Music blared loudly through the door. Becky stood in front of it and looked both ways along the hall. How had no one complained about the noise? She lifted her fist and pounded. No answer, so she thumped the door harder. "Kane!"

A chubby guy wearing black rimmed glasses stuck his head out of the room next door and said, "He isn't going to hear you."

"Why haven't you complained about this?" Becky said drop jawed. "Why hasn't anyone complained about it?" she added looking up and down the hall once more.

Laughing, the guy stepped into the corridor and rested his shoulder against the door jamb. "We have a bit of a deal going." Nudging his head he continued, "Everyone in the other five rooms on this floor study at the library or elsewhere. They hate bringing study home," he said using his fingers to invert the words "study home." He grinned and added, "Kane's the only one who studies in his room so we've planned it so it works most of the time."

"Right..." Becky nodded. "So what about you? Surely this noise is annoying you?"

"Nah... I'm playing Red Dead Redemption so I've got my soundproof headphones on. I just happen to take them off as you were banging."

"So how am I going to get him to answer the door?"

"I'll text him." The guy dug in his pocket for his phone. "He won't usually open the door but I'll tell him there's a parcel in the hall for him and that should work."

"Thanks." Becky sighed. Kane had told her his study routine was a shambles and now she understood why he didn't want her coming to his unit. She figured she could have text him herself but the parcel outside the door idea was a good one as he'd have probably put her off.

"Are you one of his girlfriends?"

"One? What?" Becky threw her head back in shock. "How many does he have?"

"Ah... oh... sorry." The guy lifted his palms. "I don't know. It's just... well... there used to be a redhead last year that he hung with. I haven't seen him with anyone else but I just figured with him looking like he does and being on the basketball team that he'd have more than one girl chasing him." He lifted his shoulders in a shrug and yanked his head to the side. "Gotta go. Games on."

"I'm not chasing him!" Becky yelled as she watched him dart back inside his unit and quickly shut the door. What the hell was that all about? Would Kane have other girls coming to his unit? Another bundle of anxiety dipped and dove in her stomach. She took a big breath to steady her thumping heart and clenched her fists just as the door was wrenched open.

"Becky!" Kane pulled his head back in shock. He was dressed in a pair of long white drawstring cheesecloth pants and nothing else.

"Yeah! Becky!" She lifted both hands and shoved him in the chest so he stumbled backwards into the room allowing her free access. There was no way she was going to have him stop her from entering.

"What the hell!"

Becky pushed the door shut with her foot and yelled, "Turn the music off, Kane!" She glanced around the room. The place was a mess. Empty takeaway food containers everywhere, open books scattered on every available spot, clothes all over the floor along with empty drink cans. He had warned her but this was beyond ridiculous.

"What are you doing here?" Kane said as the music shut down. "I told you to never come here while I was studying."

Blowing out her breath, Becky stared at him. "You're high, aren't you?"

"No."

"And that is?" She lifted her hand and pointed at the juice bottle half filled with water and two pieces of hose stuck into the sides. One with an alfoil cone stuck in the end.

"It's... it's... just a bit of weed." Kane smiled and stepped toward her. "I told you I smoke it sometimes."

"You told me you took party drugs at music festivals sometimes not that you smoked weed."

"It's nothing." He held his hands out to her. "I use it to study. It helps me relax so I can get my head around everything."

"Don't." Becky knocked his hands down and stepped around him. She lifted loose sheets of paper that were lying scattered on his desk, and then yanked open the top drawer; nothing but writing paraphernalia and more paper.

"What are you doing, Becky?"

"You lied to me, Kane. I asked you if you took drugs and you lied to me." She shuffled more things around, and then opened the second drawer. "I told you how I felt about drugs and I found that envelope." She straightened up and faced him with anger before diving down and opening the third drawer.

"This is insane." Kane ran his hands over his head. "You're not going to find anything." He stepped forward and tugged open one of the overhead cupboard doors and pulled out his stash. "Here! That's all I've got." He tossed the little plastic bag on the desk in front of her. "I only bloody smoke it when I'm studying." Kane shook his head at her and shoved his hands on his hips. "This is fucked. So fucked! What the fuck do you think I am, Becky? I'm so pissed off right now!"

"So am I!" Becky lifted the bag and jabbed him in the ribs with her free hand. "I know when someone is fucking lying to me about drugs."

"What a load of shit," Kane spat back at her. "You're so fucking straight you wouldn't know the first thing about drugs."

"You know nothing about me, arsehole." Becky threw the bag of marijuana on his desk, turned and lifted the corner of his mattress so fast that Kane had no time to react. She lifted the tin hidden there, flipped open the lid and threw it on the bed. A crack pipe, needle and small bag of crystals tumbled onto the covers.

"I only use it when I'm studying!"

"It's never only when it comes to drugs, Kane," Becky said with a hint of desolation in her voice.

"It doesn't affect me, baby." He put his hands on her waist and smiled down on her. "I'm high functioning, Becky. I only use it to study. It turns my brain on so every year I use..."

"Don't." Becky pushed his hands away and wiped away the tears that had crawled down her face. "There's no only, Kane." She lifted her face and met his eyes. "I'm the daughter of two drug addicts. Both of my parents are dead because of drugs. My mother crippled my brother because of drugs and my father committed suicide because of drugs, so don't tell me there's an only." She wiped her face again and stepped toward the door.

Kane reached for her but she got out of his way before he could take hold of her hand. "Where are you going?"

The weight of sadness pressed down on Becky. She looked over at him with blurry vision, her hand on the door knob. "Back to my life before you. At least what's left of it." Becky swallowed the large lump in her throat. "I can't do this, Kane. I can't deal with another drug addict in my life."

"I'm not a drug addict," Kane cried, his hands held out in pleading.

"Anyone who relies on drugs for whatever excuse is a drug addict, Kane." She shook her head and let her tears fall as she opened the door. "You're a good man; a truly beautiful person. I wish only the best for you but I won't watch you destroy your life." Becky stepped through the threshold and turned to face him one last time before she closed the door behind her. "Drug addicts die, Kane. Please don't die."

Oh, Kane.  What are you doing? :O

Poor Becky.  I agree with her. Please don't die, Kane :(

Photo copyright - Sunshine House