Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
nihilistia
Meteorite
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2025
Returning to Yareli had to be rock bottom. It wasn't, but it was certainly coming up fast. It had been almost four years since Carmen had been back home. The last time had been the summer after high school graduation. She was eighteen by then, couldn't wait to leave, but her apartment lease didn't start until the beginning of term. She'd lasted two semesters at university, changed her major three times and got booted out because of her low GPA. She really was smart, all As in high school. But at college there were parties every night, and she had a bit too much fun to forget. Carmen stopped even going to class, stopped taking her meds too. The ones she was prescribed anyway. She had developed a taste for her mother's Oxy while the woman laid in her deathbed, rapidly deteriorating. Her dad wanted to take care of her, so she could die in her own home. She was in a lot of pain in the end and the hospice nurse who came when she passed didn't take any of her meds.
Her drug use had started a few years before that when she was pretty young. Her dad didn't like that her best friend was a boy, but mom thought Shun was a good kid. He turned out not to be the best influence. Carmen took anything he gave her. Started off with just a little bit of weed, little bit of shrooms. Not even drugs, right? But then they started going to parties and that turned into molly, she tried coke, and she learned she liked sedatives. But opiates were her true love. Her parents didn't notice. Mom was still in the early stages of her cancer treatments so they were a bit preoccupied. And her little sister, Davina, would cover for her, she never had to ask her to. Even after mom passed, dad didn't notice. He was blinded by his grief. He'd get drunk and cry holding Carmen because she looked so much like his Faith. Davina had taken after his white ass with light, loose curls and green eyes. It was awful, could last for hours and happened often. It stopped eventually, when he just stopped looking at her.
These days, she took pretty much whatever she could get her hands on. She'd done some things she wasn't proud of, and that was just the shit she remembered. Carmen lost her apartment and had been couch hopping for a while. Thankfully she had made a lot of fair weather friends in her party days, but she had lost them all one at a time when they got tired of her crashing at their homes, usually high and drunk too, if she could swing it. She was brokeass, but found a way. Dealers loved her, all the boys loved Carmen, they would slip her a Plan B with her Oxy because bitches like that will trap your ass if you're not careful. But that didn't last forever.
Years ago, dad had told her to come home, he'd find her some help. She didn't want it then, and she definitely wanted it now. Carmen wanted somewhere to lay her head, someone who would enable her bad habits. She'd been sleeping in her car for... a while? Time gets weird when you spend most of it high. She got into an accident, got a DUI and totaled her car. She spent a couple nights in jail. Having to sleep at shelters or on the street finally drove her back to Yareli.
Dad helped her pay the fines, but when Carmen showed up on his doorstep he turned her away. So did the rest of their local family. He must have told them. Wanted to give her this bullshit tough love treatment instead of giving her something she could fall back on. They found a couple days later her and brought her to an intervention at her grandma's house. Carmen was already in withdrawal and agitated so there was a lot of screaming and cursing and the breaking of dishes. She didn't need to hear what a disappointment she was, she already fucking knew that.
Carmen left, and not to go to rehab like they wanted. She tried to call her old sponsor, but he'd had her blocked for a while. Her phone died and she was alone in a city where she didn't have any friends left. Well, maybe one friend. She hadn't talked to Shun since she left because he was the only thing she had missed. Needed a clean break, or something. Turns out he wasn't all that hard to find. The world gets a lot smaller when you know it's underbelly. He had some street cred now. Carmen wanted better for him, but wasn't surprised by it either. Another old schoolmate told her where he might be selling, she worked in the same dead end diner job she'd gotten out of high school.
Not safe for a girl alone on the Yareli streets at night. They were having mild weather, but Carmen couldn't stop shivering. She felt like shit, and didn't look great either. She was on the taller side for a woman, skinnier than she had been in high school. Black sweater, black jeans and scuffed boots. She'd always been partial to wearing black. Everything she owned was the duffel bag she carried. Dragged it all over the city looking for him. Would he be happy to see her? No, probably not. But she was sure happy to see him. He was out here, so that meant he was carrying, right? She adjusted the strap on her shoulder. He had really grown up, but she still recognized him in the dark, coming up from behind. "Didya miss me?" She asked, real frienly like addicts are when they want something, even though she felt pathetic and sick as a dog. Every last part of her hurt. Good thing he was out here, no way she was going to be allowed in any of the clubs looking like this. Days old makeup smudged around her eyes and in the middle of a bad come down. For him it was probably just some Tuesday.
