Lure of the Monster

Not Good

Two Months Later

When I walked in the backroom, Chance was passed out on the couch, three empty bottles lying on the floor and a needle in his hand. I glanced at him, checking the amount of time that passed in between breaths, before I turned away, determining that he was okay.

"Hey, stranger," Jennifer said with a smile as I walked over to the table where she sat counting money.

"Hey," I replied, pulling out a stool and sitting down next to her. "Not too shabby for a newcomer, huh?" I pulled a roll of money out of my pocket and added it to her pile.

She let out a low whistle. "No, not too bad at all," she said, patting my thigh.

"How long has he been like that?" I asked her, glancing towards Chance.

She shrugged, looking over at him. "An hour or so. He got a phone call and came in and started getting fucked up. I just let him be. He's alright."

I nodded, looking at him for a moment longer before I turned back to her. "How much longer are you going to be?" I asked.

She sighed, looking at all the money in front of her. "I don't know. An hour or two?"

"Wanna take a break?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

She laughed, turning towards me. "Oh, you can entertain me anytime, Beckham Stanton."
I grinned at her and pulled a bag out of my pocket, waving it in front of her. "Dylan got me this. It's supposed to be some high-quality potent shit. Or so he says. You know Dylan."

"Can't trust him," she said with a roll of her eyes before she snatched the bag out of my hand. "Follow me into my office."

"Thought this was your office," I teased as she took my hand and pulled me towards the office of the auto shop that Rick ran his side business out of.

She rolled her eyes as she unlocked the door and pulled me inside, flipping on the desk lamp. "Rick says that he's the one in charge, but we both know who keeps this place running."

I sat down on the futon, watching as she pulled the stash of needles from the locked drawer. She walked over and climbed onto my lap. I ran my finger up and down her spine as she unzipped the pouch and pulled out the materials. She leaned against me as she mixed the bag in with the water, boiling it and then putting it into the needle.

I rolled up my sleeve, taking the needle from her. She rested her head against mine as I inserted the needle into my arm, careful of the one track that was a little more inflamed than the others, and pushed the plunger. I leaned my head against the wall, closing my eyes as I felt my body relaxing.

Jennifer was shifting on my lap as she injected the needle into her arm. I watched her turn to face me, a small smile on her face. One that could be passed off as innocent. Naïve.

I reached up and cupped the back of her head in my hand, pulling her head towards mine. I paused, my eyes on hers, before she closed the gap between us, crushing her lips on mine. I closed my eyes, wrapping my fingers in her hair as she pushed herself closer to me, her hands gripping my hair.

I rested my free hand on her hip, gently flipping us so that she lay on the couch and I hovered above her. She drew back, looking up at me.

"Happy birthday," she murmured.

I groaned, sitting back. "Mood killer."

"Why?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbows. "Aren't you glad that you're now legally an adult?"

"Oh, yeah. It's a great day. My boyfriend is currently passed out on a couch in the back of a repair shop, so I'm making out with you and you just have to remind me that it's my birthday," I said. I started to get up, but she put her hands on my waist.