, but I'm sure he didn't mean it'.

"And besides. Your little girl is too cute. Just her little face is addicting. She's the cutest thing, like, ever. Her and your little sister." She smiled up at him.

[connor crayze sykes]

Connor leabed against her, sighed some. "Y-yeah...Iguess y-you're right..." Her comment about the girls made him laugh softly, huskily, and he cleared his throat.

A friendship built off of drug dealing and it already went far deeper. Who would have guessed? He relaxed some, running a hand through his hair.