Chapter Text
Summer always meant going back to school. Sometimes it was all about swimming, hanging out with friends, and even drinking, but now, it solely meant packing my luggage and going on a plane. I sat in the airport, my suitcase nestled against my thigh. My choice of attire was, not my favorite. My mother loves to dress me up. I come from a wealthy Greek family, and my mother stays traditional to the well-put-together style. I choose to please her though, for she was the woman who raised me.
Her outfit of choice was none other than formal dress pants, comfortable, but not appealing, and a deep green button-up with a collar that matched my tan complexion. I chose to hide the fact that it wasn't my favorite outfit, for what is most important is my mother's smile. Her delighted face brings me more joy than one could imagine, it was as if her display of happiness was a mellow evening on the shore. Truly, the only woman I would ever love.
Attention passengers, this is the final boarding call for Flight 237 to New York. Please proceed to Gate 14 immediately. The doors will be closing in five minutes.
The sound of the intercom woke me from my mere daydream, the gate was almost empty with a few people rushing to board the plane. There was no doubt that I would be in business class, it was preferable but it always made me feel out of place. I sat down in my respective seat, placing the headphones I had on my backpack on my lap. My hair was one thing I was proud of. It was around past shoulder-length, and it was a staple in my family. Every relative I knew had healthy, at least shoulder-length hair that would make a conditioner commercial scouting ecstatic. Though, it was quite a hassle to maintain so, I threw it back in a short bun and put my headphones on.
Once the plane reached its peak, we were allowed to open our tray tables. I had homework to catch up on, even though school hadn’t even started. I peered into my backpack and pulled out my slim laptop. I had to prepare for a mock trial that was taking place on the second day of school, ridiculous if you ask me. I was prepared to look at my witness statements and testimony when a young woman approached my side.
“Good evening, would you care for a beverage?” she asked, a polite hand directing toward the beverage cart. I glanced at the drinks, but my eye settled on one. Whiskey, specifically Jack Daniel’s.
“I take a Jack Daniel’s please, on the rocks,” I say, glancing back at her.
“May I see a form of ID please?” She asked, her face not hiding the puzzled look. I took out my wallet showing my driver's license. I was 25, and getting asked for my ID made it feel like I was 21 finally taking my first “legal” drink. She handed back my ID and I traded her with my card with a polite smile. She processed my payment and gave me a plastic cup with ice and a small bottle containing about a shot of whiskey.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the items from her.
“Of course, enjoy,” she said as she turned around to the next passenger. I opened the bottle and poured the liquor onto the ice and took a sip. The warm liquid traveled through my esophagus and made my body feel warm and comfortable. Thank god for alcohol.
The flight was not long, I was flying in from Boston, Massachusetts to New York which only took about an hour. The buzz I had gotten from the whiskey made finishing my homework fly by. As the pilot announced that we would be landing, I placed all my items back into my backpack and reached for my phone. A few notifications popped up from my friends from last year's law school. We had a shared condo a few blocks from Columbia University where I attended. I would’ve gotten my own place, but having friends around was enjoyable and helped me socialize, not to mention the frequent parties that would be held.
My two roommates, Anthony and Damion met me after I left the plane. My body was stiff from sitting for a bit, so walking was a pleasant stretch.
“Leon! Over here!” I turned my head to see the two dressed in quite the outfit. Both were wearing dress pants with long-sleeved button-down shirts that matched their complexions. They looked put together, a different look for them. I walked towards them with a smile on my face. I was happy to see my friends again, it had been a few months.
The drive home was full of catching up on new events, drugs, sex, who knows. Classic college shit. All I knew was that I ended up on the couch tipsy. It was nice to be back in my second home, a place with a familiar smell, yet a touch of unfamiliarity from when I was vacant.
“So, what's new with you Leon?” My ear twitched at the sound of my name.
“Mm?” I mumbled, glancing up to see Anthony sitting on the opposite side of the couch.
“What have you been doing all summer?” I met his gaze, his face had seemed to age a bit. His once wide eyes were now slimmer, his lips more rosy, I wonder if that meant he had finally settled down with a girl.
“Nothing much, just with my mom spending time with her and stuff you know,” I said, taking my eyes off of him and looking at the TV.
