"bye drew, don't burn the house down!" momma shouts up the stairs with one foot out the door. drew watches momma get into her car and drive down the poorly lit street out his bedroom window. she said she was going out but wasn't specific.
drew watches humphrey run in his wheel over and over and over until the hamster gets bored. drew shakes his head and decides to go out back. he grabs his coat and steps out into his dark backyard.
drew shuffles to his old frozen swing set. he gazes at the slide across the yard and shoves his hands into his coat pockets to find his lighter and the five cigarettes henry had given him last friday. drew lights one and sucks down the bitter smoke and watches it twist around in the chill air.
i haven't been up on the roof in a while...
drew climbs onto the air conditioner unit to pull himself up onto of the porch overhang, cigarette in mouth. he shoves snow off of the roof and walks up to the top to sit. he looks out over the neighborhood roofs and rolls his eyes, "so ugly." he lays back and takes another breath of the poisonous air.
drew counts the stars in lacerta then spots lynx and venus. he shivers as his hands start to shake from the cold so he holds them under his arms to warm them.
"hands are shaking cold. these hands are meant to hold," drew sings to himself the song that's been on the radio the past couple weeks. "when all you got to keep is strong move along move along like i know you would."
YOU ARE READING
blurry nights
General Fiction"my skin is dark as night, but you're the one with constellations across yours"
