Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Brutal Love

            "Layla, why are you asleep?" My mom shook me awake.

"Urgh mom!" I mutter as my senses slowly creep back into my body. "I couldn't get any sleep last night so my sleep schedule is screwed up," I lied in annoyance.

"Phew, you scared me! Thought you had another pass out!" She takes in a deep breath. "So, no sleep last night?"

"Nah," I exhale. "It's really bothering me. I just want to be able to sleep again. I want this all to be over but...I can't see the end of the line."

Her hand pats my shoulder for comfort.

"I'm sure it won't be much longer, dear. Keep being strong." Her smile was so touching and promising. Unfortunately, neither of us could guarantee her words.

I had been so lucky to have a mother as encouraging as mine. I had taken advantage of her so often and repeatedly dismissed her kind acts, but she never let me down. Not ever. My father was a little tougher, but he did it out of love, and without his strength, I'd be a complete wimp. It was the perfect duo...maybe one day I'd be lucky enough to find someone that special.

*** *** ***

"Are you fucking kidding me? I've taken two now!" I mutter in my room. It was midnight, and sleep was the last thing coming over me, even after 2 Benzos. An hour had passed since the first, and if anything I felt more awake.

"Do I take one more?" The pressure was on. Not a single speck of my body was tired, and the hours were moving fast. "One more couldn't hurt, right?"

I could hear my conscience clear as day warning me to hold back from any more drug intake, but part of me just did not want to listen.

"Just do it," I mutter to myself. "Make your dreams come true." I had to laugh at my lame joke...nothing wrong with quoting some classic Shia Labeouf in the wee hours of the night. Not only was it funny, but it was rather punny...don't you think?

My hands swirled around another pill in its palm, preparing itself to be consumed. Didn't take much longer for me to take a glass of water and go for round three.

It moved rather fast now. My whole body went numb and all emotions just lacked from my mind. The case of pills I was holding slipped out of my hand and fell all over the floor. My eyes began twitching as I allowed my body to slip into the deepest of slumbers.

I woke up in the city of Boston. The streets were crowded, the air was thick and humid, and the smell of various foods swarmed the air from nearby vendors. Everything felt extremely real, yet I knew for a fact that it was a dream.

My legs took me for a stroll as my eyes took extreme notice to the details of the city. A man with a lime green hat and a red sox shirt was waving to me from a hot dog stand so I could buy some of his treats. A cute couple walking in front of me were holding hands and chatting about what to name the next puppy they wanted to buy. The wind started to pick up, resulting in my hair vigorously flying around my face. There was also some—

"LAYLA!"

My head flung back to see a person trying to shove their way through a crowd.

"Billie? Is that you?" I stop in my tracks.

It didn't take long for a very upset and annoyed Billie Joe to push his way into my presence.

"I know what you fucking did!" He screams, waving his finger at me while still trying to get closer.

"What'd I do now?" I sigh in annoyance. Some of the pedestrians give me a nasty look as they pass by.