Vein Fire (16 page)

CHAPTER
  24

Plots

Matt knew it was Jared waiting on his porch—he knocked like a girl—light and urgent. Jared had a different definition of emergency than Matt did. The two were polar opposites except for the girl they made communal—they shared Hannah in acts of attraction and repulsion.

He opened the door and Jared burst in. Matt could smell his desperation. It amused Matt to see Jared so flustered, but this was a more maniacal variety—one Matt had seen before when they were cheeking and spitting. Matt knew how unstable Jared was while he was un-medicated.

“You have to help me.” Jared dropped his back pack and began waving his arms up and down in frustration. We have to get Hannah to pass out.”

Matt closed the door and stifled a laugh, “You ready to fuck her, then?”

Jared ran up to him and got into his face, “No, I would NEVER do that to Hannah. I need to cut a piece of her hair off.”

A chuckle escaped from Matt. “Have you switched from fire bombs to witch craft?”

“This isn’t fucking funny. I need some of her hair for my own reasons. I had a piece and that fucking cow Dana got a hold of it, now it’s gone.”

“Dana from the group home?” Matt laughed, “What did the Mad Pooper do now?”

“She went through my stuff when I was in the shower and took Hannah’s hair.”

Matt shook his head. “Yeah, she likes to steal stuff. If you’re ever missing anything, have a look in her room. Why don’t you ask Hannah for one more piece? I’m sure she’d give it to you.”

“I didn’t ask her for the first one. I don’t want her to know.” Jared sat on the couch, but continued to flap his hands.

“Oh. I see. You have a crush on the girl, huh?”

“This isn’t a fucking crush. She’s the one.”

“The
one
?” Matt raised his eyebrows. “Wow, you gonna marry her or something?”

Jared erupted, “Will you stop fucking with me and just help me?”

Matt smiled and laughed, “I’m sorry man, look, I can tell you aren’t feeling so good. Have you been taking your meds?”

“Fuck the meds!”

Laughing, Matt blurted, “Fuck the meds! Yeah!” Jared’s insanity was like watching the three stooges wrapped into one tumultuous package with butcher’s paper and twine. “You can’t just go around cutting chunks of Hannah’s hair off. Girls notice that kind of shit.”

“I don’t care. I
need
it. And stop fucking laughing at me.”

“No, man, it’s all good. It’s that there’s a difference between want and need. You gotta understand that.”

“I get it. Okay, I want it. Are you going to help me?”

“What do you want me to do?” Matt sat in a chair and watched Jared contemplatively.

“When she gets off of work, I need you to go over to her house and get her high.”

“That’s it?” Matt said sarcastically, but Jared missed it.

“Yessss,” he hissed.

“Hannah’s not at work.”

Jared’s eyes both twitched inward. “How do you know?”

Matt’s tone was flat, “I work with some guy who’s married to one of her coworkers—he told me.” He leaned back onto his bent arm, his hand under his chin as he looked at Jared. “But I’m having a party tonight, so bring her over then.”

“Can’t you go over to her house now?”

“No time, man. Just bring her over tonight and you’ll get your hair.”

Jared rubbed his palms together in criss-crosses, like he was wiping something off. “I’m sick of the fucking group home.”

“Yeah? I remember what it was like. How much longer you got?”

“They haven’t told me yet.” Jared rubbed his hair. “What do you think would happen if I didn’t go back for awhile? Do you think they’d recommit me to Oakmont?”

Matt knew the answer. He wouldn’t be sent back to Oakmont. Addicts had gone on benders and left for weeks at a time. It was almost like the staff expected you to fail. Everyone who eloped from the program was accepted back into the house. “When I was there, no one was dumb enough to do it. Someone told me that the last person who did it got shipped right back to Oakmont and they stayed there for years.” Matt considered this lie his weekly act of community service.

“Really?”

Matt raised his eyebrows, “Yeah, man, I wouldn’t risk it.” He shook his head and sighed. “So what’s going on with your firebomb plan? Still heading up to Prospect for payback?”

“I can’t do that now. I need more time. It wasn’t part of the original plan. I have to follow the original plan.”

“The original plan?” Matt nodded, mostly at the thoughts he was having about how insane Jared was. “What’s your original plan? You gonna steal more puppies?”

Jared’s head snapped towards him. “Stop fucking with me. This isn’t a game—it’s a plan and telling you what I’m going to do isn’t part of the plan.”

Matt was losing patience. “Then maybe stop asking me for help.”

Jared smiled sarcastically, “Not liking the hole you’ve dug for yourself?”

“I’m in no hole.” Matt was stoic, his face locked on Jared’s.

Jared laughed. Matt knew it was to break the tension. “Plots and presents. I have them all.”

Matt continued to stare. “Good for you.” He paused and took note of Jared’s flinching face. “So, are you going to tell me about this plan?”

“No, you’ll just be told as you need to know things. Don’t assume I’m stupid, Matt. I know you like Hannah and it eats your fucking insides out that I’m with her.”

