As he sat outside on an old chair in his backyard, the smoke invading his lungs, he realized the high wasn't enough to get him by anymore.

He took another hit, hoping that maybe that would be able to let him escape the thoughts he was having. He let the smoke remain inside his mouth for a few seconds, trying to savor it better this time. Maybe he was just having an off day, he thought. A moment later, he breathed out again, his lungs quietly thanking him.

A frown fell upon his face and he let out a low grunt, throwing the blunt on the grass and immediately killing it with his left foot. It was useless.

The sweet smell of dead cannabis filled up the air and he felt like puking. Usually, he'd take in the smell and smile in satisfaction at the only thing keeping him grounded—his only friend. But now, he couldn't stand the thought of it letting him down for the first time. Fear overtook him as he wondered if this was as far as the weed would take him. He'd always heard that one day, it would stop working and he would aim for a stronger drug. Ecstasy or cocaine maybe.

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head at himself. Deep down inside, he knew that no drug would ever compare to the high she gave him. No drug would ever be able to free him from the thoughts he had of her. No matter how out of it he was, the thought of her was so pure and so vivid that it almost seemed to sober him up.

He missed her. He hated it but he did. He felt so lonely. Everything around him was crumbling down. Heck, not even the weed offered him help anymore. It was pathetic. He was pathetic. No one bothered asking him how he felt anymore; they didn't care. Not even his own mother bothered fighting for him. What kind of mother gave up on her son like that? Letting a drug win the battle. She didn't even try getting him to quit anymore. She, quite frankly, didn't even try. His mother never tried the way she did.

She had always cared. Not for a single moment did she stop. At first, when he started smoking, he did it for fun. He did it because it was new, and if all your friends did it, you weren't going to look like a wuss and turn it down. At least he wouldn't. But when she was gone—oh, that became his remedy. He let it consume every aspect of his life. It replaced her—or at least it tried. But that was no match for her. She was beyond anything and everything. She was his world. He needed her. He had been lonely for too long.

And as all these thoughts traveled through his mind, he pulled out his phone. He didn't know why or how he did it, but he dialed her number.

And he almost hung up, but she beat him to it.

"Hello?"

The second he heard that, his heart felt things no boy should ever be allowed to feel for a girl. But there he was, completely and utterly infatuated with the melody that was her voice.

"Hi."