four alarm fire // matty healy

Housewife Spliffin'

I was lying on the floor.

I think.

When Isaac slammed the door, I crumpled like a piece of paper. Minutes felt like hours, then my arm reached for a spliff tucked under my mattress. The red lighter in my pocket sparked and the clear air above my head grew foggy. Thick clouds billowed in front of my face, then it hit me in one calm wave.

It washed over me softly, and I floated along in this still tranquility. I pulled out my phone.

A phone that I happened to use. Not really mine at the end of the month anyway.

Or was is the end of the week?

My mouth bent into a stupid smile as I glanced at my wrist again. Black numbers and then two small X's. Matty's kisses. I flipped open the phone and carefully typed in his number.

I listened as there were a few rings on the other end of the line, then a confused voice cut through. "Hello?"

"Hey, Matty."

"Who is this?" he asked.

"It's me. The jerk, remember?" I smiled again.

"Oh!" He laughed and I heard the smile in his words. "I was joking about the jerk thing. However, I now reinstate that comment. Do you know why?"

My lips pressed to the joint to keep from myself laughing. "Why is that, Matty?"

"Because you've got a private number. So even though you called me, I still can't call you." He let out a low chuckle.

"Ain't that just the worst?" I smelled his orange again, lifting away the haze above me. "Do you have plans tonight?"

"No," he said. We sat in silence until he cleared his throat into the receiver. "Do you?"

"Um, yes," I looked at the pile of folders on Isaac's desk. I floated over the skim over them, landing on the empty spaces on Matty's file.

"Oh," he seemed surprised. Than he laughed again. "You're a little bit of a card, aren't you?"

"Maybe a joker." I said, now settling into the spinning chair tucked into the desk. "Or the queen of spades."

"Why not like the queen of hearts?" he asked.

"Do you play Hearts?" I blew another puff of smoke into the air.

"No," he said. "Is the queen of spades important?"

"She's worth the most points. When you play her, you've got to be sure that you aren't going to get her." I pressed the end of the spliff into the arm of the chair. "'Cause in Hearts, you want the least amount of points. One way to do that is to not win any hearts and to avoid the queen of spades."

"Oh," from the other end of the line. His voice grew husky. "Maybe we could play together."

"Yeah, and maybe I'll shoot the moon." I laughed.

"I'll se you sometime soon, Eris. Thanks for cabbing with me today."

"It was a pleasure," my voice became dreamy and soft.

I closed the phone and placed it on the desk. Then opened it up again. I scanned through the contacts I had saved. Only one: Isaac.

Uncle made us memorize his phone number every time it was replaced. "They can't trace me back to the Den if I'm completely untraceable."

Which was a valid thought, but I hated the idea of having to watch my back like that. All the time, for how many years of his life?

Too many.

I shivered.

The upholstered chair comforted me, cradled me. My touch-starved body settled further into the cushioned hug.