Cherish

Closer (18)

"Closer" --  Burn Season

You say there's something that's wrong in my head

So I like to bleed

You say I'm scaring you now but I'm tired

From watching you sleep...

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Early May of 1995

Half an hour passed and all she had typed was one paragraph and she was debating whether to erase that. Because of the raucous party going on beyond her closed bedroom door, she was having a difficult time concentrating on writing the essay that had to be completed and within the hands of her English professor by tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. It was 2:47 a.m. now. The words 'you are so screwed' kept moving through her brain like one of those message scroll devices. At this rate, it would be virtually impossible for her to finish an A worthy thousand-word paper.

Groaning her frustration, Jaden ripped the sheet of paper from her typewriter and balled it up before tossing it into the wastebasket. She was just rolling a fresh sheet into the typewriter when there was a knock on the door. Her intention was to ignore whoever it was, but because of their insistence, she finally yelled for them to come in. Leaning back in her chair, she watched as Toothy (short for Toothpick--though her teeth were quite prominent) staggered into the room. The nickname Toothpick described the woman perfectly, considering she was about the same color as a standard toothpick and all but disappeared when she stood with her side facing someone.

"Hey, Toothy." Curious blue eyes landed on the small brown paper bag in the other woman's hand. "What do you have there?"

Collapsing onto the bed, Toothy patted the space next to her, indicating that Jaden should sit there. Her essay forgotten for the moment, the teenager did as she was instructed. The bag crinkled as Toothy opened it and pulled out a plastic baggie containing several small beige rocks that reminded Jaden of chunks of soap, though she was aware of what those rocks really were. A four-inch long glass pipe with a cork at one end and a see through green lighter joined the baggie placed on the bed.

Grinning, Toothy looked up at the younger woman. "You ever freebased, Jaden?" The teenager shook her head no. "You wanna try it? It's better than snorting."

Sorely tempted because she hadn't taken anything since the night before last, Jaden glanced between the crack cocaine and the typewriter set up with a blank page, which seemed to mock her. Finally sighing, she shook her head again. "No, I shouldn't." Pointing toward the desk, she added, "I have to get this paper done by morning. If I don't, I'll probably fail this class."

"How far have you gotten?"

"I don't have one word and we're required to write a thousand."

"Well," Toothy picked up the used pipe and clumsily twirled it between her thin fingers, "a little smoking might make you more creative. Activate your brain."

"You think?"

Grinning once more, Toothy showed her off-white colored teeth. "Yep. So you wanna? I don't share my stuff with just anybody, so you know that I must like you." She winked at the college student.

Convincing herself that she was only about to freebase in order to complete her essay, Jaden observed as Toothy dropped two of the rocks into the pipe and took a hit. When the items were handed to her, she flicked the lighter until a tiny flame was produced. Placing it underneath the pipe, she watched, almost mesmerized as the beige rock began to bubble, its evaporation escaping the glass confines. Fingers wrapped around the bottom portion of the pipe, which was covered in tape, Jaden inhaled the rising fumes. Instructed by Toothy, she drew in another lungful before passing the pipe and lighter back.