In the Absence of Light

43

Isaac

I bring my lips to the edge of the tube, inhaling the smoke from the bowl. I feel it spread down my throat and fill up my lungs. I pull away, blowing the rest of the smoke out from between my lips. I lean back on the couch, letting out a sigh of relief.

This is so fucking good. Just what I fucking need.

Whoever fucking decided to smoke this shit is a fucking legend. I owe them my life.

"Didn't your sister say she couldn't trust you because you were always high?" Leah asks, taking a rag from the bong herself.

"She said a lot of things," I respond.

"Don't you want to prove her wrong?"

"I don't need to. She's not going to call me anyway. She'd rather have mum look after the kids."

"Weird."

"Nah, it makes sense."

"I don't get how she can forgive your mum for everything she did but will still act like you're addicted to weed or some shit."

"It wasn't that bad. She knows I'm not addicted. She just thinks I should stop."

"You don't even smoke that much. I smoke more than you and I still work full-time. It doesn't hinder my life or anything. It's just a fun past-time."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't want someone high around my kids, either, especially not if they're the only adult there."

"But you would never show up high if you had to babysit."

"Nah, but I've come over high before."

"Since you left prison?"

"Nah, before."

"Doesn't she know how much you cut back after that?"

"She does."

"And she can accept your mum has changed but you haven't?"

"I don't know. It's probably too recent."

"You don't need to defend them, you know? You're right for not wanting your mum around."

"I don't fucking know. I'm just pissed off," I reach over the coffee table, turning the volume up. This song is loud and aggressive and just what I need. It's from the new Rotting Out album, so it's got to be good.

At first, it's loud enough to drown out whatever garbage Ivy is playing next door, but I guess she's annoyed by it because she turns hers up too, until it's interrupting our song.

"Are you serious?" Leah complains, glaring at the wall. "Can they shut up?"

"I'll just..." I turn the volume up some more, but it doesn't help. They just turn theirs up, too.

Two days ago, I wouldn't have minded. I would've laughed about it and sent Ivy some kind of cringe text message like a fucking lovesick idiot. But not anymore. I don't have time for that shit.

"Hey!" Leah bangs her fist against the wall. "Turn it down!"

They bang back, but their volume stays the same. Leah kicks the wall hard, causing one of her paintings to fall off the wall. The girls just bang the wall twice as hard.

"I'm going over there," I state. I'm not in the mood for this shit. I want to enjoy my fucking music in peace.

I walk out of the house, leaving our front door open and banging my fist on hers. The music is too loud for me to hear if they're moving at all, but it doesn't take long until Ivy's opened the door, a grin on her face.