Family Story - 001

As a preface, I'm going to tell you what this story is about, though you may have guessed from the title. Family.

Many people say that family is the most important thing in the world, but from my personal experiences, I can't entirely agree with that. I'm sure that families come in all shapes and sizes, however.

There are families that get along, and families that don't.

There are families that put pressure on you, and families that are your only recluse.

It's hard, perhaps impossible, to define what exactly family means to every person.

But that's what this story is about: family. The importance of it, and the strength of the bond of family. That's what I learned from this tale.

December.

The first month of summer here in the southern hemisphere.

It also signals the end of the year, of course. And Christmas.

School finished at the end of October, with exams spread out through most of November, but now that December has come around, I'm done with school for the year. I had to work my ass off studying for all my exams, given just how much I had missed, and how few notes I had, but I think I might've pulled through and barely scraped a passing grade. Results aren't released until next month, however, so I can't say for sure how I ended up doing.

Truth be told, we're already closer to the end of December than the beginning. And also, it isn't like I've gotten more free time since school closed. Instead, I've been working extra shifts at the restaurant. I'm trying to save up to buy a phone, as well as a Christmas present for Tayla. The hours I was working when school was in, was barely enough for rent plus one or two meals a day.

At the moment, I'm working forty hours a week. Full eight hour shifts every day other than Tuesday and Saturday. Honestly, I'm enjoying it more than school. The work's a lot more fulfilling, even without considering the fact that it earns me an income. Maybe I won't go back when the new year starts, even if I do pass my exams.

But anyway. None of that is really important to this story. This story is about a co-worker of mine.

AJ Cerwyn.

An acid-tongued, witty, pretty, dangerous, hard-working, and yet surprisingly kind girl, who's all too much of a fake. I won't say what's so fake about her at this point, but that's a comment that can be levied at myself just as much as her.

Fake. And hypocritical.

It was a Tuesday. December the twentieth.

Five days before Christmas.

Tuesdays are one of my precious days off, and yet I'm spending it with that irritating kid, Arthur. No really, he isn't all that bad, but I am kind of glad that I haven't seen him too often since school finished.

Tayla had come over earlier in the week to tell me she was hanging out with her friends in town today, and that she wouldn't be coming over to my place until later. Though I could've just sat at home, I wasn't really in the mood for that, so I bussed over to Arthur Davies' place instead. I guess I just didn't feel like being alone for some reason.

I didn't end up staying at Arthur's for long, however, because as it turned out he wanted to do something that he didn't want to do in his own home.

'My mum would beat the crap out of me if I did that at home,' he'd said.

So, in any case, we ended up bussing back to mine anyway. Given that we're headed to mine, it would be fair to assume that I've told Arthur about my past. That's not the case, however.

I simply told him that I lived by myself due to 'extenuating circumstances' and refused to elaborate further. Even though Arthur can be pretty dense at times, he got the message pretty quick with that.

"I can't believe we're really doing this," Arthur said, once we were sat down in the living room of my home.

"You're the one who wants to though…" I respond, "I never even said I was going to have any."

Sitting between us on the couch, is an almost comically suspicious looking brown bag, inside of which there is weed. Marijuana was legalised quite some time ago, before I was born, I think, but not for minors like us. Arthur told me that an older cousin of his gave it to him a while ago, but he hadn't had any.

Because he didn't want to try it alone, I guess.

Which is understandable. I don't think most people get high by themselves.

Arthur does have a lighter, that he stole from his father's office before we left their house.

"Come on, you've got to have some at least."

"No way, Tayla's coming over later."

"Sure, whatever…"

It's probably worth mentioning at this point that Arthur is under the belief that Tayla isn't real. He thinks that I made her up, since he's never met her. Apparently, someone like me who only has a single friend at school, couldn't possibly have a girlfriend. To him, Tayla is outside the realm of reality.

It isn't like I really want them to meet, anyway.

Even if he is my only friend at school, I wouldn't call Arthur a close friend, so I don't feel the need to have Tayla meet Arthur.

"… I'm sure if you have just a small amount, it won't affect you that much. And it'll probably wear off by this evening."

"Do you know that for sure?"

"I'm sure. Probably anyway."

"Probably?"

"Come on, Alexander. Don't you at least want to try it once?"

I can't say it isn't tempting. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't.

It's almost like the very illicit nature of the act, makes you want to do it even more. It tempts you. And what are the repercussions of doing it? As far as I know at least, Tayla isn't vehemently against drug use. Weed isn't that bad anyway.

I know Tayla hasn't taken any drugs in the past, but I don't think it's because she is against the use of them, she just personally isn't interested.

I hadn't thought that I was really interested either, but now given the opportunity… it doesn't really seem like all that bad a thing.

Surely, just the once, it's fine.

"Fine, whatever. But I'm only having one joint. I don't want to be intoxicated when Tayla gets here."

"Okay! Let's do this then."

"Yeah, yeah, don't make a big deal out of it."