The Salvation Shark, Chapter 18

Jesse

Sunlight blasts my eyes through the window. The black blanket I put up to keep it out has fallen. I roll off my dingy mattress and get to my feet. My head feels like it’s about to explode. I know there is no coffee, so I finish the bottle of Jack Daniels next to me instead. I stumble into the living room. There is a baggie of weed on the coffee table, and the gravity bong is only half-burnt on the floor next to it. Very nice.

I sink into the couch, hoping I still have some chips in the kitchen. I turn on the TV and stare blankly at it for a while There’s something about that stupid Murphy girl being sick, like I give a fuck. Let her die for all I care. Must admit, I do have that Rolling Stone she was in. Wouldn’t mind seeing her have to do a Playboy shoot someday, once she's washed up a little.

After a while, I hit the bong again. I don’t think I have to work tonight, so I can just nurse this hangover for the rest of the day.

I float into the kitchen, where in the refrigerator I get the last of the orange juice from when Kenny and I dropped acid last week. I finish it and look for more. The only other fluids in there are a half-empty bottle of root beer that has been there for a while, and a couple cans of the Beast that Tommy Guilt left here some time last week. Aren’t I supposed to get better than this? I get myself a glass of water from the tap instead. It tastes like iron.

I don’t have any chips. I must have finished them last night when I was stoned. I paid most of my rent yesterday, so I'm broke. Maybe I could sell some CD’s and get fast food. Both places are such long walks though. Why couldn’t I live in a bigger town?

I pull the drapes, put on some music and start smoking again. That’s when I remember I’m supposed to have a date with Courtney tonight. That’s still not for... I squint at the clock on the VCR... “Fuck!” I yell. It’s almost two o’clock. Courtney said she was going to pick me up at five. I’m still going to be wasted when she gets here.

Oh well, it wouldn’t be unlike Courtney to just want to sit around and smoke dope all night. If she opts for that, it’s almost a guarantee that I will be getting laid. Court and I have been dating/fucking on and off since high school. I lost count of how many times she has cheated on me and broken my heart. At this point though, I’ve given up caring, and just spend time with her for the only thing she’s worth. I wish I could find someone better, someone that isn’t more of a punishment than a relationship. Why can’t I have some kind of magical power, some way of influencing people, how am I supposed to make anyone love me without them?

Go to Chapter 19