Pill bottles labeled morphine, heroin and pain killers were lying all over the floor in Elijah's small and dusty apartment. They weren't completely emptied out, but Elijah had swallowed enough of them for him to be out of his mind. He was hunched over in his chair trying to snort the last bit of cocaine before smacking his forehead against the desk. This was the lowest of the lows. It was his vanishing point. Elijah was ready to die and be free from the burdens of this world. 

He was a prisoner to his own body. Trapped inside his own mind. 

Unfortunately, he woke up the next day, in a daze and lightheaded from his own overdose. Elijah let out a few sickly coughs before realizing the state of his apartment. It was a mess from last night. What the fuck even happened last night? Elijah thought to himself. He began to confuse himself, hallucinations forming in his vision as his hands were trembling from anxiety. Elijah was all skin and bones - had not eaten for a couple of days. Dark circles under his eyes made him look like a racoon. 

White, blurry flashes reappeared before him. Elijah was still in a weird state of mind, but he could recognize those flashes. Very brief flashes of memory from his childhood - from his dad teaching him the ropes on how to ride a bike to Elijah who had once been attending college to finish his corporate finance degree. They were flashes of his memories. Good ones. 

Elijah had to really think about what he was doing and whether overdosing on drugs - and ultimately throwing his whole life away - was worth it. He couldn't stand to be like this any longer. A street rat, a gangster constantly on the prowl to nag old ladies for their purses. That wasn't him. He had a business degree that he had never thought about putting to use, and he also had a fire of passion burning inside him.

This wasn't him. Unclean, bitter and jobless. It was time for a change. This was a new era now. Elijah finally lifted himself up from the ground, using the chair near him to get up, groaning. He searched quickly around his desk for the black journal. He contacted an old friend. They met up in the local park to talk.

The man he had contacted was sitting beside him on the park bench. He dug into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. He tilted his head back and let out a stream of smoke. "You want work, kid?" 

Actually - it wasn't really a question. It was more of like a welcome-back-greeting. This guy, who was sitting beside Elijah, used to do a lot of heists with him. Both of them - together - robbing banks and doing whatever gangsters do. They had lost contact after a big heist. The man, whose name was Tony split the profits with Elijah, and both went their separate ways. Elijah looked at him, and before Tony could even get a word in, threw his arms around Tony and hugged like like a long lost brother.

"It's been so long, mate. What did you do with all that money?" Elijah bared his gums as he plastered a smile on his face. He always wondered what Tony was up to these days. As for Elijah, the eleven million in cash that he took off with was spent on drugs, drugs and more drugs. This meeting with Tony was going to be a life changer.

Tony also wondered what Elijah was up to. He always thought of him as a good kid. Tony was a couple of years older than him and was promoted a wise guy before Elijah even turned 15. Despite knowing he was a good kid, he also knew that he was bound to get in some trouble along the way. Tony wished he could've been there for Elijah in his dark times. Word spreads around quickly when it comes to drug addicts. He didn't want to linger on the negativity anymore. He mirrored the smile on Elijah's face. 

Tony slapped him on the back playfully - a little too hard - "... cars, clothes and hoes." 

This earned a loud chuckle from Elijah. It was the first time in a long time that he had laughed - and meant it. He shook his head, almost frozen in time, as he thought about all the good memories he had with this guy. But then his smile faded and his world went dark again. Tony seemed to notice his sudden change of demeanour and questioned it. "Elijah," Tony said as he deepened his voice, "you know I'm here if you need help. With anything. But the thing that I'm not going to do is fuel your drug addiction. You hear me? I come here and traveled all this way, boy. Don't get my hopes up. Now tell me how you really are these days." 

And just like that - everything changed.

Elijah was completely stoked on having this new job. It wasn't what he initially wanted, but it was a good start and an improvement from making money by selling drugs. After that day Elijah and Tony met up, he had generously given Elijah a job at a local factory. All he really had to do was pack boxes of lunch meat that would be shipped off to the cafeterias of various schools. The pay was decent enough - it put dinner on the table every night - which is all that mattered to Elijah. 

He agreed on a condition that Tony had, that they would meet up at least few times a month. Tony wanted regular updates on how Elijah was doing and most importantly, make sure that he really was off the drug addiction. The purpose of this new job was not only to make money, but hopefully to help Elijah see his future potential. He is more than just a victim of drugs. Tony knows it's going to take a long time before Elijah will fully see that. 

