AN: Since I can put music videos on here, I may as well link the playlist to this story. It's a long playlist. This one is Cole's 'theme song' if you will-Silverchair's Nobody Came.
IMPORTANT: this isn't a 'happy' book. There will be swearing. There will be drugs, abuse, and references to sexual assault. Those of you who don't want to read about these, click away. It's okay. (And if you need to talk, I moonlight as a sympathetic ear. My inbox is always open.)
* * *
“Boy? You home?”
The teenager sighed and ran his hands through his hair. His back still hurt from last night’s beating, and he probably had another one in store for being late.
“It’s me.”
“Come here.”
He went into the living room. His father was removing a needle from his upper arm. He looked up and asked, “Know what this is?”
“No.”
“It’ll make you feel good. Better than fucking a girl.”
The boy hid a grimace. Sometimes his father made him want to vomit…not that he’d ever say so.
“Um…”
“Here, I’ll prove it to ya. Sit down.”
He didn’t want to sit down but he did as he was told. His father gestured to his sleeve and said, “Roll it up. Just a bit…there. Perfect. I was gonna take this later, but I’ll be generous.”
He held up another needle and the boy blinked. He wasn’t sure he wanted whatever was in there.
“Dad, I…”
“Come on, enjoy a shot with your old man. Won’t hurt ya to relax.”
He nodded and stayed still when the needle dove down deep into the crook of his arm. It hurt a little, and the feeling of an alien substance entering his veins was very unpleasant.
It turned out that his father was right, though-this did feel good. The boy swallowed hard and sank back into the couch, eyes half-closed.
“What is that?” he breathed, no longer caring that his father might not like the question.
“God.”
Yeah. That sounded about right. The boy wondered if now would be a good time to mention that he failed his science test and decided against it. He just wanted to sit here and enjoy the feeling for now. Maybe his dad would give him another needle. Yeah. That would be good.
YOU ARE READING
Color Blind
General FictionNancy Hale has spent the last year as a reclusive shadow, hiding from memories of that terrible afternoon. Cole Martin is a junkie, a nobody with secrets of his own. Can they put themselves back together in a world that doesn't care?
