Viper House

Captured

I was pretty sure it was Christmas. I didn't know for sure. I'd been high for almost a week straight, passing out on the couch in my room. I lay, glassy-eyed, staring out the dirty window as the snow fell. A white Christmas. I always hoped for one, and we almost never had one when I was a kid. Now, I really didn't give a fuck about it.

Downstairs, my dad was laying into my mom about not having enough liquor and the stores being closed because it was a holiday. I turned my head and through the open door, I could see Spencer sitting on the top step, his head resting against the wall. I didn't try to talk to him. We hadn't spoken since that night when we were waiting for my dad.

I sat up slowly, my body feeling heavy as I reached for my kit. My hand hovered over it for a moment before reaching for the carton of cigarettes. My hands shook as I put one to my mouth and flicked the lighter. It took a few tries, but I finally got it lit.

I stood up and walked over to the window. There was an unfamiliar car parked across the street. I'd noticed it the night before when I'd gotten up to go to the bathroom. I hadn't thought anything of it, but now, as I looked at the house it was parked in front of, I realized that it was an empty house. They could have been visiting one of the neighbors.

With a sigh, I pushed open the window and blew the smoke out. I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall. The cool air felt good compared to the stuffiness of the room. I'd have to go find Julian later. We'd met up the night before to have what I now realized was meant to be a Christmas Eve party. I hadn't realized it was that time of the year. It was just a great time to get high.

"You going to do anything about that?" Spencer asked. I glanced at him. He was leaning against the doorframe.

I shrugged and turned away. "What would I do?"

"Make him stop."

I snorted. "Yeah, like that worked in the past." I blew another puff of smoke into the air and looked over my shoulder at him. "Why don't you do something about it?"

"Because you're the big brother and I thought you came back to get me," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I barked out a laugh, shaking my head as I watched a neighbor kid come out with a puppy, the bow still tied around its collar. "I came back because I had nowhere else to go."

Spencer sighed and came over, picking up the carton of cigarettes and lighting it. "Whatever. I'm getting out of here as soon as I can."

"Good luck with that," I told him, tapping the cigarette and watching the ashes fall to the ground.

"When did you become such a fucking asshole?"

I looked down at my hand. It had healed a good bit since Bella cleaned it, but now it was starting to hurt and itch again.

"I think I've always been that way," I said, closing my eyes.

He was looking at me. I could see him out of the corner of my eye. I didn't want to look at him. I was a fucking mess, and he wasn't. Somehow, he was going to be okay. I'd thought all this time that it was going to be me, but now I knew he was the one that would make the Burne name actually mean something.

"You should go," I told him as I dropped my cigarette into the snowbank below. He took another drag and slowly blew out the smoke. "Spence, I'm going to get high. You should leave."

Spencer looked at me for a moment. He took another drag of the cigarette and then dropped it to the ground. I sat down on the edge of the couch as he walked toward the door.