Trauma can't just be pushed away, but it can make a person stronger. 

On the first day, Elijah of course got to meet all the people he'd be working with for the next few months. He was on a 6 month contract. Elijah's first impression of the first guy that he met was literally - "is he legal?" An extremely skinny build and a height shorter than Elijah's fifteen year old nephew, no doubt this guy has been mistaken for being a twelve year old before. Good thing that the guy was all smiles and laughs. He wasn't offended at all. But he did play a prank on Elijah later that day as playful revenge. Before Elijah knew it, the shift was already over and he was saying goodbye to a couple of friends he had made. 

Few months went by and Elijah was on a roll. He got along really well with his other coworkers. If there ever were fights, Elijah would not be one to get involved anymore. He was getting better too - physically and mentally. The gym down the street was starting to become his second home and he was definitely progressing very well. His shoulders were bulking, and the abs were starting to show. Tony was a big help with his mental health. They were still meeting up regularly, but the conversations are super brief now - Tony always has to run off for something. But it's alright. Elijah understood. He's a busy guy. 

If he didn't have work or anything, Elijah would head down to the local bar. Like tonight. Work closed early so he took the chance to buy a drink from MotorCity Liquor. He wasn't prepared for who he was going to end up bumping into though...

The local bar was crowded with patrons. People crowding around the bar counter, people dancing on the pool tables and a game of poker at a small table in the corner. It was always this busy in the evening. Elijah walked in and his eyes scanned around, until they landed on another pair of eyes. 

They were so recognizable, like he had stared deeply into them before. 

She hadn't noticed that anyone was staring at her, until the bartender snitched on Elijah, pointing towards him and smirking to the woman. "I think that guy's got a crush on you, ma'am." The woman looked up from her drink, taken aback that someone seemed to take interest in her. She was ready to get out her pepper spray. Before she could even adjust her vision onto Elijah, he was already approaching her. His legs found him finally standing in front of her. Elijah raised his brows in surprise. Those eyes of hers up close were a danger.                                                          

"It's been so long, Samantha." 

Her curiosity was killed as she instantly figured out who she was speaking to. A past lover/an ex-boyfriend. She blurted out a "hi" - frozen in shock. Elijah cleared his throat and spoke again for her. "I guess this is my.. cue to leave?" He brought his hand up and scratched the back of his neck. These two had shared a long history with each other. Elijah had met her during his time in college and they were an official couple for two years. When the drug addiction hit, Samantha left. She didn't leave because she cheated though. It was that she couldn't bear to see him in such pain and angst. 

It was expected. As Elijah's love for drugs was growing, his love for Samantha was fading. 

It was really crazy to think that if Elijah had not finished work early and had not decided to go to the bar, he wouldn't have had the chance to see his ex girlfriend again. Time passed quickly as they chatted throughout the night. They were there until the bar had to close, and Elijah didn't even realize it. He walked out with her, slightly tipsy from the alcohol and ready for a good night's sleep. Samantha joined him in feeling tired. The moon was high up in the sky, which was moments away from raining. 

"Well before we get soaked, I think I should head home now," Elijah muttered in a sleepy voice, not giving her direct eye contact. He was still wary about how they ended. It didn't help that almost every time he looked her in the eye he was reminded of the moments of the breakup. Samantha was okay with his statement though. She was exhausted as well, and was only supposed to be at the bar for one drink after a hard day at the office, but ended up spending a little more than a few hours. Fate works in so many ways, doesn't it? Samantha nodded, not taking her eyes away from the path ahead of her. "Me too." 

Elijah put his hoodie over his head, zipped himself up and raised his head slowly to look at her - probably for the last time. The real last time. Samantha smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She was calm, but not content. They locked eyes for a few seconds. Those seconds seemed to last a whole lifetime before one of them spoke again. Samantha let out a sigh and continued, "I had a good time, by the way. Catching up and all." 

"Yeah, same." 

"This is it, huh?"

"Yeah. I think so." 

--

History had repeated itself. Once again, they part ways, but it wasn't as dramatic like before. Their eyes lingered on each other for another moment, the moon perfectly shining light on the both of them, before Samantha took the first few steps away. Neither said the words 'bye' - in case they might somehow bump into each other again. It wasn't long before Elijah found himself in his apartment again. He took a long nap, and tried to cancel out the bad memories he had shared with Samantha.