24 Hours to Live · Tupac

❶❾: liquor talks

❝ I'm suicidal so don't stand near me. ❞

[9:23 AM]

SO, THIRTY MINUTES after Lena's argument, she's just been driving around. She didn't want to go back to her apartment, who knows if the power was even back on or not. It seems as if she's been getting into arguments with everyone around her, and she didn't know who's fault that was.

Pulling up to a liquor store, Lena goes inside, not quite sure as to what type of candy she wanted to buy. Eventually, she comes to the conclusion that chocolate won't help her out this time. Walking to the counter, she peers behind the cashier. "Uhh.. lemme.. can I get a bottle of Hennessy?"

"What kind?" he bluntly asks, moving out of the way.

Lena clears her throat, not even knowing the difference. "Just give me one."

He grabs it for her and places it in a brown bag, "ID, please."

"My ID? I'm twenty-three," she points to herself. "That's ridiculous."

"You look about seventeen," he continues to argue, but Lena was the only one getting worked up.

A woman behind Lena speaks up, "Are you gonna buy it or not? People are waiting."

Lena gets out of line, rushing to her truck in a haste. As she opens the store door, she crashes into someone. Some guy, actually. "Woah there, in a rush?"

"Obviously," she remarks, brushing the black man off of her shoulder.

She opens her car door and yanks her purse out, "Don't make no damn sense-I'm a grown woman."

Heading into the store once more, Lena feels the man's eyes burning into the back of her head as she nears the front of the line. She meets the cashier for a second time and shoves her driver's license his way, "My Hennessy, please."

She pays the annoying counter man and cuts her eyes to the other guy, "Do I know you or something? Because if not, I'd like to have my face back."

He stammers at her sudden outburst, something he wasn't expecting of of someone always cool and collected. "Y-Yeah, you do."

She takes her bag and license, heading for the door with a simple head shake. "...I don't know you."

The guy still persists, following Lena outside, "Christian Sharper? From the Balance Center?"

Lena turns around to get a good look at him, "How do you know where I work?"

"We're your clients, Andrea and I. Remember? And you're.. Selena? Nah, nah, Elena."

"Just Lena, damn," she cuts abruptly. "..I remember your wife."

"My bad, my bad. And I don't be coming to the appointments," Christian admits. "I be there sometimes, though. I was gon' say hey but you look.. like you need somebody to talk to."

•••

Turns out, talking to Christian wasn't half-bad, she got to vent out a lot of things that she was feeling. Lena couldn't believe that she was outside talking to one of her patients about her personal problems, he'd never see her the same. Not that she cares, anymore.

"Right," Christian speaks. "Just sort it out. Now you know that it's not his fault, it's not your fault, it's-"

"It's my mom's fault!" Lena declared, taking a swig of her bottle as she stands from the curb. "If that bitch spent time being a proper mother, I wouldn't be like this!"

Christian stands up with her, "N-No! Lena, it's nobody's fault!"

"Nah," she shakes her head. "You right, I need to sort this out. She needs to learn about herself. Thanks, Chris."

He throws his hands at his sides, "Now, that's not what I'm saying."

"Trust and believe, I know," Lena dusts her pants off, the wind whipping her hair around.

"I mean.. I guess. You have a nice day, Lena," he sighs, shaking his head as she climbs into her truck.

In the truck, she opens her purse and drops her wallet and license back inside, seeing a note hanging out of the purse's side. She slowly takes it out, reading the title.

From Paige

Lena, I did not want or wish to do this to myself. I had to. I just feel like I can never be truly happy. The worst thing ever is being happy for a moment, knowing that later it will all be vanished. I was happy for those few hours with you and Tupac. He's my favorite celebrity in the world, and I should have said something more to him but I knew that whenever it was time for me to separate from you two and be alone without my grandmother, I would be more than unhappy. I would be very depressed, actually.

I wrote this note because I have one wish. When I was a baby, my father gave me this heart locket. And I've kept it by my side ever since. Right now, my aunt has it and I have her address on the back. All I want is for you to make sure that it gets in my casket at my funeral, that's if anyone in my family cares enough to put my funeral together.

I'd be thankful, it's the closest thing I have to him. And if not.. I understand. Thank you always, for being my psychologist and helping me when I didn't want help. I'm very sorry to have done this to you

Lena swallows slowly, a shaky breath unraveling afterwards. She folds the paper multiple times, refusing to let tears strike in her eyes. Then, she opens her bottle again, taking a long swig this time, "..A drink a day takes the pain away."