Celestia and DealerAnon Pt. 21

>So, Celestia is on the loose and you have to find her before she snitches
>You'll have to either leave the bar early or somehow convince Ty and Santiago to join
>Asking some of the vagrants around should give a good start
>After that, just ask around until you find her
>And if you find her, you'll have to apologize and offer her a place to stay
>After that, you're free to party with your friends
>Case closed
>You laugh quietly at your optimism, not entirely convinced it isn't just the alcohol thinking
>On the other hand, it's better than nothing
>But the absolutely first step of your plan is resting in your hand
>You pocket the baggie and open the fridge
>Retrieving two beers, you waltz back to the living room
''Ty, I'm gonna take a leak. Everything good with Santiago?''
>''Yeah, yeah. Don't keep me waiting.''
>Ty waves a hand dismissively and as if on cue, you walk back to the stairs with the beer in your hand

>Cutting out a small line on the blue porcelain of the bathroom sink, you notice your hands are shaking
>Maybe with good reason
>You know that once you snort this, you might go back to your old ways
>Back when you still got high on stuff you were meant to sell off
>Before that Rain Catcher kid overdosed
>Moving the end of the rolled-up bill closer to the small pile on the sink, you find yourself thinking
>Is this really what you should do?
>Can you kick the habit again?
>Is this the same shit that killed Catcher?
>Yes, yes and probably
>As you inhale sharply, you feel the familiar numbness in your upper throat spreading again
>Oh fuck yes
>You inhale greedily until there's nothing left on the sink
>You briefly consider licking the sink for leftovers, but quickly decide against it
>You're not in that deep
>Yet
>You are shaken from your thoughts by the familiar head rush coming on
>You close your eyes, lean back, and savor the warmth
>Fuck yes

''Hey Ty, what's Santiago say?''
>He grins in response and turns toward you
>''He says he's fine with it, G. He's actually going to Donny's Liquor now. Asked if we'd go and meet him.''
>You give Ty a wide grin
>Where would you be without him?
''Alright bro, let's grab some beers and bounce!''

>Walking through the falling snow, smelling fresh, mouth washed, cocaine pounding in your brain, you feel better than ever before
>Tapping on your telephone, you put on a song from the MP3 player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q7Evq9lCTs
>Walking with a confident swagger, feeling the reassuring weight of the gun in your pocket, you pass by vagrants and addicts
>Fuck them all, they can feel free to try anything
>''Damn Anon, I ain't seen you this happy in a long time.''
>Ty is walking beside you with his hood pulled up, giving you a wide grin
>You answer with one of your own and thump his shoulder
''Yeah, everything's just kinda coming back to me now, you know? You're a great friend, you know that?''
>Ty laughs and punches your shoulder
>''Shiieet nigga, right back at you. Right back at you.''
>He hands you a beer from the half-empty case and cracks open his own
>''So, you still wanna go after that Celly chick?''
''Yeah bro, I gotta do it, you know? I mean, we go way back. I don't leave friends in deep shit, you know?''
>''Yeah bro, I know, I know. I still don't think it's a good idea, though, but I'll back you up every step of the way.''
''Yeah, I know, man. And I fucking appreciate it. Really.''
>He chuckles and sips his beer, following your example
>''I know you do man, I know you do. So where you gonna start?''
>You shrug briefly and continue emptying your beer
''Maybe those guys over there?''
>You point at a group of hobos huddling around a trashcan fire
>''Alright bro, I got your back. I'll just text Santiago, tell him we'll be at the store soon.''

>You sigh in frustration and take a long pull from your brew
>This turned out to be much harder than you thought it would
>You were now almost at the liquor store, and none of the people you asked had seen her in over an hour, at least
>Checking in the alleys yielded no more results, and Ty was starting to get skittish
>Also, you could really do with another line
>The urge to snort more was rearing its ugly head again
>Luckily, you still have a lot left in the baggie, but you need a believable excuse to go do more
>Something tells you Ty wouldn't be nearly as supportive if you told him you were back on the coke

>''Anon, Santiago's getting really impatient. You wanna go, man?''
>You stare into the darkness of yet another alley
>Apart from the trash and rats there was literally nothing
>You sigh heavily and rub your forehead
>The previous half hour had been anything but a good start
>Maybe you should just head over to Santiago's instead
''Alright. I'm right behind you.''
>You both take off towards the liquor store, Ty blowing into his frozen hands
>''Finally, man. I'm fucking freezing.''
''Yeah.''
>Your voice sounds hollow again, betraying the way you feel
>Maybe Ty was right
>Maybe she had found somebody else to stay with
>You shake your head to clear your thoughts
>No time to get bogged down with what-ifs
>Eyes on the prize, Anon
>''Hey bro, what's up? You're being a bit quiet again.''
>You give Ty your best encouraging grin
''Yeah, I'm okay. Finding her's just a lot harder than I thought it would be.''
>''I don't want to be the asshole that says 'I told you so', but, well…''
''Yeah Ty, I know.''
>''I'm just saying, man. I mean, if she's really that smart, she sure as shit ain't gonna be outside in this weather. My guess is, she's either found somebody who'll take her in, or found a place to squat until the snow and shit clears up.''
''Yeah. Hope so.''
>You light up a cigarette, possibly the fifth since you came outside
>The hot smoke combined with the freezing air enters your lungs, leaving a stinging sensation
>You walk in silence for a while, admiring the falling snow covering the almost pure white streets
''Hey, Ty?''
>''What's up, bro?''
''I know this sounds stupid, but, well, could you help me look for her tomorrow?''
>Ty sighs quietly and throws his empty can at the nearest dumpster
>''Yeah, bro. I can.''
>You crack a grin and blow a large cloud of bluish smoke
''Thanks, bro. I knew I could count on you.''
>Ty gives you a weak grin in response and pats your back
>''Yeah. That's me.''
>With the silence in place between you two, you let your gaze wander the streets
>Winter was definitely the most beautiful thing to happen to this dump
>With the cascading snowflakes glimmering in the yellow halos cast by the street lamps, the place looked dreamlike
>The almost empty, white-covered streets gave an almost dreamlike quality, the calm silence broken only by the crunching of snow under your feet
>For some reason, you always found solace in moments like this
>The cold, the falling snow, the dark, and the quiet made everything seem so different
>It made everything seem so peaceful