“What, no girls?” He asked, seemingly puzzled. I hadn’t told them, it was like my mischievous secret, though I wasn’t quite sure of its truthfulness. I hadn’t been fond of women, in a romantic sense. Ever since I was a kid, I would get fake married to them on the playground with ring pops and be joyful together but, I would never really have a “crush” on them. I did though, have a crush on a guy, I think. As smart as I may be when it comes to law, I have no idea what I’m feeling inside. This boy I met, last year, I never caught his name, but I would always see him in the library when I needed to do my work away from my roommates. He would always read the same textbook, every time I saw him. It was odd for sure, but the dedication was, appealing to me.
“Leonidus?” The sound of my name snapped me back to the present, Anthony was peering over me from behind the couch.
“Dude, you were out for like 5 minutes, you good?” he chuckled, but the worry on his face never left.
“No, I’m good, just a bit of a daydream if you will. Hadn’t had this much to drink in a while,” I replied, “Gotta get the tolerance back up.” With that, he left with a laugh and walked towards his room. I sat on the couch for a bit, reminiscing about the moments I had with the boy in the library. That’s what I called him. Library boy. It was fitting I mean, his basic nerd-like looks were somewhat… attractive in a way. He wore glasses, square framed. I have his visual memorized in the back of my head. I hope to see him again this year, maybe even muster up the courage to have a talk with him about his interests.
I laid in my bed, it was a queen which was a nice addition to our condo. I had unpacked my clothing and set up my desk to study and such. The night was young, and the buzz had worn off. I walked into the kitchen, the floor plan of the house engraved into my mind so I didn’t bother to turn on a light. I grabbed a glass and filled it with water, slowly sipping it. The cold traveled through my body, waking me up. Falling asleep my first night seemed, uneasy. I wanted to stay up, but I didn’t know why. My thoughts were racing between law school, library boy, alcohol, sex… too much to conquer. I took a shower and washed my hair, it was desperately needed since the flight. I blow-dried it and sat back in bed. It was cold since I was last in it.
I opened up my laptop, browsing through the internet. There wasn’t much to look at, new court cases, blogs, scrolling through different media, anything to pass the time. I needed to take my mind off of things. I spotted an advertisement for Camel cigarettes. It had been a while since I had a smoke, and going back to college was the best time to pick it up again.
I put on a pair of black jeans and kept the sweater that I had from my grandmother. I looked at myself in the mirror, making sure I looked at least a little presentable. With that, I took my phone, wallet, and house key and walked out the door. The path to the convenience store was short, maybe 5 minutes. I was there in no time at all. I walked in and greeted the worker.
“Hey, can you pass me 2 packs of Camels?” I asked, setting my wallet on the counter.
“Sure, will that be all?” the man spoke, grabbing two from the back shelf. I looked at the desk area around and saw a lighter, it was a nice shade of orange that I was fond of.
“And this lighter too, please,” I responded, placing it on the counter next to the packs of cigarettes he had retrieved.
“Alright, that’ll be $13.99,” he said. I opened my wallet and passed him my card, grabbing the packs and the lighter.
“Would you like your receipt?” He asked, handing my card back.
“No thanks, have a nice night,” I said, placing a pack in my pocket. I walked out of the store and opened the new box. I took out a cigarette and lit it, breathing in the smoke. It had been a while, so the burn caught me off guard but after a while, I got acclimated. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the smell, but it was nice.
I finished about 2 cigarettes by the time I got back to the condo. The front porch light was on as I walked up the stairs. I opened the door with my key, trying to be as quiet as possible. I stepped inside, taking my loafers off, and noticed Damion in the living room.
“Fuck are you doing out this late Leon,” he whispered over the barely audible TV.
“I needed a few cigs,” I replied, sitting on the couch next to him. I passed him one and gave one to myself. With that, we watched the news until late in the night, going through the pack like candy.
In the morning, I had fallen asleep on the couch and Damion was gone. He had put a blanket over me and put the box of Camels on the table along with the lighter beside it. I stirred awake at the light protruding from the window. How fucking early was it? I glanced at the clock reading 7:31 AM. I groaned and got up, bringing the items from the table into my room. I laid back in bed, my mind clearer from earlier, my thoughts solely on my aching body and the sleep I yearned for. With the sounds of birds chirping, it was like a melody to fall asleep to.