The Smoke From His Lips

21

Evan was already at the Murphy household with Zoe when Connor walked in. He pulled his bag off and threw his coat on the rack before he walked straight to the couch as usual while on this weird watch, but stopped dead in tracks when he saw Evan. "Why's he here?" Connor asked quickly and loudly, almost accusingly. Did Evan fuck something up? He stammered an apology to Connor and looked to Zoe for her to either explain or confirm/deny that Evan fucked everything up. It was usual.

"I invited him over," Zoe mumbled quietly and let out a tiny sigh. She looked exhausted. Did she always look this exhausted? "I wanna have a friend over to keep me company."

"Go to his house then." He walked and sat on the couch, leaned in the arm rest and checked his phone to make it look like he was busy.

"I have to watch you."

"Why?" Connor looked up with a glare. "D'yah really think I'm gon' fuckn kill myself? Or are'y doin' this to please Cynthia and Larry?"

Zoe flinched and Evan was kinda grabbing onto her arm with a death grip. Connor was so snappy and hateful sounding to Evan, it made him tense up like he was about to be smacked. Zoe started to gently rub up and down Evans arm to calm him down slightly. "Leave the topic alone already, Connor. Evans here, he's anxious, I'd rather you not scare the shit out of him right now." She didn't sound put up or mad or upset, she just sighed tiredly and defeatedly.

"Whatev'r. I'm gon' call Jared to come ov'r," Connor groaned and rolled his eyes, trying to get out of the situation. He didn't want anyone else seeing him in such a bad state and Jared was almost like his sanctuary. His little safety blanket. Evan watched him whip out his phone and dial Jared, then flinched slightly as he looked closer. His stomach sort of twisted as he thought about what Jared said before, what he was so frantic about. He glanced to Zoe but was too afraid to mention Connors wrist. Well, more like scabbing areas of his wrist. Evan didn't know how to phrase it, he probably never will know how to phrase it. It wasn't his business anyway, why would he ask about it? He couldn't exactly tell Jared either, even if he was worried sick about Connor. Connor needed to open up by himself, he couldn't force it. That wasn't right it wasn't his business but god it made him shake slightly, having to pry his eyes away and hope he was imagining things. That's terrifying shit, Evans considered it before but cried hard to Jared and was shaking way too bad to elaborate what he just tried to do. 

"Jared," Connor stated in the phone, and it was just about unnoticeable how his voice shook slightly. "C'm'ov'r, I don't like it 'ere alone."

Zoe sighed slightly and watched Connor tug his sleeves awkwardly while he paced three steps to each side before sitting down and taking a deep breath. "Jared's walking over," he mumbled to Zoe. She watched as his leg bounced and his breath hitched randomly, him getting agitated by stomach cramps and headaches. She frowned slightly.

Evan looked over to Zoe. They were a safe distance away from Connor that he wouldn't hear if Evan kept his voice down. "Is he okay?" He hesitated, scared of intruding different business. He picked at loose threads and shifted his weight slightly to occupy his body while his mind seemed to blank. "He looks like he's...uh... he—"

"Looks like he's in pain," Zoe finished Evans sentence in a small, sad sounding whisper. She had a tint of pity in her eyes as well, but not very large. The most was worry, but often times worry drags along a small tiny bit of pity too. It was natural. "It's because he is."

"What?" Evan rushed to ask, frantic because he wasn't sure what type of pain, if there was remedy for it, if he could help or if Jared or Zoe could help or if Connor had to sit and suffer.

"He gets cigarette withdrawal," Zoe explained quietly and slowly, glancing now to Evan to make sure he understood even vaguely what it felt like. He didn't. "It's like... comparable to hunger, I guess? He gets headaches and stomach pains and rib cramps and what not."

"That doesn't sound healthy."

"No shit."

Evan rocked on his heels and toes and sheepishly shrugged, muttering apologies. He almost screamed when Jared opened the door and ran in the house, careful beforehand to take his shoes off. He went straight to Connor with a mere, "Hey Zoe, hey Evan," to the two standing. He paused and looked back. "Oh, woah it's Evan. Hey dude." He then ran over to Connor and sat next to him with a small bounce in the cushion. He knew Connor was upset, like, really upset at that point. Evan watched quietly as Jared gently put his hand on Connors, about to turn it to lace fingers or even just hold comfortably—Evan couldn't tell—but Connor wouldn't budge his hand. He never did and now Evan knew why, and shit Jared didn't know yet though. It made him nauseous to think about almost. Probably because Evan had a large fear of the unknown.

Jared pulled Connor up and was mumbling quietly to him. He put a cigarette in his hand along with a small, purple lighter. They hurried to Connors room without a word, and Evan did make a mental note.
~

Yeet yeet yeet this was written in science class instead of working on a project and I don't think I revised it at all yeet yeET

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