Celestia wants to leave her home and get as far away as possible from her alcoholic mother. When she stumbles into a drunk man and helps him home, what happens when he becomes her way out?
#2 in Smile
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July 11th
He threw up. Thankfully, not on me. But he threw up and now he's crying. Tonight hasn't been too different from the last 5 years of my life but it doesn't make this any less weird.
"Are you ok?" I spoke softly, my hand leaving his back as he slowly sat up straight. His posture was better than most but you could tell he was exhausted from the slight slouch he couldn't help but have.
He sniffled and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before being grossed out about his vomit and removing the shirt entirely. "Yes...thank you." He cleared his throat and adjusted his white t-shirt that was slightly covered in dirt, what looked like different colored streaks of what could be paint, and a random wet spot.
"I know this is awkward...and you don't know me but, do you have money for a cab? I'm really tired and I have to go-"
"No no," he interrupted. "Uh—yea, I'll figure it out." His voice was soft—as he was still drunk— but sweet and almost scared sounding. He reminded me of my cousins when we were younger and when my mother was still talking to my dads side of the family.
I stood up from the bench and faced him, my face slowly covering with guilt of leaving him behind without knowing his actual plan. "Are you sure?"
He glanced up at me, a glimpse of sadness and previous tears striking my heart right in its soft spot. He let out a small laugh as he fiddled with and ran his hands over the blue shirt in his lap.
"Yes. Thank you for everything, have a good night."
I gave him a small smile that he didn't see and that was more for me than him before slowly walking off in the direction I needed to go. The neon lights that reflected off the puddle in front of the alleyway he exited out of read Bear Scout Bar. I stopped in my tracks as flashes of my mother stumbled across my memory and forced me down into a hard spot.
If you leave him, you'll never sleep again. The guilt will eat you alive, C. What if something bad happens? Help him.
"I'm..." I turned around on my heels, my hands firmly pressed against my sides as I struggled to get my voice out. "I'm going the same direction that you are, do you want to just walk with me?" My nails picked at the stitching along my jeans as I watched his body stiffen at the sound of my offer.
We waited for a long moment before his head dropped lower than before and he slowly scooped the blue shirt into his arms. "Yes, please. If you don't mind, I mean."
The sound of his soft and timid voice still soaked in liquor almost made me smile. "I don't mind but we do have to leave now. It's late and the road ahead is really dark."
He wasted no time in standing up and almost tipping over, his lean but apparently sturdy body swayed as if he had no recollection of balance at all. "Hey! Hey!" Within seconds I was back at his side and holding him up. For some reason, probably the adrenaline, my heart was beating out of my chest. "That could've been...a long fall down." I reluctantly spoke my bad tall joke.
