Denis

You're a difficult teenager. You're rarely home, and if you are, you leave with a tantrum. You've got a ton of bad habits and a bad temper. You're sitting on the windowsill in the entryway, phone in hand, your finger hovering over the name "Denis." You're so hungry for a smoke your teeth ache, but the pack was left at home. Your mother found it and screamed, "You're driving me crazy! Who are you?!" You yelled back, grabbed your jacket, and walked out, slamming the door. Let him sit there and think about it.

You're about to press "call" when the screen lights up. "Denis." You grin, picking up the phone.

"Hello?" the voice was hoarse, as if he was also yelling.

“Why are you calling?” you interrupt. “I was about to call you too. What happened?”

— I was kicked out.

“You have no idea,” you say, your voice growing angrier. “Me too. And why did this happen to you?”

— Yes, my stepmother... She was cleaning and found some empty jars of 000k vodka under the bed. I hid them, thinking she wouldn't find them, but she gave me a thorough cleaning. And then... it was total crap.

“How many cans?” you ask.

— Six, almost empty. As soon as she saw me, she said, "You're an alcoholic! Who are you like?!" Well, I told her it was better to be an alcoholic than a hysterical woman like her, and I left.

Something warms in my chest – you two, damn it, are like two peas in a pod. Both idiots, homeless, with cigarettes in your pocket, if you're lucky.

"And my mother told me about the cigarettes," you say, watching the rain pouring down through the murky glass. "She found them in my bag. I didn't even try to hide them. And she said, 'You've ruined my whole life! I raised you, and you...'"

“That’s tough,” Denis says. “Where are you?”

— In the entryway. I really want to smoke, but my cigarettes are still at home, and my mom will definitely throw them out.

— I have one. Two left.

"Then why are we acting like losers?" You jump off the windowsill. "Let's meet at our place."

"That's why I called you, actually," Denis chuckled into the phone. "Do you have a light?"