Room On Fire

Room On Fire Chapter 8

Eden

   Once I awoke the second time that morning, I was in the back seat of my sister’s truck, my face pressed uncomfortably against the hot window. The sun was shining directly in my eyes causing me to squint. Abby was driving down an unfamiliar road with a cigarette perched between her long fingers.

   “Good morning again, sunshine” She smiled at me in the rearview mirror. I managed a weak smile in return and clumsily crawled over to the passenger seat. She held her cigarette away from me as I strapped myself in. She always tried to keep her smoke out of my lungs even though she knew I sneak smokes all the time.

   “Where are we?” I asked, clicking on the radio. A station completely unfamiliar to me began blasting some trashy, rap song. Abigail bit her lip and stuck her head out of the open window beside her.

   “Not quite sure what city, but we’re a good four hours from home.” She murmured, taking a heavy drag from her cigarette. I tried my best to hide my smile by biting my lip as well, but she noticed of course. She smiled too.

   “Well, you slept awhile.” She said, turning into the parking lot of a run down coffee shop. A coffee sounded just about perfect right now. “How about some coffee”

   We both stepped out into the hot summer sun, our shoes scuffing against the black pavement. It was only nine in the morning, but the sun was almost unbearable. Very few people sat outside the shop; most sitting at small wooden café tables in wire rimmed chairs. The steam from their coffee lured my sister and me inside the two glass doors and straight up to the counter.

   Abby pulled her wallet from her back pocket, retrieving two five dollar bills and handing one to me. I peeked over her hands and noticed she had a great amount of cash hidden inside; maybe we were going to be perfectly fine.

   I ordered a small cup of black and added my usual five sugars while Abigail ordered a steamy mug of black as well, but added nothing else. We sat outside and drank our coffees and my sister smoked some more. Apparently we looked like an odd duo, because every person passing us gave us menacing glares. I rested my hands in my lap and twisted my fingers into knots.

   My shredded shorts left thin lines of red on my thighs were the strings pressed into my skin. They looked like tiny scars. My hand drifted up to my stomach where the real scars lurked, but I quickly dropped it and focused on my sister.

   Her black hair glowed blue in the sunlight, and her face was as hazy as the smoke emitting from her cigarette. Her fingernails were covered with bits of dark blue, chipping off in multiple places. The mesh shirt she was wearing covered nothing; only masking her black bra and her agile ribs and hip bones. I envied her body.

   Now that weight came to mind I realized I hadn’t bothered to bring diet pills with me. I sighed, and reached across the table for Abby’s cigarette case. I tapped a long white cancer stick from its pouch and snatched the lighter from the table beside it. Abby said nothing; only looked at me with curiosity.

   After lighting up, I took a long drag and sat back in the chair. A woman passing scowled and ushered her son inside before her.

   “You’ll get cancer!” She hissed her green eyes hollow and empty. I ignored her and flicked my ashes onto the cement below me. I glanced inside as soon as she left and my gaze lingered on her son. He was standing awkwardly at the counter while his mother ordered. Her mouth moved too fast to even form words, and I could tell by the barista’s annoyed expression that she was making absolutely no sense.

   The boy slinked away from his mother and exited the shop from the side door, rounding back to the side where Abby and I sat. I heard the chair behind me squeal as he sat down and a loud thud. I assumed he just propped his feet up on the table. I giggled, imaging his mother’s reaction when she sees him.