Ashes to Ashes
VI
The sounds of hundreds of excited football fans cheering on the Orange High School Lions could be heard from the edge of the forest near the sports complex as a freshly-turned sixteen year old Carter Bishop lay in the bed of Seth Hudson's old clunker of a truck. This was an old RV park that they had been meeting at for a few weeks now and if she could get away with it, Carter would never go home.
His breath was ragged and skin sweaty as she curled next to him, her legs intertwining with his and a glow on her face as he hummed under his breath.
"You're sure you'd never--"
"Never," she answered him, pressing her lips to his neck, a blush coloring her cheeks in the pale glow of faraway stadium lights. "You're the only one, Seth."
He didn't say anything, just gave her one of those lazy smiles that she'd slowly fallen in love with, his arm pulling her tighter to her chest before he closed his eyes for a short nap. It would be weeks before her mother would let her out of the house again after she found out she hadn't really been to her friend Elizabeth's house. A soft sigh fell from her lips and she turned away from Seth, hoping to hide the tears that were slowly starting to form now that the euphoric feelings were starting to fade.
"Don't hide from me, Crash," he murmured to her, his fingers searching for hers in the dark. "Talk to me. What's going on in that head of yours?"
She didn't want to answer him. On the outside looking in, everything in Carter's life was perfect. She lived in a sought after neighborhood, in a big house with a beautiful yard. Her high school was one of the best in the Cleveland area. She didn't come from a broken home like Seth had; she didn't struggle to get her good grades. Compared to him, she didn't have anything to complain about.
He rolled her over again gently, his hand tangling in her hair as he pressed his lips to hers. His forehead was sweaty against her own as he held her, not flinching as the teardrops fell from her eyes onto his forearm.
"I don't want to go back," she finally admitted to him. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to forget about her parents - Margaret, with her Suzy Homemaker house and high expectations and Roger, with his domineering personality and violent temper. Seth frowned and sat up, bringing her with him.
"Crash, what's going on? You've been different the past few weeks, ever since you got back from Canada. Did something happen? Did he--"
"He didn't hurt me, Seth." Carter shook her head, looking up at him finally. "Not the way you think, anyway."
She hadn't told him about the deer stand and the blood, or how she'd cried the whole way back to Ohio. What would he think of her? Seth was such a pure soul, someone who had never held a gun, much less shot a living being. Would he understand? Would he still see her the same as he did now?
For several minutes they sat there in silence. The football game was over now and she knew she'd need to go home soon, before her parents called Elizabeth's and realized that she was missing. She started getting dressed and gave Seth a small, sad smile.
"Can you take me to the park by my house, please?"
It was clear that he didn't want to, but Seth didn't argue with her. He gave her a small kiss before getting his own clothes on, and within fifteen minutes, they were parked and she was gathering her things to head home.
"Crash, wait."
Carter had just opened the door to the truck when Seth spoke, and she bit her bottom lip as she turned to face him. She was fully expecting a break up - after all, she had a lot of baggage that someone like Seth shouldn't have to deal with.
Instead, he was offering her a little bag. She arched her eyebrow, looking at the cluster of pinkish-white pills at bottom.
"Only take one a day. Don't start taking them until Friday, because they'll make you sicker than a dog at first. They'll help, Crash," he told her quietly as she took the baggy, tucking it into her pocket.
That night was the first time she experienced morphine for the first time. She had promised Seth that she'd wait, but the lure of escape had been too much to resist. She had hesitated at first, unsure of whether or not she should really go through with it. And then when she had taken it, nothing happened.
She just laid there, for hours it seemed until finally, around three in the morning, it happened. Her stomach hurt worse than it ever had before in her life, her head spinning like a hamster ball. She had barely made it to her bathroom before getting sick in the toilet, and that was where she passed out, too weak to move. She promised herself she'd never take another one.
But the next night, she did it again. And the night after that, until every single one of the pink pills in the baggy were gone.
His breath was ragged and skin sweaty as she curled next to him, her legs intertwining with his and a glow on her face as he hummed under his breath.
"You're sure you'd never--"
"Never," she answered him, pressing her lips to his neck, a blush coloring her cheeks in the pale glow of faraway stadium lights. "You're the only one, Seth."
He didn't say anything, just gave her one of those lazy smiles that she'd slowly fallen in love with, his arm pulling her tighter to her chest before he closed his eyes for a short nap. It would be weeks before her mother would let her out of the house again after she found out she hadn't really been to her friend Elizabeth's house. A soft sigh fell from her lips and she turned away from Seth, hoping to hide the tears that were slowly starting to form now that the euphoric feelings were starting to fade.
"Don't hide from me, Crash," he murmured to her, his fingers searching for hers in the dark. "Talk to me. What's going on in that head of yours?"
She didn't want to answer him. On the outside looking in, everything in Carter's life was perfect. She lived in a sought after neighborhood, in a big house with a beautiful yard. Her high school was one of the best in the Cleveland area. She didn't come from a broken home like Seth had; she didn't struggle to get her good grades. Compared to him, she didn't have anything to complain about.
He rolled her over again gently, his hand tangling in her hair as he pressed his lips to hers. His forehead was sweaty against her own as he held her, not flinching as the teardrops fell from her eyes onto his forearm.
"I don't want to go back," she finally admitted to him. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to forget about her parents - Margaret, with her Suzy Homemaker house and high expectations and Roger, with his domineering personality and violent temper. Seth frowned and sat up, bringing her with him.
"Crash, what's going on? You've been different the past few weeks, ever since you got back from Canada. Did something happen? Did he--"
"He didn't hurt me, Seth." Carter shook her head, looking up at him finally. "Not the way you think, anyway."
She hadn't told him about the deer stand and the blood, or how she'd cried the whole way back to Ohio. What would he think of her? Seth was such a pure soul, someone who had never held a gun, much less shot a living being. Would he understand? Would he still see her the same as he did now?
For several minutes they sat there in silence. The football game was over now and she knew she'd need to go home soon, before her parents called Elizabeth's and realized that she was missing. She started getting dressed and gave Seth a small, sad smile.
"Can you take me to the park by my house, please?"
It was clear that he didn't want to, but Seth didn't argue with her. He gave her a small kiss before getting his own clothes on, and within fifteen minutes, they were parked and she was gathering her things to head home.
"Crash, wait."
Carter had just opened the door to the truck when Seth spoke, and she bit her bottom lip as she turned to face him. She was fully expecting a break up - after all, she had a lot of baggage that someone like Seth shouldn't have to deal with.
Instead, he was offering her a little bag. She arched her eyebrow, looking at the cluster of pinkish-white pills at bottom.
"Only take one a day. Don't start taking them until Friday, because they'll make you sicker than a dog at first. They'll help, Crash," he told her quietly as she took the baggy, tucking it into her pocket.
That night was the first time she experienced morphine for the first time. She had promised Seth that she'd wait, but the lure of escape had been too much to resist. She had hesitated at first, unsure of whether or not she should really go through with it. And then when she had taken it, nothing happened.
She just laid there, for hours it seemed until finally, around three in the morning, it happened. Her stomach hurt worse than it ever had before in her life, her head spinning like a hamster ball. She had barely made it to her bathroom before getting sick in the toilet, and that was where she passed out, too weak to move. She promised herself she'd never take another one.
But the next night, she did it again. And the night after that, until every single one of the pink pills in the baggy were gone.