Midnight Heat - Josh Kiszka

Chapter 1

Annie turned of the ignition to the same old red sedan she'd had for years. It was a reliable car. It never gave her any major issues. Of course she had to change the oil, have the tires rotated, just minor maintenance things. The interior was a light grey cloth that had been stained from time. She somehow managed to keep the inside free from burn-holes, but couldn't keep the ashes from each flick of the cigarette out of her dash.

"I really need to clean this thing." She mumbled to herself as she climbed out and shut the door. That would be a task for another day. Today, she had bigger things on her plate.

October 4th was always a bad day since the death of Sam. The first anniversary of his death, she had gone through a mental breakdown and burned all of her belongings in search for a new life. Since it was a small town, the grape vine was pretty short and her ritual bonfire became a symbol of new beginnings in the community. After that first year, the fire department reached out to her and asked if they could do a controlled burn on her property. Word got out, and townsfolk gathered. They all had such a great time that Annie couldn't say no to making it an annual event.

She never really noticed the spot that was designated for the burn. She owned quite a bit of land, shocking for a 24 year old. Luckily, she had inherited it from her grandfather.

Annie thought of her to-do list as she unlocked the door to her home. Alcohol,music, get ready. The alcohol section was pretty much covered. Pops had been stocking her garage full for the past couple weeks in preparation for the party.

Music was left up to Grace, Annie's long time best friend.

Annie: now
"Hey, how's the music front going? Did you figure something out?"

"Well that's a step closer." Annie said out loud.

She tended to talk to herself. She didn't think it because she was 'crazy', perhaps maybe because she was lonely.

Taking off her shoes, she sighed. Annie craved emotional intimacy. She longed for Sam, the late night talks they would have.

Grace: now
"You bet your beautiful ass I did. You'll enjoy it. See you soon"

"The last thing on my list is to look presentable." Annie spoke as she made her way up the stairs to her room.

Annie looked at herself in the body-length mirror. She was a different looking person than she was three years ago. She had lost a lot of weight. She used to be a size 18, now a size 6. One of her coping mechanisms was exercise. She hated the pain that it brought, but it was almost the only thing that made her feel anything shortly after Sam's death. She had recently pierced her belly button. The metal hanging from her navel was cute, a copper tinted surgical steel piece with turquoise colored stones that reminded her of a chandelier.

She thought over the nights' coming event and wondered what to wear. She and Grace had went shopping multiple times to find the perfect outfits. She decided that she would wear a pair of flared jeans, partially distressed, with a black crochet crop top with a small floral pattern.

The jeans for her perfectly, as if they were tailored for her body. The hem fell right at the top of her feet, so she knew she wouldn't ruin the pants by going barefoot. The shirt exposed only part of her midriff, letting the chandelier belly ring peek its way into the sun for the first time.

Once she had changed and was satisfied with her outfit, Annie headed to the bathroom to fix her hair. Something had to be done with it. Her hair was dark with one platinum blond highlight right behind her left ear. It reminded her of a skunk, and that was what she went for.

As she heated up her curling iron, she put on a couple coats of mascara and her favorite eyeliner on her waterline. She wasn't particular gifted at doing "cat eye" liner styles, so she never really did them.

She put some simple waves in her hair to give it a beachy effect, then used an elastic to secure a high pony.

Annie looked in the mirror, staring at the shell of the woman she could be. "You will get laid tonight." She affirmed.