It was a day like every other day, but this day would change Alex's mind and perspective of the world for his whole life.
Alex came from a relatively well-off family. Compared with his other relatives, his parents had the best jobs. But this was also what put so much pressure on Alex.
Today, Alex had a visit from a near cousin, who was working as a dealer. Always having an inferiority complex is one thing, but having easy access to drugs made one prone to fall in the life of a junkie. This was also how Alex ended in the other timeline.
Alex had many opportunities to take Nuke for example, but he stayed strong thanks to his friends and family. People are always differentiating between friends and family.
Both give a person a certain halt in life like a pillar. Family gives you love combined with the pressure to make them proud.
Friends are also giving love, but they don't expect anything from you, only mutual help and acceptance in life.
Alex's parents were putting pressure they wanted their son to be successful. If he didn't do well in an exam or a test, he would have to bear it.
If his friends were more successful than him, they would be jealous and disappointed.
In other person's eyes, it wouldn't seem that extrem, but Alex was angry about his parents not accepting him and counted every little jealousy or disappointment, which he caused.
This made him be even more thankful and dependent of his friendships.
„Alex, the Gants are here. Come down!" Said his mother.
This was how a normal family meeting began.
After lunch, Alex and his cousin Vernon Gant went together in his room.
In the room, Vernon looked him over with condescending bemusement and then looked around. Vernon was 22, he wore an expensive suit and looked like he came from money.
´How come Vernon seems so rich now? Is it because of Nuke? No can't be? Maybe he stopped dealing?´ Alex thought while staring back at his cousin.
„Shit! It's gotta be-- 2 years--?"
„But who's counting. If I remember correctly the last time, we saw your parents you didn't have time."
„Yeah, sorry about that time.
Your room looks the same as before!
Are you still at school?"
„I am now in my 11th class. It won't be long and I will have my abitur."
Vern looks half suspicious, half impressed.
Alex asked back: „How about you? Still dealing, Vernon?"
„Do I look like I'm still dealing?" Vernon asked back smugly.
Alex sizes him up: the suit, shoes, watch, haircut.
„No."
„Come on, let's get a drink. I wanna hear about your life. What happened in your last 2 years?"
„Nah, I should go--."
„You can't tell me you're a health nut, now. Not with that tire..."
„Enticing invitation. Thanks."Alex responded annoyed.
´I am just tired from all that learning. Since the day, I heard that Ben started to study for the exams, I also began. This has always been the relationship I had with Vern. I already decided to stop drinking. But now, he will try to convince me with all means.´
Suddenly, Verne took Alex's phone, which was charging just next to him.
„C'mon, c'mon, one beer. Or I won't give it back." He holds the phone just out of Alex's reach.
„It's one o'clock in the afternoon, Vern."
„When's that ever stopped you?"
Alex sighs. ´Fuck. As long as it is only one beer every year it should be acceptable. I need to stop seeing this guy.´
...
In a bar, some streets away, a bartender brings beers to Alex and Vernon who sit at the
bar. Alex clearly wishes he were elsewhere.
The two discussed half an hour about their troublesome parents.
„I know this is somewhat unpleasant, but I heard from my parents that you aren't so good in school. How about it?" Vern asked cautiously.
„This time I began studying a lot earlier, but I always have the feeling that i doesn't advance. I still can't explain the things I studied before. It is almost the same as not studying at all." Alex said depressingly.
„Wow. Learning problem, huh?" Vern appraises him. He then followed with:
„I think I have something that can help you."
He reaches into his pocket. Alex thinks he knows what's coming.
„Oh, no-- no, no, no..." He declined reflexively.
„You don't even know what it is."
„You're still dealing."
„No -- yeah --will you listen?! This isn't recreational. I've been doing some consulting for a pharmaceutical company."
„You mean a lab in some little Yalie's basement? Give me a..."
„No, this is an exclusive product coming on-stream next year, they've had clinical trials, and it's FDA approved."
A long beat. Alex bites his lips and then asked: „Okay, what is it?"
