Heartbreak Hotel (Editing)

Chapter 83: Swimming Through Ashes

Nikki's POV

"Where Wayne at?" Her voice was slurry, and low. "Where he at?"

I sighed and shook my head. " De, I don't know..."

"He don't want me no more." She cried as she took a huge puff of her blunt. One that was only a half an inch long. " He's probably some where with some dancer hoe."

"De, why do you even care anymore. That man don't want you."

Her blood shot eyes met mine. " He wants me....he wants me. He told me he loves me. So that means he wants me."

" There are such things as liars in this world De."

" He wouldn't lie to me." She said. " I need some more stuff. Where Melvin at?"

" He ain't here either." I answered, her casually.

She stood up and began pacing back and forth across her fluffy white carpet. Fidgeting with her hands and mumbling to herself. I picked up the remote and began flipping through channels. " I-I need to go some more stuff, Nikki."

"De, sit down. Your not going anywhere until you are sober."

She walked over to her purse and pulled out her wallet. " I need some more stuff.." She held her wallet up in the air and began shaking it widely. "Where the fuck is my money!!!"

I threw the remote down and walked over to her. " Denise, sit down!"

"I need my money!"

"You probably just misplaced it." I told her as u began searching through her purse.

"It's not there!" She whinned.

I rolled my eyes and through my hands in the air. "Denise, I swear..." I pressed my hands on my temples and began slowly taking small breaths. " De...sit....down..."

She slowly lowered herself down to the chair. "My money better be around here somewhere.." She mumbled to herself as I began searching drawers. "I bet he took it."

"He didn't take it." I said. I walked over to the book shelf by the fire place and began looking in vases. " Have you had any parties recently, maybe somebody stole it. "
" No....I don't let them fools in my house anymore. Not after Stephanie damn there burned it down with her pipe." I rolled my eyes as I stood up my tip toes, to look at the very top shelf. My eyes caught sight of a small wooden box. It seemed like the only thing in the house thag had some kind of valie to it. It looked antique, and worth hundreds of dollars. I reached for it and pulled it down.

"Maybe its in this."

De looked at me, her eyes widening. " No," She jumped up and snatched the box away from me, holding it to her chest. " Its not in there." She pushed past me and placed it back in the top shelf. " Don't you ever touch that again." She said, her voice threatening.
I stood there confused. I didn't know why she was getting all defensive over a box. What was about it that made her so protective over it?

She began touching her pants. Feeling around the pockets. " Oh, here it is." She pulled stacks if one hundreds out of her bra and smiled. " I'll be back."

" Wait, De."

She turned around, frustrated. "What? Can't you see I'm trying to go get high?"

I crossed my arms across my chest. " What's in that box?" I asked her, ignoring her comment.

"Don't worry about it, Nikki, damn. Mind you own business." She walked over go the dining room table and picked up her wallet. She began throwing her stuff back into her purse. Only pulling out the things she needed: pepper spray, a pocket knife, and her money. She placed it all in the pockets of her jackets, and pulled off her rings and necklaces and threw that in her purse along with it. She then took her purse and shoved it into the drawer of the living room table.