The faucet squeaked as Sasha cranked up the hot water. She stripped off her shirt, dropping it to the floor. A cloud of steam parted as she stepped into the tub, surrounding her as she stood under the scalding downpour.
***
The sun barely shined through the curtain, yet its beam was strong enough to wake Sasha from a deep sleep. For a good ten minutes, she just laid there. The courage to leave her bed never arrived, but her need for nicotine had ignited a burn in her stomach nine minutes ago. She rolled out of bed, glancing at the clock en route to her pack of smokes.
“Three! Jesus.”
A lit cigarette dangled from Sasha’s lips as she stretched. She glanced out the window, stumbling forward at the sight of red hair. Candy strutted across the gravel, putting the beauty of an autumn-crested hillside to shame, and Sasha’s forehead bumped the cool glass.
Candy headed for the stairs, and Sasha opened the window. With one hand on the railing, Candy froze. Then her bright eyes gazed up, robbing the air from Sasha’s lungs.
“I’ll be right down,” Sasha yelled as quietly as possible. She tore through her room. Dirty clothes flew through the air as she searched for semi-clean cargo pants. After slipping on a tank top, she scooped up her jacket and ran out the door.
The staircase wobbled, low creaks ringing out as Sasha galloped down the steps. She ignored Candy’s smile and gestured to her pickup truck.
“Come on. I’ll give you a lift home,” she said, opening the passenger door.
“But I just got here.” Candy slapped on a pout then climbed into the cab.
Sasha hurried to the driver’s side, hopping in. “Nothing’s going on today. There’s no reason to hang around.” She cranked the engine to life, tiny pebbles kicking up as she sped toward the front gate.
“What’s the rush?” Candy asked, slumping in her seat. “I hang out here all the time. You’re making this look shady.”
The truck’s tires chirped when hitting the pavement, and Sasha buckled down on the gas. “And you can keep hanging here…” Her fingers drummed the steering wheel, her gaze locked on the road.
“But?”
Sasha looked at Candy, darting her stare away at the slightest hint of skin. Those legs…she wanted to slip her hand between them so badly.
“But,” Sasha said in a quaver, “we have to stop seeing each other.”
“Is that what we’re doing? I thought we were just fucking when you felt like it.”
“And you have to stop talking about me,” Sasha said, hardening both her stare and her voice. “This isn’t a game. If people find out, you’ll just get bounced from the clubhouse, but I’ll get thrown in the cellar to bleed out a slow death. Do you understand?” She parked in front of Candy’s house, turning to stare at the fidgety girl in the passenger seat. “Please tell me you understand.”
“I understand. I’ll zip it up, I swear.” Candy sprang forward, clutching onto Sasha’s arm. “My mom’s out of town. Come inside. We can spend one last day together.”
Sasha closed her eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of lavender as Candy leaned closer.
“I just wanna feel your fingers on me,” Candy whispered, “inside me, one more time.”
“No.” Sasha yanked her arm away, pushing Candy back. “Just go. Forget I ever existed.” The instant the words left Sasha’s mouth, a chill crept into her spine. A light gasp streamed from the passenger seat, but Sasha kept her eyes down.
It wasn’t until the truck rocked from a door slamming shut that she looked up at Candy walking away. A tear escaped her clutches, carving a cool path along her warm cheek. She put the truck in gear and drove away from the locks of flowing scarlet hair.
***
After about two hours of pounding shots at the local bar, a numbness overcame Sasha. A slash still scraped her heart, but at least she didn’t care anymore.
“One more, Jack,” she muttered, sailing her glass down the bar.
“You’re pretty lit up, Sasha. You drivin’?”
“Holy shit!” Sasha slapped her hand on the faded bar, glaring at the man behind it. “I didn’t know you started working for the fuzz, man. See, and I thought you were a bartender.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jack poured another double of whiskey, placing it in front of Sasha.
Before the sting hit her throat, a hand crashed onto her shoulder.
“What’s this, one of them trucker skanks?” a man slurred from behind her.
“Nah. She’s got a jacket on,” another said, his beer spilling at Sasha’s side.
“Did you steal that jacket, darling? ‘Cause I don’t think a sweet little thing like you—”
The sloppy grasp on Sasha’s shoulder slid down her back, and she jumped to her feet. The stool banged to the ground, and she slipped her hand into her pocket, fingers looping into brass knuckles. She glared as three men inched toward her.
One drunken flinch set off a chain reaction of fists. Metal pressed against Sasha’s skin as her knuckles slammed into the corner of a jaw. A hit rocked her gut, another cracking her cheek, and she dropped to her knees. While teetering, Sasha barreled her brass-covered fist into a man’s nuts.
Before the smirk could leave her bloody lips, a kick sent her crashing into the bar. Stools clattered atop her, clearing once boots stomped her side. Wads of blood made her choke back her cry, a whimper seeping out instead as she hacked between kicks. She hunched over, pulling a knife from her belt. The next leg that neared got a blade to the calf.
Howls stopped the beating, and Sasha hobbled to her feet. Two men sprawled to the floor, one gasping while holding his balls as the other screamed about the knife buried deep in his leg. The last man lunged toward Sasha, his fist high. She snatched a beer bottle off the bar and knocked the guy upside the head, dropping him to his back.
“Huh!” Sasha shrugged, guzzling the bottle in her hand. Her arm dropped, and the glass slipped from her grasp, shattering on the floor.
“Sorry, Jack,” she said to the stunned man behind the bar. He flinched when she reached for her pocket. Slowly, Sasha pulled out a handful of cash. “For the mess.” She laid a crumpled ball of hundreds on the bar and turned toward the front door. The room took a quick spin, blurring in shades of red. Her brain said walk and the legs followed, a neat little surprise. After ripping her blade from the man’s leg, she staggered out the door.
***
Sasha parked beside the garage, and her mother rose from her bottom step.
“Jesus fucking Christ, seriously,” Sasha mumbled. She rolled from the cab, her groan quickly turning into a wince. Her trembling hand left her achy side, and she stood almost straight, attempting a stroll toward the stairs.
“Jack called,” Ellen said as Dez walked from the shadows. “Are you for real? Look at you, a fucking disgrace.”
“What’s he doing here?” Sasha glared at Dez, who stared back with only concern in his eyes.
“He was here when Jack called. You stabbed a man?”
Ellen stomped forward, whacking Sasha upside the head. “You know Dez went down for much less. You’re in deep shit. Those assholes are on their way to the hospital. Questions, cops.”