A QUIET EXHALE leaves her lips the moment gage’s hand makes contact with her frame. her self-control melts at times like this – when he was completely and utterly high. in these moments he was sweet; he made her feel important and most importantly, he made her feel loved. it wouldn’t be long until he was soundly sleeping beside her and she would have to carefully wiggle out of his grasp to go home until he’d call the next time. the boy wouldn’t be the same person when he awoke; he wouldn’t touch her like this, nor would he want to be around her. his words wouldn’t be soft and slurred; they would be cold and dry and send a pang of anxiety through her stomach with each syllable. it was the sweet moments like this with gage that continued to bring her over despite the fact she felt uncomfortable with the circumstances. “i’m glad sophie trusts you enough to take care of her blankets.” she muses softly, following her words with a quiet giggle as the boy pulls one over their heads. her eyes flutter shut in the darkness, silently praying her breathing stays level as the pad of his thumb continues to drag across her skin. within moments there’s an incredible brightness and salem’s eyes hesitantly peek open to peer at the boy through the glare of his flash light. dark brows raise slightly as she opens her mouth to answer, but she’s quickly cut off by the beginning of his story he’s eager to tell. “a giant asshole,” she repeats to herself. another giggle rattles her frame until she’s busied with a faint flush creeping over her cheeks. she knows it’s apparent now, especially with gage shining the flash light in her direction now. “uh-” salem murmurs, looking for more time to come up with something sensible to add. “salem the cat told him-” the girl pauses again, unaware to continue with a subtle message about their situation or to let it go for now. she assumes the comment may go over gage’s head if she says it, but it doesn’t stop a nervous tug on her lip before she speaks again. “that she wants him to be careful. sometimes this giant asshole gets himself in- situations that are… scary. and salem the cat doesn’t like scary things – her ears go back and her tail goes between her legs and she just… she runs away.”
one would think that gage would be unable to comprehend metaphors, similes and everything in between once he’s stuck that needle in his arm, but in fact, it was quite the opposite. his mind opened up. gage often wondered if this was the real him -- he had to hope so, because the opposite was less than approachable. he turned the flashlight off and let his phone slide between them, completely enamored by salem and not the contents of his device. as she continued the story, he could feel his face fall. it wasn’t something he tried to hide, no. in fact, he wasn’t sure how to hide how disappointed in himself he felt. “she has a right to do that,” he whispered with a brief nod of his head. how could she not? gage knew he could get into some shitty situations. he was the last to deny that. he’d scared so many people off by being too open, not hiding his dirty little secret more than he should. salem had witnessed him fighting in the street. she’d wiped the blood from his busted lip and broken nose. gage had hid her in his bedroom when people broke into his house. it truly wasn’t safe for her to be around him, yet he risked it. why? simple -- he was selfish. he wanted her all to himself, and in his drugged stupor, gage didn’t think about all the risks that went into their relationship (if he could even call it that). “i don’t know what to say, salem,” he confessed, lifting the blankets off of them just a bit so they could breathe. “i could say i’ll stop doing the shit i do, but that would be a lie... like, i can’t -- i can’t just quit,” he was rarely this candid. it was a shock to the both of them, he was sure. “d’you know people die from withdrawal? like, people who have used their entire lives, they just fuckin’ die from the symptoms of not having what they want, and i know it seems like i don’t really care whether i live or die, but i don’t... i don’t want to go out that way,” he shrugged his shoulders up and down, turning to face salem on his side. the tiniest bit of sweat began to sheen across his forehead. he patted his hairline, sighing and shaking his head. “i’m so sick without it. i don’t want to be around anyone. can i tell you what it feels like?” he leaned in close to her face, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. “it feels like you’re in a hole in the ground and you’re safe at first, but then people come to excavate, and they dig around, but they dig around in your head... so you have the worst headache because people are digging in it. then, the headache causes this insane nausea that won’t go away no matter how much ginger ale you drink. you sweat. you shake. all because these little men are pounding away at your brain -- but then you -- well, you use. and it all goes away. so can you see how i’d be just a bit desperate for relief?”