Peaches

Seventeen

He looked at me like a prize, something shiny and new to set on his shelf. A lovely plaything he couldn't get enough of, coming home to me every night after a long day.

I had noticed that he seemed to be working a lot more than usual. Answering at least twenty phone calls throughout the day, leaving at random hours, his commitment to this side work was serious.

Don't get me wrong, it isn't necessarily a negative thing- the work, that is. It's the stress of the work that is pushing him deeper into addictive tendencies. And that's what concerns me above all else at the moment.

The Oxycontin is becoming an issue.

He didn't have to tell me for me to understand what was going on. The glazed over, pinned eyes, the hyper sex drive, lack of appetite, and let's not leave out the constant nodding off. I wasn't blind to it, and he knew that, but it was just a matter of time before I get involved and shut it down.

I will never be like her.

I stuck my legs up in the air, pointing my toes up to the sky. With a giggle I swayed with the song currently blasting in my ears, humming along with the lyrics to Madonna's Material Girl.

I felt a hand rake through my hair, fingernails gently scratching against my scalp. I could tell he was near, just by the scent of his familiar cologne, and it made my heart leap with excitement.

Chris.

"Mmm," I opened my eyes to meet his alert gaze that zeroed in on my tightly fitted bikini top. "That feels so nice."

"We're having people over. You can't be all naked like this." He pulled his hand away from my head and rested his elbows on his knees.

"You're all dressed up." I gaped at him, eyeing the light tuft of hair peeking through the top of his tight fitted black shirt. His sleeves rolled midway up his forearm, stretching the fabric of the dress shirt when he moved.

His tired eyes twinkled like glossy honey in the sun, as he grinned at me. "I've gotta be a boss today. You remember I told you I got a promotion?"

I nodded my head, touching his rolled-up cuffs. "It looks a lot better than the bruised eyes, and bloody lips. That's for sure."

He shrugged. "Well, all that's very possible, princess. I just have to keep these fellas in line, look the part you know?"

"You look very handsome." I flirted, rolling onto my side to be closer to him.

"Listen, Bri, I ain't kidding around though." He stood quickly, towering over me like a palm tree. "I don't trust these guys coming over here yet, okay? I don't want them seeing you."

I rolled my eyes, popping my headphones back into my ear, giggling as I did so. "Bossy. That's what you are."

He squatted back down and yanked the headphone cord out of my ears. "You wanna fight me on this?"

"Give me five minutes." I let out a forced sigh, watching him grow irate with my nonchalance.

"If you ain't walking in that house in exactly five minutes, I'll drag your oily ass inside myself."

"Oh, will you?" I teased

"Damn right."

I watched him stand and begin to make his way back to the front of the house when he turned and smiled back at me. With a quizzical expression, he cocked his head to the side.

"What you lookin' at, weirdo?" I asked with a laugh.

"Madonna?"

I laughed out, flipping over onto my stomach. "You judging me?"