it was around 10 pm, and i had just returned to my bedroom after having dinner with my family downstairs. i sat on my bed listening to a vinyl while my hands painstakingly slaved over the sewing project i'd been working on for over a week.
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"ouch!" i exclaimed as i stabbed myself in the finger with the needle. i continued to tack the different pieces of fabric down, arranging the little fabric letters so that they aligned perfectly.
it was a hot and steamy june night, cicadas buzzed outside my window from the trees. my room was dimly lit, and i was working by the light of my bedside lamp. pastel floral wallpaper was plastered on the walls, partially covered by paintings of ballerinas and posters torn out of magazines. one decoration stood out a little more than normal as i began to ponder the past few months of my life, the cross that hung over my bed.
there was then a sudden knock on my door that caused me to once again stab myself with the needle. "son of a-"
"kerry?" my mother's voice called from the other side of the door.
oh, shoot. i scrambled to shove the sewing project under my pillow and discard of any and all evidence, like threads or patches. over the last few months, i had done so much sneaking around from my parents that i had gotten a little too good at it.
i would frequently lie about my whereabouts - "no, momma, i was just at the library finishing up a book report!" - code for i was actually having my guts rearranged at eddie's place.
and now, i even had to hide the old denim jacket i had picked up from the thrift store, which i had slowly been customizing to read 'BABY HELLFIRE' across the back with flames coming up the bottom.
baby hellfire. that's what eddie called me whenever i sat through his boring d&d campaigns after school, doing his homework for him while he led his group. i loved the nickname, but i knew i loved it just because it came from him.
"yes?!" i answered my mother.
she opened the door slowly, peaking her head around the corner. "i'm heading to bed sweetie. goodnight." she said softly, dressed in her nightgown and robe.
as she spoke, i heard a soft clink, like something small and hard hitting glass. clink. clink. they kept coming steadily, little pauses in between.
