I had set an alarm on my phone for 5:30 AM so that I could
get ready and then head to the Methadone clinic around 6. I
hate waiting in line. I shut the alarm off and went back to
sleep. Around 5:55 AM a notoriously alcoholic friend calls
me. I press ignore. Two minutes later he calls again. I
press ignore… again. Decide to to get up when I see what
time it is. 

I walk to the back of my house in a groggy haze and dial his
number. "Hey you called..?" Slurred voice on the other end
of the line: "Yeah man I just got out of the hospital.."
"Fuck what happened?" "I got the shit beat out of me pretty
bad… You should see my face man.. its fucked." "Ah shit
man.. where are you?" "Outside the hospital." "Alright you
know where the Methadone clinic is?" "Is it by that pharmacy
with the big sign that says' OXYCONTIN AND DURAGESIC NOT IN
STOCK' ?" "Yeah. Meet me there". 

I pop six 350mg Somas, throw on my headphones, shoes, and
shirt and head out. Its still dark out. See a house with a
'ROMNEY/RYAN 2012' sign and consider drawing a swastika on
it with the sharpie in my back pocket, or just taking off
with the sign but then I see a light on in one of the
bedrooms and decide against it. Maybe tomorrow.. I get to
the pharmacy but he's not there yet. Walk into the clinic
and they tell me a need to take a drug test. I'm dirty.
Whatever. I'm early enough that I'm the only one there so I
slam the tiny cup of pink bitter liquid and tell the cute
blonde bitch of a nurse to have a nice day and slip out
through the back door. 

He's stumbling down the street towards me and his face looks
like a steak that's been tenderized. I go to hug him and he
cringes in pain and shows me the road burn on his shoulder.
We sit down on a bus stop bench and I give him a cigarette.
"I told that stupid cunt that I was gonna slap the shit out
of her. You know, just drunk shit talking like always and so
and so decides I've gone too far even though he says the
same fucking shit to her man! We go outside and-" 

I look at his hospital discharge papers and see that he has
a head contusion, a fractured nose, abrasions, etc. Getting
thirsty so I go buy some iced tea to split. Smoking and
talking, listening to Atmosphere playing from a cell phone,
drinking iced tea on a bus stop at 6:30 in the morning. His
roommate's mom drives by and picks him up. I light another
cigarette and walk home. Juice-heads… no class, no class
at all….