Her drug use had started a few years before that when she was pretty young. Her dad didn't like that her best friend was a boy, but mom thought Shun was a good kid. He turned out not to be the best influence. Carmen took anything he gave her. Started off with just a little bit of weed, little bit of shrooms. Not even drugs, right? But then they started going to parties and that turned into molly, she tried coke, and she learned she liked sedatives. But opiates were her true love. Her parents didn't notice. Mom was still in the early stages of her cancer treatments so they were a bit preoccupied. And her little sister, Davina, would cover for her, she never had to ask her to. Even after mom passed, dad didn't notice. He was blinded by his grief. He'd get drunk and cry holding Carmen because she looked so much like his Faith. Davina had taken after his white ass with light, loose curls and green eyes. It was awful, could last for hours and happened often. It stopped eventually, when he just stopped looking at her.
These days, she took pretty much whatever she could get her hands on. She'd done some things she wasn't proud of, and that was just the shit she remembered. Carmen lost her apartment and had been couch hopping for a while. Thankfully she had made a lot of fair weather friends in her party days, but she had lost them all one at a time when they got tired of her crashing at their homes, usually high and drunk too, if she could swing it. She was brokeass, but found a way. Dealers loved her, all the boys loved Carmen, they would slip her a Plan B with her Oxy because bitches like that will trap your ass if you're not careful. But that didn't last forever.
Years ago, dad had told her to come home, he'd find her some help. She didn't want it then, and she definitely wanted it now. Carmen wanted somewhere to lay her head, someone who would enable her bad habits. She'd been sleeping in her car for... a while? Time gets weird when you spend most of it high. She got into an accident, got a DUI and totaled her car. She spent a couple nights in jail. Having to sleep at shelters or on the street finally drove her back to Yareli.
Dad helped her pay the fines, but when Carmen showed up on his doorstep he turned her away. So did the rest of their local family. He must have told them. Wanted to give her this bullshit tough love treatment instead of giving her something she could fall back on. They found a couple days later her and brought her to an intervention at her grandma's house. Carmen was already in withdrawal and agitated so there was a lot of screaming and cursing and the breaking of dishes. She didn't need to hear what a disappointment she was, she already fucking knew that.
Carmen left, and not to go to rehab like they wanted. She tried to call her old sponsor, but he'd had her blocked for a while. Her phone died and she was alone in a city where she didn't have any friends left. Well, maybe one friend. She hadn't talked to Shun since she left because he was the only thing she had missed. Needed a clean break, or something. Turns out he wasn't all that hard to find. The world gets a lot smaller when you know it's underbelly. He had some street cred now. Carmen wanted better for him, but wasn't surprised by it either. Another old schoolmate told her where he might be selling, she worked in the same dead end diner job she'd gotten out of high school.
Not safe for a girl alone on the Yareli streets at night. They were having mild weather, but Carmen couldn't stop shivering. She felt like shit, and didn't look great either. She was on the taller side for a woman, skinnier than she had been in high school. Black sweater, black jeans and scuffed boots. She'd always been partial to wearing black. Everything she owned was the duffel bag she carried. Dragged it all over the city looking for him. Would he be happy to see her? No, probably not. But she was sure happy to see him. He was out here, so that meant he was carrying, right? She adjusted the strap on her shoulder. He had really grown up, but she still recognized him in the dark, coming up from behind. "Didya miss me?" She asked, real frienly like addicts are when they want something, even though she felt pathetic and sick as a dog. Every last part of her hurt. Good thing he was out here, no way she was going to be allowed in any of the clubs looking like this. Days old makeup smudged around her eyes and in the middle of a bad come down. For him it was probably just some Tuesday.