Vern reaches into his jacket, produces a tiny plastic sachet with his right hand, tapping something out into the palm of his left. He holds this up for Alex to see... a tiny white unmarked tablet.
„What's in it?"
Vern puts the little white tablet on the bar.
„Just take it. Get you over the hump."
„I'm too old for this, Vernon."
„Look, they've identified these receptors in the brain that activate specific circuits, and you know how they say you can only access like 20 percent of your brain? Well, what this does..."
„Vern. Firstly, I read in an article that this theorie was debunk some years ago. Secondly, my life is in the crapper, and I don't think it's going to take a sudden upswing into the stratosphere if I do some brand new, shiny designer DRUG!"
Vern's phone rings. He holds up his index finger „Shh-shh!" and takes the call.
Alex could feel Vern getting agitated.
„When. --I know, but when?" He said to the person, who called him, and then looked at his watch.
„Tell him we can't do that. He knows that's out of the question. We absolutely can't do that."
Vern is edgy. Very tense. He continues:
„No, I'm not going to tell him! You tell him -- no, now!"
He turns off his phone, gets up.
„Fucking people. I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you here, Alex. But let's hang out again, have another beer."
He takes out his business card and places it carefully next to the little white tablet on the bench.
„By the way, that's on the house."
„I don't want it, Vern." Vern smiles at him.
„Don't be ungrateful, now. You know how much these things cost?" Alex shakes his head.
„Eight hundred bucks a pop." He pats Alex on the shoulder and goes. Alex is still looking at the pill. Which seems to be looking back at him.
Having taken the business card and the pill, Alex makes his way back home, a little tipsy.
After a 15 min-walk, he was before the door of his „home".
He digs in his pocket for the keys and comes up with... the little white pill.
Coming into the house, he sees his parents clean the table.
´It seems like I just missed the Cants. Not like I care too much. My father was the nearest to the Cants. My mother was just being friendly and polite. Vern was my idol when I was younger.
But the moment he began as a dealer, everyone showed disdain and also tried to convince me to not talk with him. Probably, he didn't come last time as my parents didn't want him to come.
I don't care. He still is a nice guy. No need to paint dealer blacker, than they already are.´
Arriving in his room, Alex sees the books over his desk. The sight of it made him feel tired.
He reached into his pocket. The pill sat teasingly in the palm of his hand, looking up at him.
Alex looked back to the desk and then back to the pill.
´Well. It is not like I would lose anything. I hope at least, I can be a little productive till the end of the day.´
Quickly, impulsively, he swallows it.
Suddenly, a knock could be heard from his door. Alex turned just enough to see how his mother walked into his room.
His mother sniffed at him and began criticizing him.
„Don't tell me you drank with Vernon? You are just in the exam preparation period! You..."
Alex already knew what she wanted to say. He didn't even listen to her.
´I suddenly had an extra reason to get away from her. I had thoughtlessly ingested a substance.´
His mother's tirade didn't seem to end for now. Sometimes It can be surprising how long one can talk about one topic. In the meantime, Alex was thinking about the pill.
´I had gotten remarkably little information from Vernon about what this drug would do.
...What if it was a hallucinogen...oh, my God... listening to her rag if I were tripping...? I'd fall on my annoying mother.´
At that moment, one could see Alex's pupils contract just slightly. A flicker.
´Wow. I - I feel it. The room is changing... it is springing into sharper focus.
Levels more, layers more, 3-D more... galactically more. But the same. Just the depth and beauty... of clarity.´
There seems to be more definition, more dimension, a little more light -- he can see more clearly. The SOUND drops out for a moment; he could see his mother's face, mouth contorted, continuing to heap the abuse, but there's something in her eyes that's not mean... something anxious. He looks at her with a sudden keen intelligence. And sympathy.
„... You just won't listen to reason!" His mother finished. She seemed tired. Alex understood how she felt. He felt the worry and love she had for him.
„Mom, I am sorry. From now on I will be better." He said these words with affection and hugged his mother lovingly.
His mother was moved to tears and only left silently after a few minutes.