Smooth White Tickets To Goodbye, chapter 1
"Okay Gary, you're all signed out and good to go."
The receptionist said looking at him as if he were filth. Gary picked up his bags and walked out the big glass doors, to see his best friend waiting in his car to take him home. He looked back at the place that had been his home for the last twelve months, before heading towards the car.
"Hey Gary! Happy to finally be out of that place?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, I am. But I suppose it taught me a lot."
"Like what? How to be someone's bitch?"
"What?! Frank it wasn't jail! It was rehab, you loser."
"Yeah, whatever man. It's all the same to me. Make a mistake and you're stuck in some hellhole for the next year. And you didn't even stuff up that bad."
"It was bad enough though. Where are we going?"
"I just need to stop by someone's house. It'll only be a minute."
"I take it you haven't stopped using then?"
"Hell no, man. You were the one who got sent to rehab, not me. I can do what I want." Frank stopped the car and got out, leaving Gary alone for a minute to think. Not that he hadn't done enough of that in the lately. Being away from everything had helped him clear his head of the past. He was going to make a fresh start. He'd hated what he'd become, and was determined not to let himself slip back to being like that again. The only problem was his friends.
As Gary was adjusting his seatbelt, Frank came back to the car and took him to his apartment.
"I'll be back later to take you somewhere. You haven't been to a gig in a year!" Frank yelled out before driving off. Gary unlocked the door to his apartment and slowly entered. He looked around, taking it all in, noticing it was all exactly how he'd left it; empty beer bottles and cigarette packets all over the place. He smiled at the fact that he'd quit smoking while he'd been in rehab. He cleaned up the apartment, occasionally getting overwhelmed with haunting memories of things that had happened before he had gone into rehab. He had just sat down to watch the tube, when there was a knock at the door. He answered it and followed Frank downstairs, to the car.
"So where are we going?" he asked as he was getting into the car.
"You'll see buddy, you'll see." Said Frank starting up the engine.
It didn't take long for Gary to realise where they were going.
"Gilman?" he asked excitedly. Frank just grinned. He knew Gary's favourite band was playing there.
As they walked inside, Gary felt a sudden rush of excitement. As much as he wanted to let go of his old self, he simply loved this place. The atmosphere was so energetic and the live bands were always great. He didn't even feel tempted by the distinct smell of pot lingering in the air. Frank walked straight towards the bar while Gary decided he'd attempt to get near the stage to watch the band that was playing. As he neared the stage the band had finished their set and the next band had rushed onto the stage to set up.
"Hundred Acre Wood!" he yelled out, earning a few weird looks from people around him. But he didn't care; he was about to see his favorite band for the first time in a year! Nobody could stop him from enjoying this moment. As Hundred Acre Wood began their first song, Gary jumped around like a mad man. Had he not been at a gig, he would've been sent off to a mental asylum for that type of behaviour.
When Hundred Acre Wood had finished their set, Gary set off to find Frank. He couldn't find him at the bar, so he checked the bathrooms, but he wasn't there either. Gary decided he must be in the crowd watching the bands, so he made his way to the front of the crowd to watch a band called Dry Ice. He hadn't seen them before, but they were pretty good. There hadn't really been any all girl bands the last time Gary had been there, so it was quite new to him. After they had finished Gary went backstage to meet the band. That was the great thing about local talent. Anybody can go up and talk to them without feeling intimidated by fame or anything like that.
Gary had gotten into a heated argument with the drummer, over who was better out of Hundred Acre Wood and Sweet Children, when the lead singer came and broke it up.
"Hey forget about Dianna's opinion. She's got a thing for the singer of Sweet Children. I think Sweet Children have more talent, but Hundred Acre Wood have the cooler name," Gary wasn't even listening to this girl. He couldn't stop looking into her eyes. They were the most beautiful colour blue he had ever seen. He introduced himself properly and they went to the bar to chat.
A few months later Frank was having a huge party at his house. He had even organised for Hundred Acre Wood and Dry Ice to play at his party, all with the help of Gary, who was dating the lead singer of Dry Ice, Rose. Frank was wandering around his house, conversing with random people he saw along the way, when he caught a glimpse of Gary and Rose together. He was quite worried about his friend, as he was the type of guy who fell fast for women, and he didn't want him to get hurt. Even though it had only been a few months, Gary believed that Rose was the one. Frank hardly even saw Gary anymore, as he was always with her. He contemplated going to speak to them, but instead went to his room to get out his stash. He went outside by the pool and lit one up.
In the few times they'd seen each other, Gary had noticed a change in Frank's behaviour. He got the feeling Frank didn't like Rose, but he had no idea why.
"I have to go set up for our gig," Rose told Gary.
"Yeah sure. I'll be there to watch soon." He replied and watched her walk away. He needed some fresh air, so he grabbed a coke and walked outside, passing Frank on the way. He opened his mouth to speak to him, but decided against it when he noticed the drugged-out look on his face. He didn't want to get caught up in it all.
