Page 26 of Maddox
“Your dog’s name is Spot?” I ask as she closes the door behind us.
When she glowers at me, I splay my hands but she’s immune while she plops on the bed and pulls a bag of weed from her pocket.
From where I’m still standing at the door, I watch her roll a blunt and light up before inhaling greedily.
When she holds it out to me, I stare at it for a moment. It’s not like I’ve never gotten high before, but it was rare with Mom and Peter constantly on my ass.
Besides, do I want to get high with Queen Bitch knowing I’ll be too out of it to defend myself?
Should I be worried about the consequences of doing it at all? It’s not hard to see that addiction runs in my blood.
While I have my internal monologue, Draven shrugs and takes another hit. Before she can snuff it out, I round the bed and sit beside her, holding out my hand.
Fuck it. I’m a teenager. I should be having fun and not worrying about shit I have zero control over.
Of course, I cough like a maniac. To her credit, Draven doesn’t comment.
After my turn, she puts it out by way of her dresser, and I grimace before leaning back against the pillows.
It’s completely silent between us but it’s not awkward and I start to stray into the thoughts that consume me daily.
When did my mom start to fall? How did I miss it? How is shereallydoing?
Will we ever get back to the way we were before?
Can I make enough money at the diner to pay for necessities and add to the savings I’ve been hoarding?
What the hell am I going to do after graduation?
Eventually I doze and sometime later in the evening, I wake, glancing around blearily.
It’s dark. I can hear the soft whoosh of Draven’s breath as she sleeps. A dull headache throbs at the base of my skull and my bladder protests when I sit up.
The stars shining through the window cast a gentle glow upon the floor as I ease from the bed. Inexplicably, I’m reminded of better days when we used to go out into the backyard with cups of hot chocolate and gaze at the stars, just Mom and me.
Those were the times that I loved the most because Mom was just Mom and not some other version that created chaos before bringing her darkness or so I thought before I grew old enough to understand what was happening.
Whatever. Focus.
I need to pee. After that, I guess I’ll go back to sleep. It’s not like I can walk home, and I don’t want to waste my money on a ride.
There’s a soft glow emanating from the living area, and I pause just outside the door to listen for any sound.
Are we still alone? What if Draven’s dad is here?
I’ve never met the man but tales of his size and strength make up the local lore at school.
Still, I need to pee and like now, so I take the risk and step across the hall to the first closed door.
Thankfully, it’s empty because this looks like the master bedroom, and I’d hate to find out how friendly Draven’s dad is by disturbing his privacy.
After closing the door, I tiptoe to the next, grumbling under my breath, “Why are all the doors closed?”
Between the door I’m standing in front of and the next one over, I have a fifty-fifty shot of getting this right.
While my stomach rolls with nerves because Ido notwant to walk in on Maddox, my brain is screaming to hurry up because I’m not sure how much longer I can hold it, despite my roiling emotions from earlier.
I exhale quietly when the toilet comes into view and ease the door closed before dropping to the cool porcelain.