“I never said I liked her.” Matt said flatly, refusing to give Jared any sort of reaction.

“I can almost hear the maggots in your gut chewing away at you when you see us together.”

“Good luck with her. You might want to make sure you get her before she gets you.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll find out. Now how about leaving here? I got shit to do. Bring Hannah to the party tonight, if you want. I’ll help you get your hair.”

“Wait. I need another favor.”

“
Another
favor? What now?”

“I need you to send your Hannah to the group home to pick me up and show me where this house is in Prospect.”

“Ah, so you are going through with your f-f-f-firebomb. Okay, 6:30, after dinner and chores, she’ll park out front. And Jared—try not to creep her out, too.”

Jared left without answering, but nodded once. Matt could see things getting worse. Jared was dangerous while medicated—un-medicated? He was lethal. And Hannah—he could see her being given a cup of poisoned juice. The image jerked at him. She was, after all, the only person, in the middle of an ordinary day, in the middle of an ordinary week, to do anything kind for him.

CHAPTER
  25

Kindergarten  Scissors

Jared knew where Hannah kept her hairbrush, which seemed to surprise her. He told her it was a very ‘girl’ thing to keep it in the top drawer and it was just a good guess. Hannah didn’t know better. She was like a leaf dropped from a tree into a mud puddle—spinning in the wind. She sat on the bed with him and let him brush her hair. He had asked to do so and he knew she would agree. If she thought it was an odd request, she never made her feelings known.

He was very attentive—always asking how she was, and if there was anything he could do for her. She seemed to like it, so he kept doing it. They sat on her bed—her in front of him—and he brushed small sections at a time so he could relish each special portion. The under-section had some curl to it, which he thought was cute. He twirled them around his finger, but didn’t linger, or else she might think something was off.

He was impressed at how meticulous her routine was for getting ready to go to Matt’s party. She planned her outfit, showered, applied makeup, did her hair, and dressed—he watched it all except the shower. She seemed amused that he wanted to watch. He thought she enjoyed the attention. Jared brushing her hair was an added bonus. According to his plan, he was short on time, but stealing those extra moments with her were worth it.

While they drove, she held his hand. It was cold, so he rubbed it. He smiled at her. He hadn’t asked her for anything yet—but he would.

The vacant spots on Matt’s street were taken, so they parked a block over and walked. Hannah wore a little muted pink cotton dress with her black tights and shirt underneath. She carried her black sweater with one hand, and held Jared’s as they walked.

When they entered the house, Hannah looked like she was going to panic. There were a lot of people and Jared knew she was more likely to be worried about the people she knew, than didn’t know.

He leaned in to whisper to her, “Don’t worry, no one is here that you don’t want to run into. I made sure of it.” He hadn’t made sure of it, but he wanted her to think he was the person who would do such things for her.

Jared watched for Matt’s reaction to Hannah arriving. He showed nothing, but Jared knew better. Matt was able to hide things. Matt nodded to them from the living room and pointed into the kitchen, “Help yourselves to a beer.”

They did—they both had a beer and mingled. Hannah talked to people, despite her tendency to pull herself inward. The lights made her skin glow. She smiled when Jared smoothed her hair back. He kissed her and called her his little bird. He couldn’t remember feeling so happy before. It was a child-like emotion—something close to the anticipation of Christmas.

He didn’t need to look to see if Matt had been watching them. They were both watchers—it was to be expected. Matt played along with Hannah number two, as though they were seriously dating. Jared knew better. Matt didn’t give a shit about the other girl. He was using her. It was part of the
plan
, and luckily for Matt, he could enjoy the perks of the lascivious Hannah number two.

Jared needed to make his eleven o’clock curfew and at nine o’clock, he was starting to worry he would run out of time to get the hair. He caught Matt’s attention and nodded his head at him.

Within a few minutes, Matt made his way over to them. “I’m gonna go upstairs to smoke, do you guys wanna come?”

Hannah looked at Jared before answering. “Can we?” He smiled, pet her hair, and nodded at her.

Snaking between people and precariously positioned cups half full of liquor, the three started to climb the stairs. Hannah number two saw them and bounced like a little gazelle towards the stairs. She whispered, “Me too,” into Hannah’s ear.

The
upstairs bedroom remained empty except for garbage bags full of clothes, unpacked boxes, and a patched together coffee table. They all sat around it as Matt poured a pile of Xanax onto the table. Under the cellophane removed from his pack of cigarettes, he slid the Xanax and crushed them with the bottom of his lighter. He used the edge of his cigarette box to cut the pile into thick lines of white powder.

He tossed a cut off straw onto the table. “Okay, girls, you’re up. I want those lines gone by the time I’m done getting the H ready.”

Hannah number two jumped forward to go first. She tucked her hair back and bent over the coffee table with her ass poking out. Matt gave it a quick smack as she held the straw to her nose and then trailed it up a line as it disappeared. She handed Hannah the straw. “You’re next.”