He'd been sitting outside for a while, just staring into space, when he realised Rose's band hadn't come on yet. He stood up and went inside to look for her and find out what was going on. He saw Dianna trying to calm down the band's bassist, Hayley.
"Hey, Dianna, what's going on? I thought you guys were meant to be playing now?" He asked.
"Yeah, we were, but Hayley got into a fight with her boyfriend so we're not going to play tonight," She explained
"Oh, okay. Are you okay, Hayley?"
"Not really. He lied to me!" she wailed.
"I'm sorry. Hey do you guys know where Rose is?"
"I think she scored some weed from some guy. Not sure where she went though. Sorry," Said Dianna.
"What? Weed? I didn't think she did drugs. Well I'll go look for her. Thanks guys," He muttered and walked away. He asked around but nobody knew where she was. He was starting to get worried, so he looked around for Frank. He could help him find her. He climbed the stairs and knocked on Frank's door, but there was no answer.
Remembering that Frank had looked drugged out earlier, he opened the door to see if he had passed out in his room. But what he saw was not what he'd expected, instead of finding his friend's body lying on the floor, he found his naked friend's passed out body on his bed. Along with Rose's naked passed out body.
Gary couldn't believe what he was seeing. He couldn't believe his best friend would do this to him. He couldn't believe that Rose, who he had thought was the one, would do this to him. He ran down the stairs and out the door. He jumped into his car and sped away to his apartment. He didn't care that he was speeding. He didn't care about laws or safety. He just wanted to feel better. He needed to relieve himself of this emotional pain that his best friend and girlfriend had so greedily bestowed upon him.
He arrived at his apartment, flinging the door open he threw himself into the bathroom, tears falling from his eyes, result of a broken heart. He opened the bathroom cabinet and fumbled around, finding what he was looking for. Finding what he believed could end this emotional pain he was feeling. It could end it all. He was so angry with his friends that he didn't want to write them a letter to let them know why he was about to do this. They didn't deserve it. They had deceived him.
He screwed open the lid of the bottle and swallowed a bunch of the smooth white pills. This was it. Twelve months spent in rehabilitation trying to stay clean of drugs, only to let himself go in this way. He fell to the floor, gasping for air. As he lay on the cold floor breathing his last breath, his final thoughts were of disappointment. Disappointment in his best friend and girlfriend, and disappointment in himself for letting it come to this.
The receptionist said looking at him as if he were filth. Gary picked up his bags and walked out the big glass doors, to see his best friend waiting in his car to take him home. He looked back at the place that had been his home for the last twelve months, before heading towards the car.
"Hey Gary! Happy to finally be out of that place?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, I am. But I suppose it taught me a lot."
"Like what? How to be someone's bitch?"
"What?! Frank it wasn't jail! It was rehab, you loser."
"Yeah, whatever man. It's all the same to me. Make a mistake and you're stuck in some hellhole for the next year. And you didn't even stuff up that bad."
"It was bad enough though. Where are we going?"
"I just need to stop by someone's house. It'll only be a minute."
"I take it you haven't stopped using then?"
"Hell no, man. You were the one who got sent to rehab, not me. I can do what I want." Frank stopped the car and got out, leaving Gary alone for a minute to think. Not that he hadn't done enough of that in the lately. Being away from everything had helped him clear his head of the past. He was going to make a fresh start. He'd hated what he'd become, and was determined not to let himself slip back to being like that again. The only problem was his friends.
As Gary was adjusting his seatbelt, Frank came back to the car and took him to his apartment.
"I'll be back later to take you somewhere. You haven't been to a gig in a year!" Frank yelled out before driving off. Gary unlocked the door to his apartment and slowly entered. He looked around, taking it all in, noticing it was all exactly how he'd left it; empty beer bottles and cigarette packets all over the place. He smiled at the fact that he'd quit smoking while he'd been in rehab. He cleaned up the apartment, occasionally getting overwhelmed with haunting memories of things that had happened before he had gone into rehab. He had just sat down to watch the tube, when there was a knock at the door. He answered it and followed Frank downstairs, to the car.
"So where are we going?" he asked as he was getting into the car.
"You'll see buddy, you'll see." Said Frank starting up the engine.
It didn't take long for Gary to realise where they were going.
"Gilman?" he asked excitedly. Frank just grinned. He knew Gary's favourite band was playing there.
As they walked inside, Gary felt a sudden rush of excitement. As much as he wanted to let go of his old self, he simply loved this place. The atmosphere was so energetic and the live bands were always great. He didn't even feel tempted by the distinct smell of pot lingering in the air. Frank walked straight towards the bar while Gary decided he'd attempt to get near the stage to watch the band that was playing. As he neared the stage the band had finished their set and the next band had rushed onto the stage to set up.
