parents’ or if he would just throw it away instead of taking it with him.
“Let it go,” I told myself in a low whisper as I walked up his driveway past my little black Subaru. I smiled at the car before going up the stairs and elbowing the doorbell. When Leo opened the door, he was clearly intoxicated. I could smell the whiskey on his breath from the other side of the screen door.
“Wow. You smell pretty,” I said as I walked past him into his house.
“I am so happy to see you!” He tried to hug me, but the box I was holding got in the way. “What’s this?”
“A breakup box apparently.” I dropped the box on the coffee table. He looked at it with disdain and then went into the kitchen.
“The pictures you requested are in there, too,” I said, following him.
“Thanks. Do you want a drink?” he asked, producing an extra glass.
“When mommy and daddy are away, the boy will play,” I said and put my hand up to refuse the glass.
Leo’s parents left the store to Leo’s cousin Erica for the month while they went to Italy. Leo was joining them in a few days. So far, he hadn’t registered for school anywhere. I don’t think he knew what he wanted to do with his life.
Leo poured whiskey into the extra glass anyway. “You’re drinking with me,” he insisted, holding it out to me.
I didn’t particularly like drinking. The Rico Incident rather stole my teenage, underage joy in drinking, but I rolled my eyes and took the glass anyway.
“One drink,” I said firmly.
Leo grinned and then drained his glass in one gulp. I sipped on mine and made a face as the stuff burned going down.
“Are you all ready for Italy?” I asked him. I pulled a kitchen chair out and turned it toward where he was standing at the counter before sitting down, hooking my feet on the side rungs of the chair in front of me.
He sat down in the chair my feet were on and gave a noncommittal shrug as he poured another glass of whiskey. “Not really. I’m glad I’m going to see some of my family, but I can’t get excited about it right now.”
“Why not?”
“When I get back, you’ll be gone,” he said simply.
“I’m only going to lower, slower Delaware. Less than an hour away.”
“Yeah, but you won’t be here ,” Leo said, looking at me.
“Perfect.” I threw a hand up. “Because that means I’m not on the platform waiting for the crazy train with my family.”
He spun around, swinging one leg over both of mine. He slid to the edge of his seat and reached for my chair. I let out a small yelp of surprise when he pulled me forward, closer to him. I was impressed that he moved me so easily. I wasn’t a cow, but I was by no means small or slim. I had plenty of pounds that I needed to drop, but Leo had moved me as if I weighed nothing, and then… my legs were caged between his. He was leaning forward, definitely in my personal space, and definitely not caring that he was.
“I don’t think you understand what I am saying, Tabs,” he said, putting his hands on my thighs.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, or what you’re doing.” I gave him a sideways look that was clearly questioning his brainpower after so much whiskey.
Leo rolled his eyes. “Damn it, Tacky, why do you have to talk so much?”
I opened my mouth, to talk of course, but Leo shut me up. With his mouth.
My immediate reaction was to pull away. I dropped my glass of whiskey as I tried to jerk away from him. The glass shattered on the floor and liquid splashed on my legs as Leo cupped the back of my neck with one hand and slid his other hand to my lower back. He held me in place as his tongue expertly swept over mine, prodding it to get up and play.
It was at that moment that I had some idea of what it must be like for my brother and cousin to be addicted to drugs. Even if they managed to avoid it for some time, they could never have just one tiny taste, not a one, because they wouldn’t be able to resist completely caving in to
“Let it go,” I told myself in a low whisper as I walked up his driveway past my little black Subaru. I smiled at the car before going up the stairs and elbowing the doorbell. When Leo opened the door, he was clearly intoxicated. I could smell the whiskey on his breath from the other side of the screen door.
“Wow. You smell pretty,” I said as I walked past him into his house.
“I am so happy to see you!” He tried to hug me, but the box I was holding got in the way. “What’s this?”
“A breakup box apparently.” I dropped the box on the coffee table. He looked at it with disdain and then went into the kitchen.
“The pictures you requested are in there, too,” I said, following him.
“Thanks. Do you want a drink?” he asked, producing an extra glass.
“When mommy and daddy are away, the boy will play,” I said and put my hand up to refuse the glass.
Leo’s parents left the store to Leo’s cousin Erica for the month while they went to Italy. Leo was joining them in a few days. So far, he hadn’t registered for school anywhere. I don’t think he knew what he wanted to do with his life.
Leo poured whiskey into the extra glass anyway. “You’re drinking with me,” he insisted, holding it out to me.
I didn’t particularly like drinking. The Rico Incident rather stole my teenage, underage joy in drinking, but I rolled my eyes and took the glass anyway.
“One drink,” I said firmly.
Leo grinned and then drained his glass in one gulp. I sipped on mine and made a face as the stuff burned going down.
“Are you all ready for Italy?” I asked him. I pulled a kitchen chair out and turned it toward where he was standing at the counter before sitting down, hooking my feet on the side rungs of the chair in front of me.
He sat down in the chair my feet were on and gave a noncommittal shrug as he poured another glass of whiskey. “Not really. I’m glad I’m going to see some of my family, but I can’t get excited about it right now.”
“Why not?”
“When I get back, you’ll be gone,” he said simply.
“I’m only going to lower, slower Delaware. Less than an hour away.”
“Yeah, but you won’t be here ,” Leo said, looking at me.
“Perfect.” I threw a hand up. “Because that means I’m not on the platform waiting for the crazy train with my family.”
He spun around, swinging one leg over both of mine. He slid to the edge of his seat and reached for my chair. I let out a small yelp of surprise when he pulled me forward, closer to him. I was impressed that he moved me so easily. I wasn’t a cow, but I was by no means small or slim. I had plenty of pounds that I needed to drop, but Leo had moved me as if I weighed nothing, and then… my legs were caged between his. He was leaning forward, definitely in my personal space, and definitely not caring that he was.
“I don’t think you understand what I am saying, Tabs,” he said, putting his hands on my thighs.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, or what you’re doing.” I gave him a sideways look that was clearly questioning his brainpower after so much whiskey.
Leo rolled his eyes. “Damn it, Tacky, why do you have to talk so much?”
I opened my mouth, to talk of course, but Leo shut me up. With his mouth.
My immediate reaction was to pull away. I dropped my glass of whiskey as I tried to jerk away from him. The glass shattered on the floor and liquid splashed on my legs as Leo cupped the back of my neck with one hand and slid his other hand to my lower back. He held me in place as his tongue expertly swept over mine, prodding it to get up and play.
It was at that moment that I had some idea of what it must be like for my brother and cousin to be addicted to drugs. Even if they managed to avoid it for some time, they could never have just one tiny taste, not a one, because they wouldn’t be able to resist completely caving in to
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