Hannah did it the exact same way, but Jared held her hair back and encouraged her to do two lines in a row. She listened, like a good girl. Jared was pleased. She rubbed her nose, “Fuck! That goes right between my legs.” Only the Xanax made her talk like that. Matt smiled, and Jared noticed.

“Okay, who wants to go first?” Matt asked. “Actually, fuck it. We can all have straws.” He pulled two more out of his pocket and handed each girl their own. “You in, Jared?”

Jared scowled at him. “No.”

Matt shrugged, “Let’s go, girls.” He held the flame under the foil and as soon as the smoke started rising, the three of them greedily inhaled it.

Matt kept producing the powder-filled wax stamp bags and liquefying it for them, until the girls were droopy-eyed.

“I’m so high,” Hannah said. She leaned against the wall and took sips of her beer. She had the metabolism of a kitten.

“I need to fuck.” Hannah number two said, laughing. She kissed Matt and they began making out. He stopped and crushed up another line of Xanax.

“This is for you.” He pointed at Hannah. She didn’t move. She had a distant look in her eyes. “Hannah, c’mon. Do it.”

Without changing her expression, she crawled to the table and inhaled the line. When she was done, she licked the top of the table, and rocked back on her knees while she held Matt’s gaze. She slid beside Jared and kissed him deeply before leaning against the wall and reacquiring her blank look.

“What are you thinking about?” Jared whispered to her.

She laughed faintly and smiled for a second. “A bathtub.”

“A bathtub?”

“Yes, full to the top with lots of bubble piled high— just leaning back in the tub and letting it swallow me so I can listen to the crackle as the bubbles pop.”

“That’s pretty.” Jared pushed a piece of her hair off of her cheek, but she didn’t hear him. Her eyes were closed and he imagined she was in the bathtub.

“Happy?” Matt asked, pushing Hannah number two off of his lap.

“You didn’t give her too much, did you?” Jared asked.

“She’ll be fine. She’s taken more than that before.”

“How long will she be out?” Jared leaned her head against his shoulder.

“A couple of hours, I dunno. It’s late, maybe she’ll sleep all night.”

“All night?” Jared shrieked. “I can’t leave her here all night.”

“Why not? She’ll be fine. We’ll keep an eye on her.” Matt nodded towards Hannah number two. “If she pisses herself, Hannah will help her.”

“Pisses herself?” Jared sounded disgusted.

“Yeah, that shit happens. She’s got a fuckload of benzo’s pumping through her. I’ll go downstairs and find someone to give you a ride home before curfew. You need scissors or anything?” Matt asked.

“Scissors? What for?” Hannah number two was suddenly interested in their conversation.

“Go downstairs.” Matt instructed her.

“But…”

“Now.”

Jared was impressed with how well the girl listened to Matt. She didn’t utter another word, but staggered to her feet and found the door.

“No, I have scissors.” Jared pulled a pair of small scissors out of his pocket.

“Kindergarten scissors? You’re going to cut her hair with kindergarten scissors?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Jared looked at the small plastic and metal scissors.

“They cut like shit. Do you want another pair?”

Jared set the scissors down. “No, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in a few minutes after I find you a ride, so hurry up and cut before someone walks in on you doing something incredibly creepy to a passed out girl.”

Jared’s scowl was lost on the back of the door as Matt closed it behind him. He lifted Hannah off of his shoulder and carefully laid her down. He knew exactly which piece he wanted—he had found it earlier while he was brushing her hair. He turned her head
, located the section, and separated it with his fingers. It was in the back, but a nice sized chunk, so he wasn’t sure if she would notice it.

He pushed the scissor blades as close to her scalp as he could and snipped. The cheap blades bowed outward at the pivot point as he snipped. He had nicked her scalp and it started to bleed a little bit. Leaning down, he kissed the bloody spot.

Wrapping the hair in a piece of tissue, he folded it neatly and slipped it inside a baggie which he then tucked inside his pocket. He stretched Hannah out, methodically lifted her arms from her sides, straightened her legs, and smoothed out all of the wrinkles in her clothes. He brushed her hair with his fingers until it fanned out perfectly from her head. She looked like a little bird-doll to him. He wanted to peek at her secrets under the clothes, but did not want to disrupt the image he had created. Crouched over her body, he was startled when Matt opened the door. He stepped inside the room, dousing Hannah’s body with yellow light from the hallway.

“God, you’re a creepy fuck. I got you a ride—they’re waiting.”

“Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” Matt didn’t answer Jared and there was a long pause. “Just one more minute.”

“If you smack one off over her body, she’ll know when she wakes up and there’s no way I’m taking the blame for that one.”

Jared was still crouched over her, almost as though he was guarding her and coveting her at the same time. “Fuck off. I’d never do that to her. She’s not some whore, you know.”

“Yes,” Matt said, “I know
.
”