"Hundred Acre Wood!" he yelled out, earning a few weird looks from people around him. But he didn't care; he was about to see his favorite band for the first time in a year! Nobody could stop him from enjoying this moment. As Hundred Acre Wood began their first song, Gary jumped around like a mad man. Had he not been at a gig, he would've been sent off to a mental asylum for that type of behaviour.
When Hundred Acre Wood had finished their set, Gary set off to find Frank. He couldn't find him at the bar, so he checked the bathrooms, but he wasn't there either. Gary decided he must be in the crowd watching the bands, so he made his way to the front of the crowd to watch a band called Dry Ice. He hadn't seen them before, but they were pretty good. There hadn't really been any all girl bands the last time Gary had been there, so it was quite new to him. After they had finished Gary went backstage to meet the band. That was the great thing about local talent. Anybody can go up and talk to them without feeling intimidated by fame or anything like that.
Gary had gotten into a heated argument with the drummer, over who was better out of Hundred Acre Wood and Sweet Children, when the lead singer came and broke it up.
"Hey forget about Dianna's opinion. She's got a thing for the singer of Sweet Children. I think Sweet Children have more talent, but Hundred Acre Wood have the cooler name," Gary wasn't even listening to this girl. He couldn't stop looking into her eyes. They were the most beautiful colour blue he had ever seen. He introduced himself properly and they went to the bar to chat.
A few months later Frank was having a huge party at his house. He had even organised for Hundred Acre Wood and Dry Ice to play at his party, all with the help of Gary, who was dating the lead singer of Dry Ice, Rose. Frank was wandering around his house, conversing with random people he saw along the way, when he caught a glimpse of Gary and Rose together. He was quite worried about his friend, as he was the type of guy who fell fast for women, and he didn't want him to get hurt. Even though it had only been a few months, Gary believed that Rose was the one. Frank hardly even saw Gary anymore, as he was always with her. He contemplated going to speak to them, but instead went to his room to get out his stash. He went outside by the pool and lit one up.
In the few times they'd seen each other, Gary had noticed a change in Frank's behaviour. He got the feeling Frank didn't like Rose, but he had no idea why.
"I have to go set up for our gig," Rose told Gary.
"Yeah sure. I'll be there to watch soon." He replied and watched her walk away. He needed some fresh air, so he grabbed a coke and walked outside, passing Frank on the way. He opened his mouth to speak to him, but decided against it when he noticed the drugged-out look on his face. He didn't want to get caught up in it all.
He'd been sitting outside for a while, just staring into space, when he realised Rose's band hadn't come on yet. He stood up and went inside to look for her and find out what was going on. He saw Dianna trying to calm down the band's bassist, Hayley.
"Hey, Dianna, what's going on? I thought you guys were meant to be playing now?" He asked.
"Yeah, we were, but Hayley got into a fight with her boyfriend so we're not going to play tonight," She explained
"Oh, okay. Are you okay, Hayley?"
"Not really. He lied to me!" she wailed.
"I'm sorry. Hey do you guys know where Rose is?"
"I think she scored some weed from some guy. Not sure where she went though. Sorry," Said Dianna.
"What? Weed? I didn't think she did drugs. Well I'll go look for her. Thanks guys," He muttered and walked away. He asked around but nobody knew where she was. He was starting to get worried, so he looked around for Frank. He could help him find her. He climbed the stairs and knocked on Frank's door, but there was no answer.
Remembering that Frank had looked drugged out earlier, he opened the door to see if he had passed out in his room. But what he saw was not what he'd expected, instead of finding his friend's body lying on the floor, he found his naked friend's passed out body on his bed. Along with Rose's naked passed out body.
Gary couldn't believe what he was seeing. He couldn't believe his best friend would do this to him. He couldn't believe that Rose, who he had thought was the one, would do this to him. He ran down the stairs and out the door. He jumped into his car and sped away to his apartment. He didn't care that he was speeding. He didn't care about laws or safety. He just wanted to feel better. He needed to relieve himself of this emotional pain that his best friend and girlfriend had so greedily bestowed upon him.
He arrived at his apartment, flinging the door open he threw himself into the bathroom, tears falling from his eyes, result of a broken heart. He opened the bathroom cabinet and fumbled around, finding what he was looking for. Finding what he believed could end this emotional pain he was feeling. It could end it all. He was so angry with his friends that he didn't want to write them a letter to let them know why he was about to do this. They didn't deserve it. They had deceived him.
He screwed open the lid of the bottle and swallowed a bunch of the smooth white pills. This was it. Twelve months spent in rehabilitation trying to stay clean of drugs, only to let himself go in this way. He fell to the floor, gasping for air. As he lay on the cold floor breathing his last breath, his final thoughts were of disappointment. Disappointment in his best friend and girlfriend, and disappointment in himself for letting it come to this.
